Home

Our Guest House

Our Menu

Room Rates

Reservations

EcoTours

Awards & Recognition

Our Environmental Policy

Our Cookbook

About Us

Contact Us

Luang Namtha
Tourist Information

Things to See and Do

 
The Nam Ha Protected Area

Luang Namtha's
Ethnic Groups

Maps of Laos
and Luang Namtha

Traveling to Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha in the News

Weather & Attire

Books on Laos

Lao Travel Links

Lao Food Links

Guest Comments
& Travel Tales

Suggested Tour Operators

Official Luang Namtha Tourism Site

Ecolodges in Laos

Ban Pako

King Fisher Eco-lodge

Trekking in Vieng Phoukha
 

Vieng Phoukha Eco-guides

Currently there is very little tourism in Vieng Phoukha. Community-based ecotourism tours and treks began to be developed in October 2003 in Vieng Phoukha, with support of the Provincial Government and European Union.
In Vieng Phoukha, the main objectives of developing Community-based tourism are to generate income for local people, to create awareness and support for protecting natural and cultural resources, and to offer visitors the opportunity to experience genuine Lao culture.

Village participation

All villages that we visit have invited us to come. Before and after all tours and treks, we speak to villagers about how they feel about having tourists and how they think it can be improved. So far, we have not had any problems with having foreign guests in the villages. We hope to keep it this way.

Guides

All treks and tours are run by the local guide service. Fifteen local people, representing mainly the Khmu ethnic group, started training and studying English in September 2003 with support of the EU-MPDLC project. The guides have a very deep understanding of the forest, plants, animals and local cultures. As your guides they will show you medicinal and edible plants, animal tracks, birds, explain about traditional agricultural practices, introduce you to the villages that you visit and ensure that your experience is rewarding while not negatively impacting local cultures.
However, please understand that the guides are local people who have only studied English for one or two years and thus require your patience and help.

A note about prices

We try to keep prices affordable for travelers while always ensuring reasonable benefits for local people. Without a village guide, without having a local meal in a village or without paying a small district forest conservation fee, surely prices would be lower, but then so would the quality of your experience.

What’s available

We currently have four tours/treks. Two one day tours that take you to unique sights in the environs of Vieng Phoukha and two overnight treks to ethnic minority villages, where simple traditional lodges were especially built to accommodate visitors.

Akha Trail - 3 day trek

Khmu and Lahu Trek - 2 day overnight trek

Phou Mot & Ancient Ruins - 1 day nature adventure

Kao Rao Cave - 1 day forest exploration

Tour Prices

Akha Trail

3 day trek

Day 1:
We depart at 8:30 from the Eco-Guide Service office. Transfer by pick-up (or tok-tok) to Ban Nam O, a traditional village of the Khmu Kwaen ethnic groups. This is where our first village-based guide joins the group. The first half of the day follows the meandering Nam O River and its lush valley. A Lao-style picnic lunch is taken on the way when hiking across several ridges offering panoramic views onto the forests of the Nam Ha NPA. The well-worn Akha trail continues past a temporary settlement of the upland rice farmers of Ban Nam O.
The first lodge on the top of a mountain at the Akha Phouli village of Ban Nam Lo is reached by late afternoon. A traditional dinner hosted by the village headman and his family marks the end of an adventurous first day.

Day 2:
Rising early, you may be able to hear the sounds of the Gibbons. Tour of the village and its spring before setting off to a second Akha village, Ban Phouyae. The Akha group of this village is called Akha Pii, the women wearing a distinct headdress. A number of steep ascents and descents in between upland fields and old growth forest before arriving at an idyllic spot for bathing on the Nam Mai River. Both the Nam Mai and a tributary are crossed on two impressive bamboo and wood bridges. The lodge at Ban Thong Lat is reached by late afternoon, where a sociable evening with the villagers promises a special cultural experience.

