The Gibbon Experience

  Huay Xai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

After a few people told me about the Gibbon Experience, I knew I had to do it! Costa Rica was going to be my first destination when I started this trip 9 months ago on my way to South America. In Costa Rica, they have some world famous Ziplines(flying foxes) through the tree canopy. So, I've been wanting to zip from tree to tree for months now. (Antonia, that thing we did in Bali was fun and challenging, but it doesn't compare to flying from tree to tree 450 ft.(150M) above the forest floor.) Click on this link to see the video.
It freakin RULED! If you're listening to the audio and you hear an "ouch", that's my head rubbing up against the line while I was busy filming and not paying attention to my body position.

Anyway, the Gibbon Experience is more than just ziplines. It's a program set up by conservationist to protect the unspoiled Bokeo Forest Reserve in Northern Lao and of course the Gibbons. Take a look at their site if you want to know more.

Basically, what you get when you sign up for this $130, 2.5 day trip out to the forest is accomodation in treehouses

Treehouse 2

, 3 meals a day, "unlimited" access to the ziplines and guides to take you around the forest. They now have opened 5 treehouses as of this month. Most of the treks that I've been on that REQUIRED you to hire a guide, did not really need a guide. Um...ya, I'm hiking to the top of a volcano or the summit of a 13,000 foot mountain... I can see the summit, I don't need a guide. But I digress... Here in the forest, you really do need a guide. You don't walk along any paths or trails, you walk through the trees and the undergrowth. I woulda had no clue where I was on our way to find the Gibbons. Unfortunately, I didn't see any animals besides the baby gibbon

Bear

and baby bear that they rescued

01 Baby Gibbon

. We had an American on our trip, that will remain nameless, that clearly had ADHD and a bad case of oral diarrhea so all the wildlife knew we were coming from miles away. Peter on the otherhand was in the best shape of all of us so he took a guide out early on our last morning and spotted a few gibbons on his own. It's definately worth doing so if you're in the area, check it out. Ya, I know those of you in the States are saying, "HUH?" but readers out this way should make the trip. Just make sure you ask them if the truck can pass the stream so you don't end up having to walk 7 hours from the "road"

Road

to the first treehouse. The brochures don't mention anything about having to wade through 3 streams of varying depth and current or the Battan Death March to the forest.