Half-day Combined Elephant Ride & Guided Nature Walk

3.5 - 4.5 Hours, Moderately Difficult
This trip combines an elephant ride to the top of Phou Asa with a guided nature walk back to the village. After a 30 minute ride up Phou Asa dismount your elephant and explore
Vat Phou Asa archaeological site. Take in the sweeping view of the forest canopy and wetland below, then follow your local guide to the sacred shrines etched into the rock-face of Phou Asa - the Buddha Cave and Buddha Footprint. A walk through the forest follows, where your guide shows you medicinal and edible plants along the trail, identifies bird-calls, and points out unusual insects.

Village Guides
A local guide is required on every tour. One guide is required for 1-4 tourists per group, and two guides for 5-8 tourists. There are twelve trained village guides who are very knowledgeable about the forest. They will accompany you on the trek and point out plants and other interesting natural, cultural and historical sites along the way. The guides do not speak English. However, you can do two things to improve communication: (1) Buy the booklet "A Guide to Nature Trails around Phou Asa Mountain", sold at the Kiet Ngong Village Information Centre and the Kingfisher Ecolodge; or (2) book your tour through a local tour company or the Kingfisher Ecolodge so that you also have an English-speaking guide to translate for the village guide.

The guides take turns providing guide services to tourists in order to fairly share the benefits from tourism. The fee that you pay for your guide goes directly to the guide, with a small portion being put into the guide association fund for management of the trails. Tipping is appreciated.

Elephants
The 15 elephants in the village are managed by the villagers, 13 of which are owned by the villagers themselves. A total of 30 families are involved in taking care of the elephants and benefit directly from the fees from elephant rides. The families take turns in providing elephant rides to tourists in order to share the benefits fairly. A portion of the fees is put into the village development fund so that the entire village can benefit from tourism.

What to Bring
At least 1 liter of drinking water, snacks, hiking shoes, sunscreen, a hat & mosquito repellant

Booking
You can go directly to the village to book the tour at the village information centre. If you book on your own, it is recommended that you also purchase a copy of "A Guide to Trekking around Phou Asa Mountain" available at the village information centre, as the village guides do not speak English.You can book in advance with a tour company or with the Kingfisher Ecolodge.