KAREN LONG NECK VILLAGE
ABOUT karen long neck village
The ‘Long Neck Karen’ ethnic hill-tribe is a tribe of women who wear brass rings around their necks, wrists and ankles as part of their culture. It is a good idea to explore the village they live in (with respect) to get a feel of their culture and way of life, before supporting their income by purchasing a few souvenirs (not a requirement though).
The Karen are a tribal group who have historically lived in the hills in Myanmar (formerly Burma) side of the Thai border. Best recognized for their elongated necks, the Karen women wear heavy brass rings around their necks, forearms, and shins. While the Karen men are mainly field workers and farmers, the women have a rich history of crafting from wood carving to weaving. Overall the Long Neck Tribes live a rugged, tedious, and simple lifestyle.
There are still around 40,000 Karen members today, but thousands have had to flee Burma over the decades due to political unrest. Fleeing to Thailand was a very safe choice for many, but the ones that came are largely illegal immigrants and do not have options for gaining Thai citizenship. While things are much better for the Karen that have fled from Burma, the lack of opportunity for the Long Necks has confined the groups to small pockets separate from most of modern Thailand.
While it may seem that the Karen women have unusually long necks, their traditional brass rings actually smash their shoulders and rib cages down just making their necks seem longer. The brass rings, which are also around their shins and arms, are made out of one solid piece of metal making them quite heavy. Each time a woman adds a ring to her neck she is fitted with a new neck piece that coils around and around. During our recent visit, there were multiple women with over 25 rings on their necks.
The biggest reason why the Karen women put themselves through the neck lengthening routine is simply tradition. While there are some of the women that need to stick with the tradition to make money since they are refugees, there are some of the women that do it just to hold onto their heritage. In the early days of the Long Necks, the practice of the brass rings was started not just for beauty, but also to protect against tigers and in some cases even just because the village leader said he preferred it.
Today many of the young Karen women are breaking with tradition and it is estimated that the neck lengthening practice only has a few generations of life left. When we visited the Karen many of the young women only had a couple of rings if any at all.
WHERE CAN I FIND KAREN LONG NECK VILLAGE?
Karen Long Neck Village is about 73 km north of the City of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Therefore, it makes for a perfect day trip if you're staying in central Chiang Mai. It will take approximately 1 hr 30 minutes to reach the village however traffic in the mid-afternoon can get a bit busy, so it is recommended to leave as early as possible if you are taking a scooter. You can get to the Karen Long Neck Village by Taxi, Red Truck, or by scooter.
our review
We visited the Karen Long Neck Village during our trip to Chiang Mai. It is about a 1.5 hour drive away from central Chiang Mai, however we hired a taxi service out for the whole day which cost us 1,500 baht (around £30-£35) as there were a few places we wanted to visit (we also visited the Chiang Dao caves just after we stopped here). If you are getting a taxi from the airport in Chiang Mai to your hotel it's a good idea to take the taxi drivers WhatsApp number and use him throughout the trip as they can usually give you a good deal.
When you arrive at the village have to pay 500 baht each for entrance (around £12). Once inside there are beautiful waterfalls, camps where people can stay overnight and a small village where most of the tribe are located selling their trinkets etc. You can sit and talk to the tribe if you like or just have a look at their souvenir stalls (however you are not obliged to buy anything, it is pretty cheap and helps the tribe with day-to-day life).
It's amazing to see how the tribe member's necks and ankles are laced with beautiful gold rings and their ears pierced widely. It's definitely something to tick off your 'culture' list for Chiang Mai.
Overall there were a lot of interesting things to see in the village however we wouldn't recommend spending very long here as it can get a little boring and best to stop off here on a visit to somewhere else to avoid travelling a long way for such a small attraction.
TOP TIPS
The village is located in the mountains so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes as the floor may be slippery and wet (if you are visiting during rainy season).
Also, remember to take some small notes as if you are thinking of purchasing some of the souvenirs, it is difficult for the tribe to change up large notes.
COST
500 baht per person.
CONTACT
Telephone: +66 81 993 3827
OPENING HOURS
Monday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Tuesday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Wednesday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Thursday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Friday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Sunday 7:00am – 7:00pm