Ban I-Ko Nam Tok (Akha Village)
Ban I-Ko Nam Tok is a village located in the forested mountains west from Chiang Rai city. The Akha people who live here farm the surrounding hillsides. The village is connected to the outside world by surfaced roads winding through the mountains to Chiang Rai, a more level road back towards the Kok River, and a walking trail to Bamboo Nest and Ban Cha Cho village.
You will see pineapple, and lychee plantations and a vibrant village with a primary school and general store. There is even back-packer accommodation within the town itself (although our guests generally prefer the comfort and security of Bamboo Nest at night).
If you trek to Ban I-Ko Nam Tok from Bamboo Nest, you get a really good look at the valley north to Ban Cha Cho. After that you enter forest and continue south until you arrive at lychee orchards on the approach to Ban I-Ko Nam Tok village.
From the village of Ban I-Ko Nam Tok, it is a fairly easy walk up to the waterfall. The descent on the other side of the waterfall is more of a challenge. You will need good mobility to attempt this at any time of the year, and the difficulty grows exponentially after heavy rain. It is possible to bypass the waterfall and walk out of the village on the main road, but this can also be challenging in the wet as the first few hundred meters consist of a straight, steep, concrete descent.
As you depart by road from Ban I-Ko Nam Tok, you past some interesting small villages (Akha, Yunnanese, and Thai). There is even a small tea plantation in the middle of nowhere!
Nearby Attractions
Bamboo Nest
Bungalow accommodation & trekking hub.
