Northern Laos especially presents many great trekking opportunities. Not only is the terrain very mountainous and largely swathed in forest, it is also home to a dazzling array of highly colourful minority tribal people who still pursue the traditional slash and burn (swidden) farming methods, unchanged for a thousand years.

The Mekong Explorer is a sample bike, boat and kayak adventure following the mighty Mekong River from southern Laos into northern Cambodia, including the ancient World heritage site of Wat Phu, the 4,000 Islands, where the Mekong is at it widest, and the Ramsar flooded forests in Cambodia's Stoeung Treng (Stung Treng) Province.

An exceptional island-hopping adventure from one palm-fringed tropical island to another, culminating in Coron to snorkel or dive on a fleet of Japanese shipwrecks, and to kayak around spectacular, towering limestone islands.

Mai Chau is located 135 km south-west of Hanoi in the Northern province of Hoa Binh which is bordered by Son La in the West, Phu Tho and Ha Tay in the North, Ha Nam and Ninh Binh in the East, and Thanh Hoa in the South.