The Gibbon Experience

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Hello Marcel,

Thanks for your mail and your interest in our conservation activities. In June and July a car will be leaving for the forest everyday. We are currently fully booked until the 10th of June for the Classic and the 13th for the Waterfall. The Classic Experience departs on even dates, and the Waterfall Experience on odd dates. To make a booking, please send your full name, passport number and country of residence. To make sure you can book the date you require you should book at least two weeks in advance and wait for our confirmation that you can join before you travel to HouayXay.

We do not ask our guests for a deposit when they make a booking. For this reason it is very important to give us at least 6 days notice of your cancellation.

The rainy season has arrived. In the case of heavy rains, guests to the Gibbon Experience should be prepared to trek 4 to 7 hours between the main road and the tree houses. The walk is challenging, complete with possible heavy rain, mud and leeches. Be prepared. We ask that your schedule be relaxed as we cannot guarantee you make it out on the 3rd day due to weather conditions. It is possible you may make it back either late in the evening or even the next day, so crossing the border or catching a plane can be tricky. It is a serious adventure this time of year. It is what you make it!

PLEASE consider the use of cables only as a smart way to access the canopy: making it the main purpose of your visit, you would lose out most of the experience ;-)

I have attached more information below. Please read all the information carefully before you make a booking.Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Molly

The Gibbon Experience includes:

* Exclusive access to the Bokeo Nature Reserve

* Transportation to and from the Reserve

* Accommodation in a canopy-level tree house complete with runningwater, semi-private comfortable bedrooms, and a spectacular view

* Delicious, fire-cooked meals

* Unlimited access to an extensive canopy cable-gliding network forexploring the treetops

* Local guides eager to show you the forest and its inhabitants

Price per person : 5000 Bahts or 1.4million kips. We cannot accept travelers checks or credit cards at this point. *There are no ATMs in Houayxay, and it's not possible to get a cash advance at the bank here, so please come prepared. Internet service is not so reliable, so make sure to do any essential emailing in advance.

Since recently we are proud to offer two different options to join the Gibbon Experience. If you want to book you can let us know which option suits you most.

Option 1: The Classic Gibbon Experience*You may choose the Classic Gibbon Experience, if you are looking after a relaxing stay in your tree house with access to an important cable network - within a restricted number of canopy infrastructures though. You will not need to hike much and you are highly encouraged to have a rather contemplative, slow motion and discreet behaviour.

Groups of approximately twelve people depart Houayxay for the Bokeo Nature Reserve every other day at 8:30am. Travel time from Houayxay to the village of Baan Toup is about 3Ã‚Â½ hrs. It is a difficult, 83 km trip that is either dusty or muddy depending on the time of year. In the village you will be welcomed by guides who will take care of you from there. From the village, it is a one-hour, mostly uphill hike to get to the canopy infrastructure. When you arrive, you will put on a harness and glide across a cable to enter the first tree house. Here you will be informed about important things to know in and around the tree houses. You will split up in three groups. We offer a more private tree house for two people, which you can reserve when booking.

On the first afternoon the guides will take you on an optional, two-hour hike to become familiar with the cable network. On the second day you can use the cables, relax in your tree house or go for short hikes on your own. Dawn, on day two and day three, is the best time for wildlife encounters. The project received its name because the black gibbons (Hylobates concolor) sing on most days and hearing them is an experience unlike many others; however, The Gibbon Experience is not a wildlife park. We are visitors in their territory, which is very extensive, so we cannot guarantee gibbon sightings. On the third day you will leave from the first tree house at approximately 10:00 am. Our driver will then take you from Baan Toup to Houayxay unless you prefer to wait for the bus to Louang Namtha from the Reserve Gate, in which case you will generally arrive in Louang Namtha the same evening.

