Camp on the Elephant Trail

Learn what it’s like to live in the forest by following the “Elephant Trail” in the Nam Ha NPA, cooking meals made from food and herbs gathered along the way, and sleeping in an open-air Akha jungle camp. This two-day trek traces the paths of wild pachyderms travelling between China and Laos. You start with the ups and downs of a mountain pass that cuts through bamboo forests and banana trees. Keep your eyes open for birds prompted to flight by the guide’s calls, which he’ll teach you along with how to make the sounds of squirrels and barking deer. You’ll finally reach a waterfall for lunch and view of the NPA’s mountain ridges. During the hour-long walk to the campsite, you’ll search for fresh footprints and other signs of Elephants, Bear, Tigers, Gaurs, Monkeys, Barking dear, Gibbons, Wild pigs, and Jungle fowl. At the Akha-hosted camp, you’ll learn to cook dinner with forest plants and herbs by using bamboo utensils before hitting the sack in a banana-leaf and bamboo shelter. Wake up to gibbons calling before the hike to Ban Nam Daet Mai (Akha) for lunch, after which your local guide will explain Akha history, traditions, and culture as you stroll through the village, meet the people, examine their structures, and learn how to make baskets and weave. An afternoon trek stops at three Yao villages and pauses at an Akha and a Tai Lue village, before reaching Ban Done Chai near the Chinese border and the ride back to Sing Town.