You can sign up for a popular Gibbon Experience tour, trek up Eagle Mountain, or embark on a multi-day extreme adventure in the NPA, where few have gone.

The Gibbon Experience

Get the thrill of a lifetime with the world-renown Gibbon Experience, which offers three treks into the Nam Khan NPA. The physically fit can get a taste on the Gibbon Express, which kicks off with an hour-plus steep climb to a series of zip lines. You’ll fly between mountains in the NPA, to the largest tree in Laos. Spend the night in a tree house before returning the next day.   

For a better chance to spot gibbons, take the more moderate Classic Gibbon Experience. Start with an easy hour-long trek through the hilly terrain, though time doesn’t matter. Choose your own schedule and eat when you’re hungry, while your guide leads you to two nights in a tree house. Spend the days in a trekking and zip-lining adventure inside the Nam Khan.  

For more trekking time, try the Waterfall Gibbon Experience, which digs deeper into the NPA. You’ll spend up to 3 hours a day, for 3 days, on a trail along the Nam Nga River, with a waterfall and

natural swimming pool along the way. Split your 2-night, tree-house stay, with one hut offering a view of the valley as the sun sets and the second on the river.  

Trek up Eagle Mountain

Are you ready for a steep mountain challenge? Tackle the trail up Phou Pha Houng (Eagle Mountain) for a striking view of the Nam Nyon valley. Start at Tad Nam Nyon Waterfall at Ban Panna Tai, a short drive from Houay Xay. Grab a guide and continue down the road until the mountain’s jagged peak – your goal – comes into sight.

At Ban Panna Neua, a path cuts through rice fields to the forest, where the climbing begins. The guide points out forest products including wild bananas, ginger, and cardamom. The trail turns into compact dirt stairs formed by generations of local jungle gatherers. Just past a forest of massive bamboo shoots and fan-leaf palms used for thatched roofs, you’ll reach the top.  

The peak reaches 1,118 metres, and the perch over the valley presents the perfect backdrop for a simple Lao picnic with sticky rice prepared by the guide. After a careful descent, take a refreshing swim at the 30-metre-wide pool at the base of Tad Nam Nyon Waterfall.

New Challenge Discovery

Venture into the Nam Khan NPA on a 2 or 3-day extreme trek, and overnight in a jungle camp. You’ll hit the trail just west of Houay Xay at Pak Ngao and follow the Nam Ngao River into the heart of the jungle. Stop at the handful of remote villages along the path, and learn how they live in the forest. In between, you may spot bears, deer, and wild pigs. You’ll cook meals on the trail, with wild ingredients and mountain rice in bamboo tubes. Spend the night in a jungle hut built with bamboo and covered with broad leaves.