A Information to Viewpoints, Trekking, and Sustainable Tourism

There’s a excessive probability you haven’t heard of Nong Khiaw in case you haven’t been to Laos but. It’s usually described as a sleepy city, rural and distant, nearly untouched by civilization.

This romanticized view might have been true 20 years in the past when Laos acquired a fraction of the vacationers it does immediately and the infrastructure was virtually non-existent. Arrive wherever in northern Laos now and I assure you’ll hear about Nong Khiaw inside a day. Whereas it’s not as widespread and commercialized as Vang Vieng, Nong Khiaw isn’t virgin, uncooked, or dreamily wild anymore.

That’s not a nasty factor per se! Nong Khiaw nonetheless has a singular rural appeal and presents a few of the finest alternatives for journey, trekking, and climbing in Laos. It’s an up-and-coming ecotourism vacation spot that you’ll go away both with wistful tears, unforgettable recollections, or each.

With this disclaimer, let’s discover how Nong Khiaw presents thrilling escapades and noteworthy experiences and the way you can assist it prosper.

Nong Khiaw: Secrets and techniques, Bombs, and Caves

Fast flashback to the Nineteen Sixties. The Struggle in Vietnam was raging and Laos was a covert theater of that battle. So covert that the aggressor referred to as it “The Secret Struggle.” Aside from the two million tons of bombs that have been all too actual. Laos was about to turn into probably the most closely bombed nation on the planet.

Nong Khiaw, which had not more than a handful of homes then, was virtually erased from the map by the Seventies. For years, Pathet Lao insurgent fighters and members of the Laos Communist Occasion hid within the many caves across the village to keep away from the bombs and escape sure loss of life.

In the present day, these caves are open for guests, so you may get a (very restricted) glimpse into what life was like for these rebels.

The Phathok Caves are probably the most well-known. Sadly, their historic significance is their solely enchantment, as upkeep of the bamboo and wood infrastructure is poor, illumination is missing, and trash reigns supreme, all regardless of a 50.000 LAK entrance payment.

For those who’re match and slim, I recommend you go to the Pha Kuang Caves. They provide a way more thrilling journey, involving some crawling, a number of mud, and the danger of extreme claustrophobia. The doorway payment of 20.000 LAK additionally features a headlamp.

Tips on how to Get to Nong Khiaw

Up till the mid-2010s, one might take a ship from Luang Prabang within the morning and arrive in Nong Khiaw within the night, crusing the Nam Ou River.

A hydroelectric dam on the Nam Ou made this inconceivable. You possibly can now not sail between the 2 cities. That is a technique Nong Khiaw has modified dramatically prior to now decade.

If coming from Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw is a 4-hour minibus journey away. Any resort, hostel, or tour operator will promote you a ticket with a tuk-tuk to the bus station included. It’s not probably the most snug and may take as much as 6 hours on an unfortunate day however by Laotian requirements, it’s sufficient.

Riverbound within the northerly route is one other dam however a fast overland bypass permits you to journey by boat between Nong Khiaw and Muang Khua.

Earlier than this dam is Muang Ngoy – an much more distant village accessible solely by way of the river. There you may both lounge in a hammock pondering existence carefree or set off for the dusty countryside of caves and tiny communities. It’s simply beginning to seem on the Laos vacationer map, however solely simply.

You possibly can attain Nong Khiaw overland from the north too. A minibus connects it to Muang Xai (3 hours) and Luang Namtha (6-8 hours), a well-liked base for jungle treks.

Inside Nong Khiaw

All the pieces is inside strolling distance in Nong Khiaw. The city has been fine-tuned for vacationer arrivals with quite a few guesthouses, eating places, and bars with river views.

Who would’ve anticipated 3 Indian eating places in such a small Laotian city? Nonetheless, the most effective place to eat stays Laotian – Ping Moo has for years received hungry vacationers’ stomaches with supreme style and recent elements.

For those who’d like one thing extra genuine, get up early and go to the Morning Market. Whether or not watching the almsgiving, getting a noodle soup for breakfast, or making an attempt a mysterious low cost snack, it’s a good option to expertise the native tradition.