Day 3:
The rough road following the Nam Mai and winding its way down from Ban Thong Lat is a pleasant and easy walk passing through a scenery of limestone mountains, bamboo forest and upland rice fields. Upon reaching the Nam Mai River, a Lao-style picnic lunch is served. The pick-up awaits the group on the other side of the river and takes us to the Prasat Cave. The limestone cave is the final stop on this tour before returning to Vieng Phoukha in the mid-afternoon.

Level of difficulty
Walking - advanced to difficult, along a well-worn villagers’ trail, long days with some steep ascents/descents; first day passing through the river many times (take rubber sandals)
Distance - approximately 40 km (6 hours per day)

Includes
local meals prepared by villagers, water, 2 local guides from town, village guides, accommodation, forest conservation permit, transport, local taxes

What to bring
1 change of clothes, sandals for village, good shoes for hiking, sarong for bathing (required for women), mosquito repellent, flashlight, sunscreen/hat, camera, cotton sleeping sheet (optional)

How villages benefit
local and village guide fees, food sales & preparation, accommodation fees

Important do’s & don’ts
Do not give individual gifts of sweets or money to children. Ask before taking photos of people or spiritual items. Ask your guide before entering a house or a room inside a house. Help keep the villages clean by not littering. Please purchase handicrafts but do not purchase antiques. Do not use drugs in villages.

Top

Khmu and Lahu Trek

2 day overnight trek

Day 1:
Meet at 8:30 at the Eco-Guide Service office for departure by pick-up or tok-tok to Ban Pa Daeng. Our first village-based guide joins the group in this traditional village of the Khmu Yuan and Khmu Kwaen ethnic groups. We traverse swidden rice fields and then climb through a sacred forest. The guides explain about medicinal plants, traditional forest use and point out wild animal tracks. We arrive at a giant strangler fig tree, where we take a break. The journey continues to a limestone crag, where we have a Lao-style picnic lunch. A short climb takes us through the cave-like crag. From the hilltop, we descend to the first Lahu and Khmu village Ban Nam Kap Tai, where our second village-based guide joins the group. Trekking through mainly bamboo forest takes us to a waterfall for a refreshing break. The final leg of the trail passes through mixed upland agricultural fields and some forest and reaches a panoramic viewpoint which overlooks Vieng Phoukha District and the Lahu village, where we stay the night.
Arrival at Ban Nam Paman and Ban Nam Noi in the late afternoon, two Lahu villages nestled in the hills. Eat dinner with villagers and stay overnight in the eco-lodge.

Day 2:
After sharing an early morning meal with our village hosts, embark on a hike through upland rice fields, following the same path traveled daily by locals on their way to work. From the hilltops enjoy panoramic views of the area. Passing through swidden fields and secondary growth forest, the guides explain traditional agricultural practices. The final descent ends at the Nam Fa River, a tributary to the Mekong River, where we take a relaxing lunch and swim in the mid-day sun. Situated nearby the river is Ban Lave, a Tai Lue village. We stop in this village before making our way to the road, where we are met by a pick-up (or tok-tok) for return to the Eco-Guide Service office in the afternoon.

Level of difficulty
Walking - moderate to advanced, moderately long days with some steep ascents/descents
Distance - 25 km (6 hours per day)

Includes
local meals prepared by villagers, water, local guide from town, village guide, accommodation, forest conservation permit, transport, local taxes

What to bring
1 change of clothes, sandals for village, good shoes for hiking, sarong for bathing (required for women), mosquito repellent, flashlight, sunscreen/hat, camera, money to purchase handicrafts, sleeping bag (optional - available to borrow if needed)

How villages benefit
local and village guide fees, food sales & preparation, accommodation fees

Important do’s & don’ts
Do not give individual gifts of sweets or money to children. Ask before taking photos of people or spiritual items. Ask your guide before entering a house or a room inside a house. Help keep the villages clean by not littering. Please purchase handicrafts but do not purchase antiques. Do not wander off designated trails. Do not use drugs in villages.

