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Travel With Us and Discover the Heart of Remote Asia

Our adventures are journeys of learning and exploration. On them you learn not just the facts but the stories behind the facts, the anecdotes that flavor any conversation. Groups are small. While we break up a journey with comfortable hotels, our emphasis is upon experiencing the region like the people who live there. Thus, we sleep in village houses or camp in rainforests or on beaches. It is the only truly authentic way to understand the world and its culures.

Led by river explorer Steve Van Beek (see main website), each journey offers unique experiences with plenty of time to hang and relax. Paddle through pristine regions of breath-taking beauty and experience traditional cultures first-hand. Food is basic but ample. Trips are designed for novice boaters. We provide all safety equipment but require that you be able to swim.

Don Ross, editor of Travel Trade Reporter said this about our trips in the May 25, 2006 edition of the Bangkok Post: “Kayak tours [that] are an immersion in local culture, to take in the stunning scenery of a remote region, rather the adrenaline surge we might associate with a kayak tumbling through white water rapids.”

This is what the New York Times had to say about our trips. (If you cannot access the site, write to us).
 
National Geographic Adventure
published this story on our trips in its October 2006 lissue.
 
Scott Sanderson,
witsendstudios.com, and a paddler on our 2004 15-day trip, made this video.
 
From February 16-23 2013, 19 students and 2 teachers paddled with us through Laos’ 4,000 Islands and ziplined in the Bolaven Plateau.

Perhaps more revealing are client comments. Read them and decide if this is for you.

Click on a trip in the accompanying schedule and be taken to an illustrated itinerary. For more information and prices, contact stonewater.est2005@gmail.com noting your country of departure. While we offer journeys according to a set schedule, we can arrange a trip for groups on the dates that best suit them. We can also design an itinerary especially tailored to your requirements.

Below is the 2013-2014 schedule.  In addition to those listed, we’ve developed three exciting new trips but will schedule them only when we receive enough inquiries. Here they are in brief:

  1. The Xekhong. Flowing southwest from the Vietnamese border in southern Laos, this river has not been previously run so we’re pioneers…and, perhaps, its final observers since five dams are planned for it. Thus, this will be a research trip. The 11-day trip would run late January.
  2. 4,000 Islands + Bolaven Plateau, 8 days. Four days in the 4,000 Islands and four days of ziplining, abseiling, and sleeping in treehouses in a gorgeous valley by the Bolevan Plateau. Not for the faint of heart. No dates are set but if your group is interested, please let us know.
  3. Xe Bang Fai. A five-day trip in which we would explore a four-km. deep cave along the Vietnamese border.

By the way, you can schedule the "Down a Winding River to a Mekong Gem" and the four-day and five-day "4,000 Islands" trips for any time of year, for three or more persons.

 
 
Trip Schedule 2013
 
Oct. 19-23 (Sat-Wed)
5 days
Float through a 7.5 km. Cave.  Paddle one of Asia’s most amazing natural wonders. For Thailand residents, coincides with a weekend and Chulalongkorn Day, thus requires only 2 work days off.
Nov. 1-3 (Fri-Sun)
3 days
Down a Winding River to a Mekong Gem.  This lively little river begins in the hills and runs through forests and farmlands to Luang Prabang.  You can schedule this on whatever dates you like.  Minimum six persons.

Nov. 11-17 (Mon-Sun)
7 days

Into the Heart of Tribal Laos.  An amazing journey down a remote river through five different tribal areas of Laos.
Dec. 1-15 (Sun-Sun)
15 days
15 Days Through a Huge Cave and S.E. Asia’s Biggest Waterfall.  Outside Magazine called it “one of 48 trips of a lifetime”.  Combines the best of the 7.5 km. cave and the 4,000 islands trips.
Dec. 20-24 (Fri-Tues)
5 days
5 Days in the 4,000 Islands of Laos.  An Asian wonder. Explore S.E. Asia’s largest falls and watch dolphins feed in the Mekong.  Schedule this for whatever dates you like.  Minimum six persons.
 
Trip Schedule 2014
 
Jan. 8-12 (Wed-Sun)
5 days
5 Days in the 4,000 Islands of Laos.  An Asian wonder. Explore S.E. Asia’s largest falls and watch dolphins feed in the Mekong.  Schedule this for whatever dates you want.  Minimum six persons.
Jan. 17-19 (Fri-Sun)
3 days
Down a Winding River to a Mekong Gem.  This lively river runs from the hills and through forests and farmlands to Luang Prabang.  Schedule this for whatever dates you like.  Minimum six persons.
April 6-13 (Sun-Sun)
8 days
Pristine Beauty in Laos’ Northern Wedge.  When Thailand is broiling, this Lao river is deliciously cool.  Fun rapids, natural areas, and remote villages.
April 14-17 (Mon-Thurs)
4days
Nam Ou all the way to Luang Prabang.  Rather than take out at Pongsaly (see "Northern Wedge", above) we continue downriver by longboat to Laos’ former royal capital, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
 
Whenever you want it  (Must be a group of six)
 
4 days 4-day 4,000 Islands.  For those who want to spend each day on the river, we’ve removed the Wat Phou visit. You can schedule this whenever you want.  You can schedule this on whatever dates you want.  Minimum six persons.
6 days Six Days in Thailand’s Remote North.  Raft a noisy but beautiful Thai river along the Burmese border.  It is offered year-round, except for the March-June low-water months.
5 days Rafting the Wild, Wild Wa (Rafting).  A delightful, fast-flowing river in a cool, protected area in the mountains along the Lao border.  Can do in early monsoon (June-July).
6 days 6 Days in the 4,000 Islands of Laos.  The day added to our normal five-day trip is spent paddling through the falls to the Mekong below.
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