Viewpoints

Nong Khiaw’s geography is a hanging standout function – towering karst mountains encompass the city from all sides.

This implies viewpoints!

For those who don’t scale at the very least one, you’ll miss out on magnificent views (and an exquisite exercise)!

Som Nang Viewpoint [Map]

• Problem: 2/5
• Size: 500 meters
• Elevation achieve: ~180 meters
• Time to high: 20-Half-hour
• Entrance payment: 40.000 LAK

That is probably the most accessible viewpoint and begins simply off the primary road on the opposite facet of the river. The hollowed-out remnants of a bomb on the entrance remind you to not veer off the trail for hazard of unexploded ordnance – a warning that applies wherever in Laos.

The cut-out steps and bamboo handrails make the hike straightforward, however you can too borrow a bamboo strolling stick from the ticket workplace for assist.

The viewing platform on the high is tidy however can get crowded close to sundown.

Phadeng Peak [Map]

• Problem: 3/5
• Size: 1700 meters
• Elevation achieve: ~450 meters
• Time to high: 80-100 minutes
• Entrance payment: 40.000 LAK

The height presents a fair higher vantage level however is expectedly extra taxing in your knees. There are numerous resting factors on the way in which to the highest, and the path is well-maintained (presumably, that is what these entrance charges cowl). Take water and a few snacks to sit back on the high.

The view is famously a 360-degree panorama and excellent for watching the sundown. You can even choose to camp in a single day on the high the place you’ll have a pleasant Laos barbecue and the prospect to see the Milky Means. Try this tour for that have.

Phar Khew Lom Viewpoint [Map]

• Problem: 4/5
• Size: 2800 meters
• Elevation achieve: ~750 meters
• Time to high: 100-120 minutes
• Entrance payment: 40.000 LAK

A hike that basically raises the bar. It’s a grueling uphill climb till the very finish. The ladders, handrails, cut-earth steps, relaxation factors, and strolling sticks assist a ton. A river crossing with out a bridge to start with units the tone for the journey to return. Take sufficient water and a few carbs-rich meals.

That is the perspective to climb in case you search the “sea of clouds” vista over Nong Khiaw. Furthermore, you may be sharing the platform with the highest with approach fewer vacationers than on the different viewpoints.

Nang None Viewpoint (aka Sleeping Magnificence) [Map]

• Problem: 3/5
• Size: 280 meters
• Elevation achieve: ~170 meters
• Time to high: 15-Half-hour
• Entrance payment: 30.000 LAK

Don’t be fooled by the brief size – it’s an nearly vertical climb on steep, slippery filth. It’s completely different from the opposite viewpoints, because it’s the one one north of Nong Khiaw.

You possibly can lengthen the hike to the very high, a viewpoint aptly named “Nong Khiaw’s Everest”, regardless that it’s not the tallest across the city. That might be a 5/5 problem hike and maybe the most effective place for in a single day tenting above the clouds. Most problem for max reward.

Trekking

Climbing one (or a couple of) of the viewpoints is a half-day affair rewarding principally with its views. Then again, in a single day trekking in Nong Khiaw is an immersive expertise of nature and tradition mixed.

You possibly can select between a 2D/1N or a 3D/2N choice. The shorter tour presents a bit of little bit of the whole lot: jungle trekking, a homestay in a really rural Lao village, a go to to a waterfall, and kayaking down the Nam Ou River. The longer one provides an evening in a special village, and visits to some extra pure locations.

There are various tour companies round Nong Khiaw working these excursions day by day. Reserving on-line or greater than a day upfront shouldn’t be crucial however in case you insist, check out this tour.

I counsel towards doing it absolutely independently until you’ve an adventurous spirit, tenting gear, and expertise within the jungle. Additionally, the homestay is not going to know to anticipate you.

The tour begins with a brief tuk-tuk journey to the beginning of a jungle path. The decrease areas undergo from deforestation, however the path quickly enters thick vegetation, and an actual journey commences. It is a good alternative to make some pals with the folks you’ll spend the night time with or ask your information questions concerning the area.

