Ban Pha Lai (Huai I Ko)

General Information: The Village of Ban Pha Lai (Huai I Ko) is located in the village group Nr. 16 in the Community Chiang Dao in the District of Chiang Dao in the Province of Chiang Mai. It is a village with mixed ethnic population. Karen, Lisu and Akha live peacefully together. The first villagers were Karen, who came in 3 families in 1957. About 20 years later, 15 Lisu families came to settle down in the west border of the village. In 1982, 10 more Akha families came to join and build their houses, also in the west border. The first trekking tourists come to the village in 1984. In 1998, the village has got an asphalt street coming directly into the village. There are now 94 households (17 Karen, 42 Lisu and 35 Akha households) with 124 families and 814 inhabitants in the village.

The village of Ban Pha Lai is situated geographically on an intermontane plain, surrounded by mountains. The distance from the Administrative Office of Chiang Dao to the village is 12 kilometers. Administratively, the village borders Ban Huai Nam Rin, a Lisu village, in the north, the administrative areas of Phrao in the south and in the east, and Ban Pang Khae in the west. The distance from Ban Pha Lai to the nearby waterfall is 3 hours by walking, to the Chiang Dao Cave is 20 kilometers, to Ban Parong 5 kilometers, and 10 kilometers to Ban Musur.

Festivals and Tradition: The main festival in Ban Pha Lai is set to celebrate the Christmas events in December. The festival takes place in the village's church with entertainment activities of the ethnic groups. The Swing Festival of the Akha takes place in January-February with their entertainment activities like folk dancing and singing.