TREKKING ON ELEPHANT IN NORTHERN LAOS
Location: Hongsa district, Sayaboury Province between the Mekong and the Thai border S-W of Luang Prabang.
CONCEPT:
Meet the elephants and mahouts of Laos in their REAL environment. Drive your own elephant (1 elephant per guest) during a caravan across rice fields, forest and rivers. En route, meet local villagers from several minorities (Kamu, Tai Lu) and learn about their traditions. Take care of your elephant (bath, feed…) and learn how to command the elephant.

 

PROGRAM
Day 1: Private boat from Luang Prabang, Houay Say(Thai border) or Pakbeng. Pick- up truck in Tha Souang pier and transfer to Hongsa. Night in a local guesthouse.
Activities: Guests receive 3 booklets (Lao vocabulary, Mahout’s guide, Lao overview)



Day 2: Early morning breakfast and visit of local market. Guests then walk to Sibounheuang village (10mn) where the elephants are waiting for them. Guests are invited to load on their bags onto the elephants and to climb in the chairs. The caravan departs along ricefields in the direction of Ban Then, 4km eastwards. The elephants pass through the beautiful village and cross a small river. Then, the path narrows and the vegetation becomes thicker. Guests are surrounded by nature. They go up a hill and then down to the Nam Tap river. Then, they continue to Ban Nam Tap along a trail that rejoins the Hongsa/Tha Souang road. In Ban Nam Tap, they take their elephant to the river and then into the forest where they will stay for the night. The camp is installed in the village and 2 options are proposed to them: homestay or camping. Food is brought to Ban Nam Tap either by car from Hongsa (for 4 PAX+) or directly with the elephants (for 1-3 PAX). Guests visit the village, bath at the nearby river and have dinner.

 

Day 3: Guests have breakfast and can go and pick up their elephant in the forest and take it to bath. Then, everybody treks on foot during the morning as there is a steep hill to climb. On top of the hill, we have a quick lunch and enjoy a beautiful panorama on the valley below and the mountain rice fields. We then go down the hill to a small non-industrial logging camp where we can meet other elephants and mahouts. Your mahouts show off their skills by pulling and moving logs. Guests can observe how agile and powerful the elephants are and have a direct perception of the expertise of their mahouts. A small river, the Nam Kheng, runs along our path and takes us to a tiny Kamu village of only 5-6 houses surrounded by fruit trees and a small rice field. There are waterfalls in the environs which can be discovered on foot.
Guests can bath in the clean little river. Overnight either in the villagers’ houses or camping. Diner around the campfire and learning of elephant commands.

Activities: “Lao Hay” or rice beer drunk with a bamboo straw out of a jar.


Day 4: Guests have breakfast at the camp and are offered to go and pick their elephant up and to bath it. Guests can now ride their elephants by themselves (the mahout stands either behind the guest, in the chair, or walks near the elephant). The route is along the Nam Kheng river in beautiful natural surroundings. There is no special difficulty. The walk is quite short and guests arrive at the village before lunch time. At the Ban Kheng village, time is taken for a short “elephant driving test” in the main yard of the village. Each guest shows to his/her mahout how he/her masters the commands and drives the elephant. The test consists in a series of commands such as: go, stop, back, right and left. At the end of the test, guests receive their “Basic Mahout Course Certificate”. Elephants are taken to the Mekong for a big bath. Then, we set up the camp on the Mekong river banks (or homestay if prefered). Lunch and visit of the village and the school. Refreshments on the Mekong . Diner with mahouts and overnight.

LOGISTICS
Staff: 1 English-speaking guide (myself), 1 mahout chief, 1 mahout and 1 elephant per guest, 1 mahout and 1 transport elephant for groups above 2 PAX, 1 cook per 3 PAX.

Supplies:
Elephants carry the camping equipment, guests luggage and kitchen equipment for 1-3 PAX groups. Above this number (4 PAX+), we can bring food and equipment to Ban Nam Tap (Houeylap) by car or by using additional (transport) elephants.
Food is bought on the day of the departure and mineral water is taken on the elephants for 1 day supply. For next days, we use filtered water (Katadyn Ceramic Filter).

Equipment:
Tents (capacity for 3 or 2 guests), folding table and chairs, auto-inflatable mattresses, medikit, clean sheets and moskito nets, kitchen equipment, toilet paper, water filter, elephant chairs.

CONDITIONS
Service includes:

  • English-French speaking guide
  • Camping in tents during the trek and in guesthouse (double room with hot shower) in Hongsa
  • all meals
  • 1 elephant per guest up to 4 guests (for bigger groups guests shall sometimes share an elephant)
  • Transfers by private boat and car to and from Hongsa.



    TARIFF ON THE BASIS OF: 2 persons : 700 € per persons
      3 to 4 persons : 600 € per persons
      5 to 6 persons : 550 € per persons