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| Laos Gibbon Experience Itinerary |
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Laos - The Gibbon Experience5 Day ItineraryDay 1 Legend Spa or Phu Chaisai SpaThese gorgeous, peaceful Thai Spas are very special. They have been designed to compliment their uniquly beautiful environment. Emphasis is given to the landscape, and the elements of water, wood and earth are rich and nurturing with trees and and colorful tropical flowers abounding. In addition to the very best in traditional Thai massage, there are extensive choices of health and beauty packages comprising proven treatments from Thailand and around the world. Each Spa utilizes a whole host of herbal preparations, fresh ingredients and professional aroma therapy-based skin care to provide a tantalizing range of one hundred percent natural scrubs wraps and skin treatments. Enjoy them today or sign up for full spa services upon your return from the jungles of Laos. Day 2 Gibbon ExperienceEarly this morning your Thai naturalist guide will transfer with you to the Thai border town of Chiang Khong, in time to be first in line to cross the border to Houxay, Laos, at the famous Me Kong river when the border opens at 8:00am. Once across, you'll meet with the staff of the Gibbon Experience at their office and begin your 4WD journey to Bokeo Nature Preserve. This is a very poor road, but a long stretch is in the process of being paved. After a break for lunch in a small Laotian village, you'll continue your journey through rivers and over dirt roads to a small native village. Here you'll leave your 4WD behind and walk about 45 minutes with your bag, up to the Gibbon Experience. (Note that in the event of heavy rain, the 4WD truck may not be able to make it all the way to the village, and additional walking may be required.) Upon arrival, you'll meet your local Laotian guides, who will provide a short orientation and safety instructions, . They will fit a rock-climbing harness to you, show you how it works, (including an innovative cable breaking system) and help you zip to the first tree house. From their your guides will accompany you on a series of zip lines and short hikes to the tree house where you'll be spending the night. THe guides will bring your hot , delicious Lao meals, prepared with incredible taste and packed ingeniously to travel with them on the zip lines. Overnight in one of the magnificent treehouses. Highlights: Traverse a unique system of zip line cables that end in magnificent treehouses, affording panoramic views of the rainforest. You'll have front row seats to see the gibbons, a small ape that sings duets with its mate each morning as the mist burns off the rainforest. Wildlife: Gibbons, macaques, asiatic bear, barking deer, giant squirrels, and over 300 species of exotic tropical birds. Day 3 Gibbon ExperienceEarly this morning your Thai naturalist guide and your Laotian wil guide you as you explore the network of ziplines and treehouses. Unlike any other travelers there, you will have the added benefit of a naturalist wildlife guide, who will be both serving you and training the local Laotian guides to spot and identfy wildlife. You'll have all day to explore the rainforest with your guides. One of the great benefits of the treehouse/zipline network is that it allows wildlife lovers to be up in the canopy at dawn, dusk, and at night...the best times for wildlife observation. We know of no other ecotourism effort that caters so specifically to wildlife observervation , especially with such conscious attention on serving the local community and conserving the rainforest and wildlife. Overnight in one of the magnificent treehouses. Day 4 Gibbon ExperienceAround mid morning you will begin the hike back to the last village with your Thai naturalist guide, and wait for your 4WD transportation back to Houxay. The border closes at 5:00pm, and usually we make it in time. Once you've crossed the Me Kong again, you'll check in at the Thai border crossing to get your passport stamped, then transfer by vehicle back to Phu Chaisi Spa, ready for a relaxing afternoon of pampering yourself after your adventure. Note: if the 4WD vehicle doesn't reach Houxay by 4:20pm, you will not get across the border to Thailand and will have to spend the night in Houxay at a minimal extra charge. Do not make any urgent travel plans for the rest of this day. Overnight Phu Chaisai Spa Day 5 Legend or Phu Chaisai Spa / BangkokChoose to spend the morning at the spa and leave for Bangkok in the afternoon, or enjoy another night at the spa at additional cost (recommended, in case you don't make it across the border in time). Transfer to the Chiang Roi airport for your flight to Bangkok, in time to make your international flight. Note: Due to the logistics required in order to travel to and from the Gibbon Experience, flexibility is required of all passengers. To make it easy for you, the first and last nights of your package will be spent at a beautiful Spa, near Chiang Roi. In the event your transportation does not make the border crossings as scheduled, you may need to spend the night in Houxay in Laos instead, at minimal extra cost. Additional nights are available at the Gibbon Experience's more remote treehouses. This requires that you spend the first night in Houxay and catch the earlier 4WD to Bokeo which leaves at 7:30am, before the Thai/Lao border opens. The Gibbon Experience is relaxing and peaceful, with only an hour of essential walking. You choose how you want to spend your time, there is no schedule; food will come when you are hungry, and the guides will always be around, at your service. Groups of eight people depart on alternate days at 8:30am for two nights in Bokeo Nature Reserve. Wild Planet Adventures Gibbon Experience package includes:
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