Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
We have a long term agreement with a local company who provides us the boat for this cruise, including a local captain with his crew. During the trip a local guide is taking care of the customers. Our cruises stop in local Mekong riverside villages every day that we cruise. In these villages we help the local community by supporting the locals by buying their handicrafts. We also help the village school and temple with donations and aid the villagers to clear litter and other debris from their paths.
The opening of the lodge gave employment to 37 villagers and tribal people and wages earned at the Lodge are three to four hundred percent higher than the local standard. Villagers around the lodge are encouraged to grow fruits and vegetables and raise livestock and all their products are purchased by the lodge. Many of the vegetables at the lodge are organically grown in our own garden, using fertiliser from our compost bin instead of pesticides.
The lodge hired a dance teacher to teach Khamu and Hmong people tribal dancing, which is now performed regularly. The Lodge also supports the financing of local musical instruments. Dancers and musicians are now able to earn their living without sacrificing their culture and traditions, as we are able to revive these old traditions for them which had been lost from the Pakbeng area.
On the way, our cruise stops at Pak Ou village at the mouth of the Nam Ou River, where we visit Tam Ting “Caves of a Thousand Buddha’s”. With the entrance fee for each of our customers we contribute to the cultural preservation of this unique cave.
All bottles, cans and plastics that are used during the cruise and also at the lodge are recycled. We are committed to reducing and recycling waste in our offices. Our offices practice double-sided printing, and recycle printer cartridges, whenever possible. Our offices turn off air-conditioning units and PC’s when offices are not staffed. Much of the waste from our offices is naturally recycled (e.g. bottles and paper waste are sold, where they are re-used/ recycled).
We are supporting the Green World Foundation in Thailand and will have lecturer from this foundation to conduct seminars in our office for our staff in the near future. We already started selling some environment friendly products (bags, T-shirts) on their behalf and hand over all the money and profit to them.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
