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Have your ever dreamed of sleeping in a treehouse in the jungle?
Then you need to visit the Gibbon Experience in Laos. An incredible eco-tour within the jungle of Laos. Sleep among the treetops only accessable through ziplines deep in the jungle.
Our adventure begins in the small town of Huay Xai, Laos just across the Mekong River; the natural border with Thailand. At the office, the Gibbon team starts preparing you for the adventure. After a brief video, an overview of the agenda, we are loaded into trucks, and begin the two-hour drive into the Nam Kan National Park. After about an hour, we make a pit stop before crossing a small river and leaving the paved roads behind. For the next hour, we bumped and swayed our way to our base camp.
Learn about the Gibbon Experience.
The Gibbon Experience is located
in Laos, was founded to protect the National Park, support conservation and provide the local community with jobs. Through tourist based protection, they currently employ over 120 local Laos people which support the local economy and keep the local customs and traditions alive. Not only is an exciting experience, but it also does a ton of work for the National Forest and the local environment.
How did we get here?
We utilized Wild Planet Adventures to plan our trip to the Gibbon Experience. They were great about getting our flight connections, lodgings, and getting us across the border into and out of Laos. This was part of our larger trip into Cambodia and Thailand and without their logistical support, we would not have been able to add this into our trip. The local guides and transportation ensured we didn’t have to worry about anything. We would recommend them for any of their experiences.
The Journey Begins.
After our jeep trek into the Nam Kan National Park, we arrive in a small village that acts as a base camp for supplies and the jumping-off point for the treehouse adventures. Loaded with supplies mules and horses make their way to the various cabins and villagers that support the treehouses. Each of the treehouses is looked after by a family that cooks and keeps the houses refreshed between groups. Here we break up into two groups, and with our guides, head out across cow pastures, until we come to the edge of the jungle.
Hiking Further into the Jungle
After crossing through fields, we entered into the lush foliage and began heading uphill. The trail is made up of a small footpath. Here I began to question my physical fitness, out of breath and already sweating, was I going to make it. The website indicated moderate physical levels (not sure we had the same definition of average). We stopped for a quick lunch and rest, allowing me to catch my breath. After hiking for about two hours, we came to our first zip line. Here we saw our first kitchen that supports the treehouses.
The Zip Lines
There is over 15 KM of zip lines within the Gibbon Experience; the longest is over 500 meters, the equivalent of five American football fields. The zip lines reduce the amount of time moving around the mountains and through the jungle. On the waterfall adventure option, there are 30 zip lines.
As we approached our first zip line, I began to question whether I could do this. Standing among the jungle, and exhausted from the early morning hike and anticipation, I realized there was no turning back. I stepped on the platform, checked my harness, held my breath, and let go. As I began to soar above the jungle below, I gained my confidence and looking around me – watching the canopy of the forest, the mountains, and the distant horizon wiz by me. It was exhilarating.
After the first zip, I felt inspired, all the tiredness and doubt had vanished. Which is good, as we had several more zips and hikes to get to our final destination before nightfall. We spent the following few hours hiking to the next zip and winding our way through the jungle to home for the night.
Watch the video to see how awesome the zip lines are
Exploring the Treehouse
It’s everything you dreamed of growing up. Hidden within the trees, the only way in and out is a zip line. The area is so lush that the treehouses are hard to see from your zipline as you jump off. We stayed in two treehouses during our adventure. The first one, located @50 meters off the ground (approx. 10 stories). The second one was not as high but both featured incredible views and a cool experience.
The treehouse consists of a large open area, small kitchen and dining gathering area, and a bathroom. Our guides bring us food at each meal, prepared by the local villagers, who maintain the treehouses. Our group, begins to bond and after dinner we play cards for peanuts, and relax enjoying the setting sun and quietness.
As the sun began to set, our dinner was zip lined over from the kitchen. The air temperature began to cool. While we traveled in late December, we did not account for the elevation and the unseasonably cold weather. Temperatures dropped to @10 celsius. Luckily the blankets and mosquito netting kept us warm while we slept among the trees.
We woke to another foggy morning, sitting among the trees, we waited for the sun to burn off the fog and warm us up. We enjoyed an excellent final breakfast with our travel mates and guides. After packing, we headed out to our last few zips before hiking back into the village. The longest zip in the system is 500 meters, it’s long and fast, giving us an early morning rush. After a couple of smaller zips, we began our two-hour hike out of the jungle.
Arriving back at the village, we jumped into the back of our jeep and headed towards the Gibbon Experience office passing small towns and villages, enjoying the rushing air and sunshine as we made our way back to Hauy XI. Upon our drop off, we said goodbye to our adventure mates and made our way to the border and our next adventure.
Thoughts on the Gibbon Experience, Laos
Exhausted and dirty, we arrived back at Hauy Xi to await our transport back across the border to Thailand. Janelle and I enjoyed a cold beverage, and discussed the adventure. We both agreed, we would do it again. The feeling of being immersed in the jungle, exploring nature and being cut off from everything soul-nourishing. The zip lines were an awesome way to travel and simply exciting. We recommend the Gibbon Experience in Laos, whole heartedly.
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[…] eye views. We love zip lines and spent 3 days doing ziplines in Laos – check out our Gibbon Experience for more […]