Up on your arrival in Pakse, get pickup and stop for lunch at local restaurant.
After lunch, we get transfer to Champassak where we will take the rest of the day visiting UNESCO’s world Heritage Site of Wat Phou.
Back to your accommodation by late afternoon.
After breakfast at the hotel, we cross the Mekong to Ban Muang and travel for about 2 hours to Nakasang village. From here we take a boat to Don Det island, which takes nearly 20 minutes. We continue our trip by either walking or cycling around the island to visit the old bridge and river embankment, both built during the colonial French period. Enjoy watching local fishermen during their work on the Mekong! We proceed to visit the thundering Somphamit waterfall and stop for lunch at a local restaurant nearby.
In the afternoon we go further south for approximately 20 minutes by boat to see one of the world’s rarest mammal species, the Irrawaddy Dolphins. Let’s spend some time here for watching the dolphins and for relaxing. Another 30 minutes boat ride brings us to the small border town Veun Kham, where we will find our van waiting to take us to the amazing and largest waterfall in Southeast Asia, Khonephapheng. We will return to Pakse, which takes about 2½ hours, or you may drop off at the Lao/Cambodian border checkpoint.
Approximately: 5 hours sightseeing and transfer, 1 hour boating
We arrive at Ban Nongluang after a 1 hour drive from Pakse, stroll for a while through the village and chat with the people. The village guides who will accompany us for the next three days give important first safety instructions. We then hike through coffee plantations and vegetable gardens until wild semi-evergreen forest gradually takes over. The trail winds down for a while, sometimes quite steeply, passing ravines, beautiful waterfalls and flower-studded plateaus. Along the way, the guides explain the plants traditionally used in the village kitchen or as herbal medicine.
A breath-taking canopy walkway high in the trees and crossing a steep river valley is a first challenge. We pass the huge ‘Tiger’ waterfall and reach the giant ‘Kamet’ fall (name of a monkey), where the water plunges more than 100 m down into a relatively narrow, densely forested valley basin with waterfalls apparently everywhere. Here is where the zip-lines start and the real thrill takes its course. Brace yourself for an adventure of a lifetime!
We take our lunch in the wilderness, explore the forest secrets of the area and may take a cooling swim before mastering the unbelievable zip-lines. The cables crisscross the valley in front of the majestic water wall, stunningly high and us perfectly cooled by the spray of the water. Enjoy the sensation of being weightless and truly one with nature. Let your adrenaline rush come to a maximum. It’s joy, sheer joy!
After a day of great activity, we finally settle for the night in the wonderful camp with restaurant nearby. For dinner, local food and absolutely delicious barbecues are on the menu. Chatting and recollecting the gorgeous experiences of the day, or just relaxing and dreaming under the stars about the incredible wonders of life, we finally retire into our own tree house almost 10 m above ground. These houses designed in traditional style, made of wood, bamboo, and grass, can only be reached by — a zip-line.Bathrooms near the restaurant offer hot and cold water. An instant cozy sleep shrouded by the fiddling sound of the forest crickets is guaranteed.
We wake up amidst the warbling, piping, chirping, twittering of the innumerable birds in the dense canopy around us. A simple European-style breakfast prepares us for an easy 30-minute trek through great forest before reaching the first cable. Be ready for extended flights through the jungle with the longest zip-line of 400 m as a real highlight. Its speed, its felt infinity, the proximity to the usually invisible upper stratum of the forest is an amazing and unforgettable experience.
After breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight.