Option 2: The Waterfall Gibbon Experience*You may choose the Waterfall Gibbon Experience if you are looking after an extensive discovery of the Bokeo Nature Reserve with the possibility to access all canopy infrastructures.Groups of approximately twelve people depart Houayxay for the Bokeo Nature Reserve every other day at 8.30am. Travel time from Houayxay to the village of Baan Toup is about 3Ã‚Â½ hrs. It is a difficult, 83 km trip that is either dusty or muddy depending on the time of year. In the village you will be welcomed by guides who will take care of you from there. From the village, it is a one-hour, mostly uphill hike to get to the canopy infrastructure. Here you will be informed about important things to know in and around the tree houses. On the first afternoon the guides will take you to your treehouse, this will involve putting on a harness and gliding over the forest as well as hiking for 3 hours. You will be escorted to a tree house with a view overlooking a valley. On the second day in the morning you can choose to hike to a waterpool. There is a small waterfall and it is a nice spot to have a picknick. The walk involves a guided hike alongside the river to maximise wildlife encounters. This hike takes up to 6 hours. You may want to bring a bathing suit if you plan on swimming (nude is not an option). Take only the essentials to your tree house, in other words, only those items you are willing to carry for at least an hour. These should include a *flashlight, *gloves or old socks and mosquito repellent. Towels and bedding are provided in your tree house. You may leave your large backpack in the office in Houayxay or in the village of Baan Donchai if you plan to travel on to Louang Namtha. Don't forget to charge your camera batteries ahead of time! The Gibbon Experience is truly unique. We take great pride in the fact that, as far as we know, there is nothing else like it in the world, and we love to see our guests experiencing the magic that lasting memories are made of. We look forward to sharing it with you! You can find our office in Houayxay (pronounced “way sigh”) on the main road, just north of the immigration checkpoint (upriver) on the side of the street closest to the Mekong. Make sure you pop in our office the day before the car leaves to the forest, so we can tell you more about the background of our conservation programme and discuss the last important things before you leave the next day. Please email or call to make a reservation. Thank you!_________________________________________________________

INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS COMING FROM LOUANG NAMTHA:

For guests traveling from Louang Namtha who wish to reduce the amount of time spent on the bus, you have the option of getting off in Baan Donchai, which is approximately two-thirds of the way to Houayxay, and our driver can pick you up on the way to the Reserve the following day before heading into the Reserve. Accommodations in Baan Donchai are rustic and friendly; prices are comparable to guest house prices. The bus leaves Louang Namtha at about 9am and reaches Baan Donchai at about 4 pm. Make sure the driver understands that you don't want to go all the way to Houayxay; they are still not used to foreigners stopping in this small village. To make sure that the bus driver fully understands, tell him the name of the previous big village (Ban Tafa). Buy your ticket (about 45 000 kips) at 6:00 in the morning, otherwise it may be full. You could also ask someone in your Guest House to write “Baan Donchai” in Lao so that you have something written to show the driver, and you could remind him again in the early afternoon that you will be getting off the bus before the other passengers. In Baan Donchai you can stay at Mr. My-Boon's house, opposite of the temple. He offers family-style “bed and breakfast” service. Sleeping at Mr. I-Daeng's restaurant is also possible, less comfortable though. If you choose the option of sleeping in Baan Donchai, make sure to let us know so that we will know to pick you up there. (There are no phones in Baan Donchai, so once you leave Louang Namtha it is not possible to communicate with our office.) You can leave your big backpacks in Baan Donchai and take only a small backpack into the forest. Make sure you bring a flashlight and mosquito repellent. We will pick you up the following morning at Mr. I-Daeng's restaurant in Baan Donchai at around 10.00am on the way into the Reserve.

INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS COMING DIRECTLY FROM CHIANG MAI:

We advise you to take the bus in Chiang Mai in the early morning. If you take a bus at noon you are likely to arrive too late at the border crossing in Chiang Kong, regardless what bus drivers may say! The border crossing closes at 18.00pm, sometimes even a bit earlier. You need to be in Houayxay the day before you depart for the Gibbon Experience.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Programmes and prices will be changing in the near future.

Noa

Noa

Annemieke

Marcel

Annemieke

Marcel

kees in't veld

babs

Sjors

babs