A truly sustainable and authentic experience that will bring you unique emotions. A tour designed for those who are not afraid to venture into the forest with zipper lines, sleep in trees, listen to the sounds of nature and wake up surrounded by Gibbons. You will contribute to a project designed to create awareness about the need for nature conservation in the National Park and its communities. You will then cross the Mekong River to visit tribal villages of the Yao and Akha ethnic groups in Thailand’s “Golden Triangle” and have an Elephant Retreat.
From Thailand to Laos amidst nature and traditions, you will have a unique and unforgettable experience!
Starting from € 2350
From Thailand to Laos amid nature and traditions
Departure by scheduled flight from Milan Malpensa.
Meet with the at the airport or at your hotel. depart for Chiang Khong border town between Thailand and Laos. Cross the border to Huay Xai and transfer to your hotel. Free evening at leisure. Overnight stay at B2 Monethong Hotel or similar.
After breakfast transfer from the hotel to the Gibbon Experience office before 8 a.m. by hotel shuttle bus. Here you will meet the staff and begin the 4WD journey to the Bokeo Nature Reserve. The road is very bad, but a long stretch is being paved and soon the transfers will be faster. After a break for lunch in a small Laotian village you will continue the journey through rivers and dirt roads to a small indigenous village. Here you will leave your ATV and walk for about 2 hours with your backpack (guides will assist you on request), to the Gibbon Experience. (Note that in heavy rains, the 4WD truck may not be able to reach the village and you may have to walk further).
Upon arrival, you will meet your local Laotian guides, who will give you a brief orientation and safety instructions. They will put you in a climbing harness, show you how it works (including an innovative cable-breaking system), and help you reach the first treehouse. From there, guides will take you on a series of zipper lines and short hikes to the treehouse where you will spend the night. The guides will bring you hot meals of Laotian cuisine, prepared with incredible taste and ingeniously packaged to take with you on the zipper lines. Overnight stay in one of the magnificent tree houses.
Highlights: Go through a unique system of cables that terminate at treehouses, offering panoramic views of the rainforest. You will have a front-row seat to see the gibbons, a small monkey that duets with its mate each morning as the mist lifts from the rainforest.
Wildlife: Gibbons, macaques, Asiatic bear, barking deer, giant squirrels, and more than 300 species of exotic tropical birds.
Early in the morning, your Laotian guide will take you on an exploration of the network of ziplines and treehouses. One of the great advantages of the network of treehouses and ziplines is that it allows wildlife lovers to be in the canopy at dawn, dusk and at night–the best times for wildlife observation. We know of no other ecotourism project that addresses wildlife viewing so specifically, especially with such a conscious focus on serving the local community and conserving the rainforest and wildlife. Overnight stay in tree houses.
Around mid-morning you will begin the hike back to the last village and wait for your 4WD transport back to Houayxay. Once back across the Me Kong River, you will check in at the Thai border crossing to get your passport stamped, then transfer by vehicle to the Phowadol Spa, ready for an afternoon of relaxation.
This beautiful and tranquil Thai spa is very special. It is designed to complement the beauty of its surroundings. The emphasis is on the landscape, and the elements of water, wood, and earth are rich and nourishing, with colorful tropical trees and flowers abounding. In addition to the best traditional Thai massages, you can choose from a wide range of health and beauty packages that include proven treatments from Thailand and around the world. The spa uses a whole range of herbal preparations, fresh ingredients, and professional aroma therapy-based skin treatments to offer a tantalizing range of 100 percent natural scrubs and skin treatments.
Transfer to hotel.
Overnight stay at Phowadol Resort and Spa.
Full day of sightseeing, starting with tribal villages of the Yao and Akha ethnic groups. Stops at Mae Chan and Mae Sai, the latter located on the border with Burma where there is a rich market with products from both Burma itself and China via the Burma Road. Visit Chiang Saen on the banks of the Mekong River where the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand meet at the point called the Golden Triangle; an area once famous for opium cultivation.
Lunch at local restaurant and return to Chiang Mai in the afternoon. Free dinner and overnight stay at Karen Ecolodge or similar.
After breakfast spend an extraordinary half day feeding, bathing and learning about elephants in an eco-responsible elephant camp. You won’t believe how much fun this experience is and how much it will open your heart to learn about these incredibly social animals! Free dinner and overnight stay at Karen Ecolodge or similar.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport.
Departure by flight to return to Italy.
Arrival in Italy.
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