Climb onto a bicycle and pedal to a string of attractions on a one-day tour around Luang Namtha Town. A 30-km program presents the area’s highlights for independent cyclers, as do guided tours that add value with in-depth explanations of the sites and during village visits. Head northeast of town, and cross the Nam Tha […]
Embark on a three-day outdoor odyssey that combines two or more sporting activities – trekking, kayaking, and cycling – and adds overnights at village homestays, community lodges, forest or river retreats, and jungle camps. When tourists started asking for combination tours, Luang Namtha tour operators quickly acted, piecing together parts of existing treks, kayaking trips, […]
Luang Namtha Province has worn Laos’ adventure travel crown since the 1990s, with trekking to ethnic village homestays as its most valuable gem. Travelers quickly descended on Luang Namtha Town to hike in the Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA), while those wanting to stretch the envelope soon headed to Sing District, which became an […]
An early-2012 chat with members of Luang Namtha Districts’ Sustainable Tourism Network – a group of tour operators committed to responsible tourism – uncovered what tourists really want and what was new to meet their needs. Responses were similar across the board. More and more tourists are asking for “combination tours”, which mix two or […]
Some people call the period from June through October, “Rainy Season”. However, tour operators refer to this time of year as “Adventure Season”, and turn their attention to rising rivers, greener trees, blooming flowers, and emerald carpets of growing rice. Daily showers gorge the Nam Tha River, pumping up its level by a meter or […]
Lao food has become a tourist attraction, and learning how to cook it is the hottest new activity in Luang Namtha. You can sign up for a short course in Luang Namtha Town or learn how to turn plants you gather on the trail into meals and the implements to cook them. A local chef […]
Most tourists who have traveled to Laos’ outlying provinces know the guesthouse deal: clean, comfortable rooms, often with TVs. They are familiar with bungalows and eco-lodges on riverbanks, and their range of amenities and rates. Likewise, Luang Namtha’s accommodation scene encompasses all this, while adding alternatives to your overnight plans. Homestays are hard to beat […]
Village visits and homestays have long been fixtures on travelers’ must-do lists for Luang Namtha. You’ve read up on the different ethnic groups and their traditional ways of life, and yearn to turn your expectations into an authentic experience. To make it happen, consider these village-visit tips. Keep Smiling: Putting on a grin and saying […]
Early in the new millennium, a New Zealand-funded UNESCO team guided a handful of trekkers along a trail in Luang Namtha to a remote Khmu village. Feedback from this pioneering group of paying tourists would help design the country’s first Community-Based Tourism (CBT) activity, the Ban Nalan Trek. What they didn’t know was the trail […]
“We’ve changed the plan,” Somsavath said after greeting me at Luang Namtha’s airport. I’ve known Somsavath, who works in the Provincial Tourism Department (PTD), for a few years, and his modifications always added more bang for your buck. “Where are you taking me?” As per the original plan, we would head to Nalae Town in […]
