The Gibbon Experience, Laos

Near the Thai/Laos border in the Nam Kan National Park there is an ecotourism project called The Gibbon Experience. Given the deforestation and development happening all over SE Asia, the project is an important measure to protect the endangered gibbons and preserve a pristine jungle environment. 

After a brief safety video I jumped into the back of a truck that would take us the 2.5 hours into the forest to start our trek. The bumpy, dusty ride was made better by the company.. I met Ulrich from Denmark, Brum from the Netherlands and Brooke from Texas and we hit it off immediately, joking about it being Jungle Law from here on in and excited for what the next three days and two nights would hold. 



After a quick lunch in a remote village we set off for a hike into the hills. 



We walked for about an hour until we were kitted out with our zipline harnesses. Ziplining over valleys makes it much faster to progress through the jungle and allows access to the incredible treehouses dotted throughout the park.



After zipping for a couple of hours we made our way to Treehouse number 1 (of 7). It's a phenomenal three level construction and was an awe inspiring home for two nights. The massive tree supporting the structure was easily 400 years old.







At night after a great dinner our guides left us to the darkness and the cicadas. We had epic Jenga and Shithead (a card game) tournaments, drank Laos whiskey and bantered heavily, cementing what has become a tight friendship in our little group. 

The next day we explored the whole park, ziplining into all the treehouses. Some of the ziplines are over 400 meters long and take you very high over the forest with incredible views - a thoroughly invigorating experience. In the afternoon we had the great fortune to spot a pair of gibbons and zip very close to them. We saw them climb down a tree, then up another and disappear into the jungle, their long arms swinging from branch to branch. I didn't capture the moment in photos but it is burned into my memory. We were very lucky to see them, many do this trip and don't see any.









All in all a phenomenal experience that I recommend wholeheartedly to anyone travelling through SE Asia.







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