Blogs from Bokèo Nature Reserve, West, Laos, Asia

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Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve September 30th 2012

I arrive into Houay Xai – a dusty, una attractive little town on the border of Thailand – pretty much famous for one thing only that puts it on the map – The Gibbon Experience -which is what i'm here to do. Guesthouses rather than dorms are more common in South East Asia so I end up paying 80,000 kip a night for a private room with ensuite bathroom (around six pounds) but hey I get an mtv channel which even though its showing some crappy rock god countdown is bliss compared to the all Asian music and media i've been experiencing to date. The next day I find a nice bakery and buy some pumpkin and raisin bread along with a proper coffee for breakfast. I get talking to a sixty something German artist called ... read more
The team
Bat and Bong (i think...)
Jungle Trekking

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve May 1st 2012

After finding a crocodile sized gecko (named Greegsy) in our bathroom we managed to get a good nights sleep and wake up early to start 'The Gibbon Experience'. After visiting the crazy sandwich lady to get sandwiches, juice, crisps and oreos we heading to the gibbon office to start our journey to the Bokeo Nature Reserve. After a bumpy ride throught small villages we reached a river which the truck then drove through to enter the nature reserve. After what felt like a rollercoaster through the jungle on the back of a pick up truck avoiding being whacked by branches we got to the start off point of our trek. Climbing through the forest at the hottest part of the day was a bit of a challenge, especially when it was up hill but about 2 ... read more

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve March 19th 2012

"The Gibbon Experience" will fall into the category of things I’ll probably remember forever. I got into Huay Xai around 5pm exhausted and hungry after my trip up from Chiang Mai and I knew that The Gibbon Experience office closed at 7pm so I spent no time messing around looking for a guest house and just headed for the first one at the top of the list in the guide book - Friendship Guest House - 70,000KIP (7 Euros) for a private room and access to the great view of the Mekong River from its rooftop terrace. I pretty much just threw my things down on the floor and went straight to the Animo Office - the tour group that organises The Gibbon Experience. There are two tours available - Classic or Waterfall and they set ... read more
Ready to Zip!
Bokeo Nature Reserve
Lunch Time in the Tree House

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve January 15th 2012

Feedback from friends who had done this trip before us and suggestions from our guidebook told us that the Gibbon Experience in northern Laos was a ‘must-do’. We had been attempting to book a tour through email, but having had to spend one more day than planned in Chiang Mai in order to experience the Elephant Nature Park ended up throwing our plans out of whack. Because of this, our travel day taking us north from Chiang Mai to the Laos border had an air of glumness as we were fixated on a missed opportunity. We arrived in the border town of Huay Xai at 5pm and decided to check at the Gibbon office to see if any spots had opened up. Because Huay Xai is a somewhat difficult spot to reach due to the border ... read more
Throne Fit for a King
Making Friends
Our Home

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve March 27th 2011

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve December 16th 2010

Not The Least Bit "Laos-y" “Seung, Mae Nam! Seung!,” yelled our Mahout. Obediently, Mae Nam bent her massive tree-trunk sized leg, creating a step up to allow her trainer to climb aboard. “Your turn,” said the Mahout. “Seung!” I beamed. The elephant obliged and I was able to climb onto the massive animal. A grin settled onto my face. Bareback riding an Asian elephant in the middle of the Laotian mountains is definitely something to write home about. Laos is a country of smiling people, tangerine cloaked monks and French colonial architecture. While ‘The Land of a Million Elephants’ is one of the poorest and most undeveloped countries in the world, it is also a land full of picturesque landscapes where farms outnumber buildings and kids chase foreigners for a smile and a wave. The 21st ... read more
Our guesthouse
Nam Khan River
Bath time

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve December 16th 2010

After some very relaxing days in Luang Prabang, we took the night bus (14 hours, seats no. 1 and 2) to the Bokeo Nature Reserve (Huay Xai - border town next to Thailand, you only can stay there for just a few hours because there is nothing to do). In the morning we went to the office of the Gibbon Experience, got to know our group members and had to sign a paper saying more or less: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING - and not the gibbon Experience is responsible, e.g. the cable breaks, the tree house burns, you fall of the cable or things get stolen..., nevertheless the Gibbon Experience was SOOO friendly to give us at least some safety instruction on how to use the zipplines. Our group consisted of 2 Dutchies and 4 ... read more
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve August 12th 2009

Have you ever had the dream to live in a tree house when you were young? Thanks to the Gibbon Experience, this dream has come true for me during the past 3 days. It was by far one of the craziest and at the same time toughest experiences I have ever had! On Wednesday Morning, our group of 13 people left Houay Xai in a jeep in order to drive to the Bokeo National Reservoir close to the Thai border. During the drive, we had already time to get to know the others a bit better and somehow we just „clicked“ right away so we knew the coming days would be a lot of fun. After 1,5hrs through very bumpy and muddy roads (we even drove right through a river!!) we arrived at a little village ... read more
Gemuetliche Runde hoch oben
Der Ausblick war die Bombe... nur die Natur und wir mittendrin
Voll ausgeruestet fuer das Zippen

Asia » Laos » West » Bokèo Nature Reserve June 23rd 2009

Day 348: Friday 12th June - Crossing over the Mekong into Laos Today I am crossing over the border into Laos. Despite looking into both the border crossing formalities and whether I can get Laos currency on the other side of the border, I am none the wiser. Some sources say you can’t get a visa on arrival, most say you can, but the length varies between 15-30 days. Similarly, I find a few internet sites that say that there is an ATM in Huayxai on the Laos side of the border, whilst most say there isn’t, and a money changer is the best I can hope for. I decide to go for it without arranging either a visa or some currency in advance and trust that all will be okay. The journey to Laos starts ... read more
1. Huayxai on the other side of the Mekong river at the Thailand-Laos border crossing
6. Sunset over the Mekong river from the rooftop of the guesthouse in Huayxai
11. The guides relaxing in the treehouse, Day 1 of the Gibbon Experience




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