The Gibbon Experience in Laos is a treehouse hotel you zipline into. The second we found this, we knew we had to share it with our readers who love unique hotels as much as we do! And what we love most of all is that it’s not just a touristy stay. It’s part of a real conservation effort in Laos, where revenue goes towards protecting the forest and providing jobs to people in the community. Below, we break down how the different tours compare, what staying in a treehouse in the jungle here is actually like, and what to know before you book.
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What the Gibbon Experience Actually Is
The Gibbon Experience offers multi-day tours, and the treehouse stay is built into each one. There’s no way to book the treehouse separately, the way you might book a standalone hotel room. Every package bundles the trek in, the guides, meals, zipline transport, and the night (or nights) in a canopy treehouse into a single itinerary.
The tours differ in length, pace, and which section of the forest they access, but they all end in a zipline into a treehouse where you’ll stay the night.
Getting to the Gibbon Experience Laos
The Gibbon Experience office is based in Huay Xai, a town in northern Laos near the Thai border. Tours depart from here each morning. For the Classic tour, it’s roughly a 2.5-hour drive from Huay Xai to the trailhead. Then it’s on foot from there.
Travelers coming from Thailand often use Chiang Rai as a gateway, crossing into Laos at Friendship Bridge IV and spending the night in Huay Xai before the tour begins. From Luang Prabang, it’s possible to get there by train and minivan, though the journey is a bit longer. Either way, this isn’t something to squeeze into a spare afternoon. It needs its own slot in a Laos itinerary.
Instead of checking into a hotel, guests trek into the forest and arrive at a treehouse. Some of the treehouses sit 98 to 101 feet up, with others well over 10 stories above the ground. A network of ziplines, including cables that stretch up to 1,870 feet, connects different parts of the forest and lets you glide between mountains rather than hike them. This definitely gets our vote, since we’d always prefer to zipline over hike!
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What Staying in a Jungle Treehouse Is Actually Like
There’s no other way to get into the treehouse than the zip line. So if you’re at all afraid of heights or physically unable to do the trek, we have plenty of other treehouse stays that might be a better fit for you.
But if the idea of zip-lining to your hotel is thrilling to you, this is truly a can’t miss experience in Laos. It’s not a luxury overnight stay. But the true luxury is waking up surrounded by nature and the jungle. The treehouses come with running water, beds under mosquito nets, blankets, towels, and the basics.
Check out this other hotel you can zipline or via ferrata to get to!
Choosing a Tour
The Gibbon Experience costs about €110 per day, regardless of the package. But we encourage you to check the site for accurate pricing, given that it fluctuates depending on the season. Children under the age of 12 get a 50% discount.
The Classic
The Classic is the three-day, two-night option. The pace is relaxed, with just one to two hours of hilly trekking to reach the forest and plenty of time built in for wildlife spotting and ziplining. Groups run up to eight people. The Classic tour gives the best odds of hearing or spotting gibbons since its slower pace spends more time in the part of the forest where they live. This is the tour we would pick, not only for a better chance at seeing gibbons but also because of the easier trek and longer stay.
The Giant
The Giant is a two-day, one-night trip built around the ziplines rather than the wildlife. Gibbons rarely pass through this section of forest, so skip this one if spotting them is the priority.
The Escape
The Escape condenses the Classic experience into two days and one night, covering similar ground but with considerably more demanding hiking: around 5 miles a day. It’s a better fit for travelers who are short on time. Availability has historically been limited and seasonal, so it’s worth checking the official calendar before building a trip around it. This one is the best for more serious hikers.
The Honeymoon
The Honeymoon is essentially the Classic tour scaled down for two people, with a private treehouse instead of a shared one. You get the same wildlife opportunities and slower pace, minus the group.
For all of the tours minus The Honeymoon, you will be sharing a treehouse with a small group. But don’t worry! It’s not all one open room. Each treehouse has semi-private rooms with individual mosquito-netted sleeping areas for two people. So you and your travel buddy will have your own place to sleep, while still being in the same treehouse as everyone else. There are common areas for eating and hanging out, and after trekking and zip-lining with these people, it won’t feel like you’re surrounded by strangers. You could even make lifelong friends through this stay! But if you really value privacy, romance, and some alone time, we highly recommend booking The Honeymoon tour.
Pro Tip: If you are traveling with someone, DO NOT book separately. There’s a small chance you could be grouped with someone else to sleep next to.
Best Time to Visit
July through September is known as the green season. It’s a lot rainier and muddier during this time of year, but you’ll get to see the forest at its most lush. Anyone visiting during this window should plan around mud, so be prepared with proper shoes, rain gear, and a willingness to get dirty along the way. The drier months make for an easier trek overall.
What to Pack
As you can probably imagine, it would be a bit tricky to zip across the jungle with a full suitcase. So, only a small backpack can travel with you to your room. And it’s for the best, because who wants to drag a suitcase through the mud during your trek?!
Luggage storage is available at the Huay Xai office, so you can safely keep all of your non-essential belongings there during your stay. Pro Tip: There’s no electricity in the treehouses, so charge devices at the office beforehand and pack a portable charger.
You don’t have to worry about bringing food with you since your meals and snacks are included in your package. They’ll also provide you with water, tea, and coffee.
Check out this Laos packing guide with our favorite travel items to prepare for your trip and keep with you on your trek.
Our Laos Packing Essentials
Is the Gibbon Experience Safe?
It’s a fair question when the stay involves sleeping in the tallest treehouses in the world and moving between trees on cables. Guests are given a personal harness and pulley system, and guides accompany the group throughout. Even so, this should be treated as an active wilderness trip. Trekking can be strenuous, trails get slippery in the rain, and a fair amount of time is spent navigating heights. Age guidelines currently run 8–65 for the Classic and 10–60 for the Giant, with good physical condition recommended. A strong fear of heights or discomfort on uneven terrain are both reasons to sit this one out.
How Long to Stay
We recommend you stay three days and two nights. The Classic tour gives you enough time to actually settle into the forest rather than spending most of the trip in transit, and it meaningfully improves the odds of a wildlife sighting. The two-day options make more sense for travelers who are tight on time or are mainly there for the ziplines.
Is the Gibbon Experience Worth It?
We think this stay is 100% worth it!! We have written about a lot of hotels that are really cool and different, but are still ultimately a place to stay the night. This one doubles as a unique experience you will remember forever. You get to trek into a protected forest, learn from guides about the local animals and community, spot wildlife, sleep in a treehouse, and wake up in the middle of a jungle!
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Looking for more unusual places to stay? Check out our collection of unique hotels, remote stays, and unforgettable travel experiences around the world.
