| Float
through a 7.5-km. Cave
| Days: |
5 |
| Location: |
Laos |
| Activities: |
Kayaking (Class 1), hiking. |
BRIEFLY
The Khammoune Range in Laos features arresting limestone outcrops whose
grotesque shapes resemble those in a Lord of the Rings fantasy.
We’ll drive through them to a remote valley that holds a village
much like those in Thailand 40 years ago. After sleeping in a village house,
we’ll paddle through a 7.5-km. long cave and overnight in a riverside lodge.
We then move downstream to the confluence with a faster-flowing river that
carries us through beautiful forests to camp on a beach hemmed by high limestone walls.
Kayak to a lovely village near the mouth of another cave that leads us to
a mysterious valley of ancient ruins of a lost civilization. Along the way,
we will spend two nights in village houses, one night in a rustic resort (with hot showers),
and one night camping. This is the first half of a 17-day trip Outside Magazine
called “one of 48 trips of a lifetime”.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Fly to the border and cross the Mekong into Laos. Drive through
magnificent limestone karsts, and penetrate to the hidden valley.
Explore a rustic village. Dinner on the headman’s porch.
Day 2
Paddle your own inflatable kayak through the cave (headlamps are
our only illumination). Overnight in a riverside lodge.
Day 3
Ride a longboat through pristine forests and into a gorge to camp
on a beach hemmed by 700-foot-tall limestone cliffs.
Day 4
Paddle half day through valley to another village. Cross the river
and hike through the cave in thigh-deep water to a secluded valley
to explore old ruins of Buddhist temples.
Day 5
Paddle past the enormous Elephant Rock, longboat to Highway 13,
lunch at a lodge, cross the Mekong and ride to a village to enjoy
a Thai village music/dance performance and dinner. Catch a late-evening
flight to Bangkok.
For more information and prices, e-mail +662 653 9712 and +6681 450 5340
noting your country of departure.
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