Guides’ English is a hit and miss, principally miss. In my case, he knew some rudimentary English – sufficient to convey that 3 ethnic teams (Hmong, Khmu, and Lao) share the land with out a lot battle and what their humble livelihoods depend on. It’s not lengthy earlier than you attain the village of Ban Naluang and see for your self.

Thirty or so homes, most on stilts to rise above the floods of the wet season and create an acceptable place to retailer wooden, hold animals secure, or chill out on the bench-like planks. You possibly can verify the house owners’ ethnicity primarily based on the home structure – Hmong homes hug the bottom whereas Lao homes are raised on stilts. The varsity is manufactured from clay – it’s the unifying construction within the village and the primary of its type within the area.

Within the few hours till sundown, you discover ways to weave baskets and make Lao artwork. Chances are you’ll select to observe the children play within the stream or chase the omnipresent rooster round. It’s village life at its most interesting – idyllic and easy.

Dinner is communal – you share a easy meal and don’t even take into consideration refusing at the very least a sip of the Lao whiskey – the bonding ingredient that transcends language and nationality. As a conventional signal of friendship, your host ties a white string round your wrist. The village elder reads the information on the loudspeakers. Campfire tales and stargazing wrap up the day.

Maybe precisely as a result of the expertise was so rustic and unassuming, it was the spotlight of my keep in Laos.

On day 2, you’ll trek via the jungle a bit of extra, go to a waterfall (possible Tad Mok), after which kayak again to Nong Khiaw at your personal pace.

Sustainable Tourism

Nong Khiaw was revived by tourism. Whereas it’s now not a “sleepy city”, it survives and thrives on the adventures and escapes it guarantees.

Nonetheless, it additionally dangers changing into a sufferer of its recognition, like Vang Vieng a couple of hundred kilometers south, Pai in North Thailand, Kuta in Bali, Boracay in The Philippines… I can go on for some time.

A gradual however fast change happens from no tourism to mass tourism which is why sustainability is paramount.

So right here’s my plea to you: take account of the impression your go to has on all facets of Nong Khiaw and its communities and make a aware effort to assist assure its long-term sustainability.

Cliché? Maybe. So listed below are some actionable suggestions:

1. Preserve the viewpoints as in case you’d spend the remainder of your life there. Take your beer can and chips wrapper again down with you. Heck, even choose up another person’s too.
2. Guide excursions with respected firms using locals as guides. I like to recommend Backpacker Journey and World Tour for his or her dependable native guides, truthful pricing, and rewarding treks.
3. Keep in native guesthouses and e book direct. It’s at present arduous to not as most lodging choices are certainly locally-owned and lots of aren’t listed on-line however with globalization come commissions, international traders, and income leak out.
   Professional tip: examine Google Maps for guesthouses and their footage. There’ll usually be a cellphone quantity – message them on WhatsApp to order. Or simply wing it like within the previous backpacking days and discover one if you arrive. I like to recommend Meexok and Amanda
4. Don’t give cash to begging youngsters. This discourages them from attending faculty and perpetuates the poverty cycle. Giving cash to those that present you a service, e.g. present you the way in which to or via a cave, can also be ethically questionable. Some tour companies make use of youngsters as guides. Whereas it’s straightforward to undertake an ethical excessive floor and likewise mark this as unacceptable, the truth on the bottom is that that is usually a safer employment different to working in development, in a manufacturing unit, or being unemployed AND out of college altogether. Pre-pubescents begging – a giant no; youngsters working – morally permissible.
5. Go to or volunteer at Yensabai Natural Farm. Not solely is it a deep dive into sustainable, self-sufficient agritourism, however you’ll have the chance to straight contribute to the children’ training and growth. In addition they donate 5% of income to the area people.
6. Generally, unfold the cash round. Spend somewhere else, be it meals, lodging, transportation, excursions, and so forth. Focus of wealth is the killer of sustainable growth.