Top

Phou Mot & Ancient Ruins

1-day nature adventure

Morning - Nature Trail
Depart in the morning from the Eco-Guide Service office in town. For best viewing of birds departure is at early dawn. For those who prefer a relaxed pace departure is after breakfast.
Arrive at Ban Nammang, a traditional Khmu village, where our village-based guide joins us. From Nammang, we ascend through rice fields and into a district forest conservation area.
Atop the mountain ridge, referred to as ‘Mock Mooch’ (Ant Mountain) in Khmu language, we sit and take time to absorb the sites and sounds of the forest. This area attracts many bird species with its fruit-bearing fig trees, which provide an abundant food source. Local guides will help you to recognize sights and sounds of birds, as well as tracks of wild animals.
Moving through the forest, you will learn about common plants used by the Khmu people. The guides collect edible plants to add to the picnic lunch in the forest.

Afternoon - Explore the Ruins
In the afternoon, the descent from the conservation area to the plain takes us to the site of the Ancient City and Temple, ‘Ku Vieng’, ‘Mahapot Stupa’ and ‘Wat Mahapot’.
Follow the map of the ancient temple area and piece together its history, imagining the civilization that dominated this area more than four-hundred years ago. Return to the Eco-Guide Service office by mid-afternoon.

Level of difficulty
Walking - moderate, some steep ascents/descents
Distance - 4-5 hours walking

Includes
local meals, water, local guide from town, village guide, forest conservation permit, local taxes

What to bring
Good shoes for hiking (closed shoes or sandals with straps), binoculars, nature guidebook, mosquito repellent, sunscreen/hat, camera, some money to purchase handicrafts. Better wear green/dark colored clothing to decrease visibility in the forest.

How villages benefit
local and village guide fees

Important do’s & don’ts
Do not give individual gifts of sweets or money to children. Ask before taking photos of people. Help keep the trails clean by not littering. Do not remove any archeological remains from the site of the ancient temple.

Top

Kao Rao Cave

1-day exploration

Morning - Nature Trail
Depart at 8:30 in the morning from the Eco-Guide Service office by pick-up or tractor (tok-tok) and head east on the main road to Luang Namtha. Arrive at Ban Nam Eng, a traditional Khmu village, where we meet our village-based guide. From Ban Nam Eng we hike to nearby mountains and explore the old-growth forest belonging to the village. After learning about the villagers’ use of the forest, we return to Ban Nam Eng, where a local Khmu lunch is hosted by the villagers.

Afternoon - Cave Exploration
After taking a rest in the village community house, we depart for the cave known as ‘Oung Kao Rao’ in Khmu language. This cave is said to be at least five kilometers long. However, it could well be longer as very few have ever walked its whole distance. Legend has it that a spirit inhabits the cave which has been known to affect visitors’ vision and ability to find their way out. At the entrance of the cave, our village-based guide performs a religious ceremony to appease the spirit of the cave and to ensure our safety. We walk deep into the cave, taking time to wonder at its impressive limestone formations. The pick-up (or tok-tok) is met at the point where we entered the forest. Return to town is in the late afternoon.

Level of difficulty
Walking - easy to moderate
Cave - easy to moderate, some slippery areas, no crawling necessary
Distance - 4-5 hours walking

Includes
Local meals prepared by villagers, water, local guide from town, village guide, transport, forest conservation permit, local taxes and cave fee, small donation to the cave spirit

What to bring
Good shoes for hiking (closed shoes or sandals with straps), flashlight with extra batteries and bulbs, mosquito repellent, sunscreen and hat, camera with flash, money to purchase handicrafts

How villages benefit
Local and village guide fees, food sales & preparation

Important do’s & don’ts
Do not give individual gifts of sweets or money to children. Ask before taking photos of people. Do not touch limestone formations inside the cave. Help keep the cave clean by not littering. For your safety, please wear the helmets provided when inside the cave. Stay with the guides at all times.

Top

Tour Prices

Top

Copyright © 2000-2005 The Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant. All rights reserved.
Revised: June 01, 2009 .