Think about timber so far as the attention can see, stretching over misty hills rolling into the space. The closest village is an hour’s stroll, and the one sounds are the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves – and the whoosh of a zipline as you velocity right into a treehouse, your property for the evening.
That is the Gibbon Expertise, deep within the jungle of Laos. In December 2024, I had the privilege of taking their two-day basic tour.
Day 1: A really bumpy jeep journey, the primary ziplines and exploring our treehouse
The journey began with a journey in an open-back jeep as I bumped down grime roads into Nam Khan Nationwide Park. I used to be strapped into my security harness earlier than starting to stroll into the depths of the forest.
Earlier than lengthy, I used to be nervously speaking myself into my first zipline. Whereas I had practice-ziplined every week earlier than, that paled in comparison with the epic size of the strains on the Gibbon Expertise.
We spent our first afternoon ziplining on a few of the shorter programs earlier than we arrived at what we’d all been ready for: the treehouse.
Constructed by the local people, these unbelievable multi-level tree homes are the best on this planet. As we explored, we discovered a kitchen with working water, a Western-style rest room, and a bathe—all 100 toes from the bottom!
Native ladies zipped into the treehouse with dinner in lunchpails, and as soon as we’d eaten, our guides zipped again in with a kettle of boiling water for a sizzling tea earlier than mattress. We additionally had some Laotian ‘completely happy water’, a domestically brewed rice spirit, becoming a member of our guides in a toast assured to provide us an excellent evening’s sleep.
My mattress was on the high of the treehouse, a barely nerve-wracking climb with solely dim photo voltaic lights illuminating the best way. As a solo traveler, I shared a mattress and a mosquito internet with one other feminine traveler.
Her mother and father had the mattress subsequent to us, and I grew to become part of their household for the following few days. We had been completely happy to see the thick curtains across the beds—not only for heat, however as a result of we’d been warned concerning the tree rats that got here out at evening!
Day 2: Ziplining over 600 meters by means of the Laos jungle and our first Gibbon sighting
It was time to set off after a scrumptious breakfast, once more introduced in through zipline and a few much-needed heat espresso. We trekked by means of the Laotian rainforest, visiting different treehouses that type a part of the Gibbon Experienceincluding the newer honeymoon treehouses for {couples}, which even have sizzling water!
We additionally bought to know our guides and perceive their lifestyle and their intense dislike of the weird, chilly, damp climate we had been experiencing.
As we moved by means of the jungle, the ziplines bought longer and longer, taking us by means of beautiful surroundings and throughout deep valleys. At first, we had been all nervous and sought reassurance from our guides as we clipped onto every line.
However quickly, we felt like specialists, even on the longest line stretching over 600 meters (656 yards). Our largest fear was shedding momentum earlier than the tip of the road and having to ‘monkey’ onto a platform, as pulling ourselves in backwards by hand was an ab exercise none of us wished.
After lunch, we went out to the ‘hub’, a platform excessive within the timber that’s the place to begin for a number of ziplines, however extra importantly, one of the best place to identify gibbons.
Seeing these shy animals isn’t assured on the Gibbon Expertise, however we had been fortunate: we instantly noticed some. It was unbelievable to look at these critically endangered primates swing between the timber even at a distance.
Day 3: Extra gibbons and goodbye
On our remaining morning, we loved ziplining across the Hub on unbelievable strains which might be excellent for filming, photographs, and the compulsory selfie.
We had been fortunate to identify gibbons on our remaining day as nicely, and we spent about half an hour crouched on the platform, quietly observing them as they performed.
The solar lastly got here out, and we bought to zipline by means of attractive golden mild earlier than heading again to the native village to say goodbye to our guides.
The Gibbon Expertise: A Shining Instance of Eco-tourism
The Gibbon Expertise just isn’t solely the prospect to dwell out your childhood fantasy of a secluded, zipline-only treehouse. Their work enabled the creation of the Nam Khan Nationwide Park in 2008 and offered jobs for a whole bunch of native individuals within the space.
Whereas poverty is declining, Laos stays the poorest nation in Asia, and the Gibbon Expertise provides staff a higher-than-average wage. Moreover, the Gibbon Expertise supplies forest patrols to cease unlawful logging and searching.
It encourages native farmers to modify away from slash-and-burn farming, one among Southeast Asia’s most distinguished causes of air pollution. That is genuinely tourism with a goal and among the best examples of eco-tourism I’ve seen in over eight months of touring in Southeast Asia.
Visiting the Gibbon Expertise was a bucket-list journey. The whole lot about it’s a dream: you zip by means of elements of the forest which might be difficult to achieve on foot earlier than sleeping over 100 toes within the air and showering among the many leaves.
I can’t suggest it extremely sufficient—even with the tree rats! The 2-day Basic Tour on the Gibbon Expertise prices €320 ($345 USD) for a three-day/two-night journey, together with meals, lodging, transport, and security tools.
Excursions depart from Huay Xiay on the Thai border, which is accessible from Vientiane and Luang Prabang through the brand new Laos railway, adopted by a bus. It’s typically booked up far prematurely, notably within the dry season, so it’s best to ebook forward.
Em Gensen
Em is in her late 30s and has traveled solo since her early 20s. She’s been to 48 nations (and counting) and has traveled round South East Asia for a yr. She shares suggestions and tips, vacation spot guides, and what it is prefer to journey solo whenever you’re over 21, all on her weblog, Em’s Globetrotting Gems.