Tiger Trail Adventures - Laos

---

While traveling with a friend in Laos we decided to do a “home stay” in a village to get an impression how people in Laos live. Tiger Trail Adventures seemed to be a good option as they are “fair trade” so we were prepared to pay a bit more than for other trips.

What I liked:

Scenery: The rice fields and valleys you walk through are so green and beautiful – it seemed like the most peaceful place on earth.

People: The villagers are very nice and welcoming – especially the chief is absolutely great.

Insight: When you try to participate in the village activities you get an impression of how they live. It’s a very tough life and even the old people help on the fields. They seem to be happy though within their community and surrounded by their families.

What I disliked:

Unprofessional: We were less than satisfied rice fieldwith our guide. He couldn’t be bothered to translate for us or answer our questions. He also tried to hit on one of the girls in our group.

Safety: One of the girls got very sick the first night and was too weak to continue the next days trek. This was clearly nothing the company has an emergency plan for. We were on a dirt road – so somebody from the office could have come to pick her up. The guides’ mobile phone only worked from time to time anyways. So I carried her backpack (the guide didn’t offer to carry it) and the poor girl had to somehow drag herself to the next village.

Money: We were asked to buy candy for the children as well as to give money to a poor guy in the village. We decided not to buy candy and refused to give money to this guy. If we give something we want it to go to the community and not just to one person. This is when our guide told us we were greedy. We stuck to our original plan to give money to the chief of the village to use for the community.

TIPS:

Do it yourself: If there are no activities in the afternoon just go and offer your help to the villagers. We helped to pick corn from the fields and had a great time with the locals while our guide was using the entire afternoon for a nap.

Footwear: Wear proper shoes – but not your favorite ones. When it rains the jungle trek becomes a mud pool and your shoes will never be clean again.

Animals: Watch out for leeches and bring a mosquito spray.

I can only recommend a trek to the villages. It truly is an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately a lot depends on your guide. So do a bit of research to find the best operator.

Our operator: Tiger Trail Adventures

Our Tour: “Culture Lodge”

Price: between $30 – $40 depending on the group size and your bargaining skills

---