8:45 am – Began mountain biking to river – 1.5 hours (16 km) on dirt/rock road – bumpy enough to justify quality bikes. Sun came out. Hot hot. Seat was hard, didn't have easy access to all 18 gears.
10:15 am – Arrived at a village, rest break, took five minute boat ride across river. Short walk to elephant camp.
45 minutes – My first elephant ride. I got to sit on her neck for a bit like the Mahout (trainers). Mine was 48 years old. Fed her some bananas afterwards. Elephant tongues are big and funny looking. She was sweet though.
There were a total of 6 elephants in the camp, and it was recognized as one that treats the animals humanely.
10 minutes – Boat ride to waterfall, lunch of chicken fried rice, began to rain steadily. Got soaked on boat back. Another rest break in village.
1:15 pm – Mountain biked back to Luang Prabang for 2 hours (18 km) on dirt/mud roads and pavement, all the while soaked by rain showers.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
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Hey Dave. Care to share the name of the elephant camp? I’m on a constant search of humane animal sanctuaries, etc. in the US and elsewhere!
Hey Dave. Care to share the name of the elephant camp? I’m on a constant search of humane animal sanctuaries, etc. in the US and elsewhere!
That spider + waterfall picture is AWESOME. Ya gotta love Mother Nature!
That spider + waterfall picture is AWESOME. Ya gotta love Mother Nature!