Author: Lonely Planet
Category: Nonfiction
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/lonely-planet/page,13,460391-lonely_planet_laos.html
1Sights
Tat SaloeiWATERFALL
(Phonesai Waterfall)
This impressive series of cascades forms a combined drop of almost 100m. It's briefly visible from eastbound Rte 6 roughly 1km after Km 55 (ie 36km from Sam Neua), but easy to miss westbound. There are some small local cafes and restaurants on the roadside here, plus what looks like a ticket booth, although no one was charging for entry at the time of writing.
Hintang Archaeological ParkARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(ສວນຫິນ, Suan Hin )
Almost as mysterious as Xieng Khuang's more famous jars, this unique, unfenced collection of standing stones is thought to be at least 1500 years old. Spindly stones up to 3m tall are interspersed with disks that formerly covered funerary sites. With some over a metre in diameter, these 'families' of stones do have a certain magic, and the place is now a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Chartered tuk-tuks from Sam Neua will ask around 500,000K return.
Access is up a rough, rutted track that cuts south from Rte 6 at Ban Phao (Km 35.3), 57km from Sam Neua. This track can be impracticably muddy for vehicles after any rain. The main site is right beside the track after 6km, around 800m beyond the obvious radio-mast summit. Some 2km back towards the main road, an orange sign points to the Keohintang Trail, which allows more intrepid visitors to seek out lesser-known megalith groups hidden along a partially marked two-hour hiking trail. Take the narrow rising path, not the bigger track that descends towards Ban Nakham. If you don't get lost, the trail should emerge back onto Rte 6 at Ban Tao Hin (Km 31.5), a tiny village without any facilities.
When driving between Sam Neua and either Phonsavan or Nong Khiaw, allow two hours extra for the very slow detour to the main site. Using public transport it is necessary to walk to and from Rte 6. Practicalities work out best if visiting between Sam Neua and Phonsavan: starting with the Vieng Thong–bound minibus, you'll have around six hours for the walk before the last Phonsavan/Vientiane–bound bus rumbles past.
Vieng Thong (Muang Hiam) ວຽງທອງ
Pop 4000 / %064
The original name of Vieng Thong (ວຽງທອງ) was Muang Hiam, a Tai Daeng word meaning 'Watch Out'. Back when tigers roamed the surrounding forests it was relevant, but these days barely a dozen survive in the enormous Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA, on whose vast doorstep Vieng Thong sits. While the town is highly forgettable, the park is not and should be visited through the Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA office at Vieng Thong Visitor's Center.
Vieng Thong has a clutch of guesthouses and food stalls, and if you're travelling between Nong Khiaw and Sam Neua, stopping here for a night makes the 10-hour journey more palatable. The dazzling green rice fields around town are photogenic and short walks or bicycle rides can take you to pretty Tai Daeng, Hmong and Khamu villages.
2Activities
oNam Nern Night SafariSAFARI
(www.namet.org/namnern; night safaris per person in group of 4 1,200,000K)S
Nam Nern Night Safari is a 24-hour, boat-based tour in the Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA. Highlights of the trip include a night-time boat-ride 'spotlighting' for tiger, gaur and white-cheeked gibbon. Seeing a tiger is unlikely but there's hope of spotting sambar and barking deer. Sleeping is at an ecolodge overlooking the Nam Nern. The price includes a fireside dinner.
Book through the Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA office in Vieng Thong.
The NestsWILDLIFE WATCHING
(www.namet.org/wp/en)S
The Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA office offers the chance to go on The Nests, two- and three-day treks with accommodation in cosy spherical baskets hanging from trees. This also involves wildlife-viewing from an observation tower (under construction at the time of writing) at Poung Nied salt lick, which attracts animals such as the rare sambar deer.
NAM ET/PHOU LOUEY NPA (ປ່າສະຫງວນແຫ່ງຊາດນ້ຳແອດພູເລີຍ)
In the vast Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA (ປ່າສະຫງວນແຫ່ງຊາດນ້ຳແອດພູເລີຍ), rare civets, Asian golden cats, river otters, white-cheeked crested gibbons and the utterly unique Laotian warty newt (Paramesotriton laoensis) share 4200 sq km of relatively pristine forests with around a dozen tigers. Approximately half is an inaccessible core zone. The remaining area includes 98 ethnic-minority hamlets. Two-day wildlife-watching excursions have been pioneered to the park's remote Nam Nern field station, a roadless former village site where a campsite and surrounding walking trails have been professionally cleared of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Trips are organised by the Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA office in Vieng Thong, and contacting them well in advance is advisable since there's a limit of two departures per week. Night safaris cost 1,200,000K per person for a group of four, and include guides, cooks, food and camping equipment, with a significant proportion of your fee going into village development funds. The price also includes the 90-minute boat ride from Ban Sonkhua, around 50km east of Vieng Thong on Rte 1.
4Sleeping & Eating
Dork Khoun Thong GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(%064-810017; r 50,000-80,000K; a)
The most appealing of Vieng Thong's limited options, this guesthouse is located right in the centre of the small town. Very clean, decent-sized rooms have hot showers, netted windows and comfortable new beds with love-message sheets and teddy-bear towels. There's a pleasant 1st-floor sitting area and attractive views across riverside fields from the rear terrace.
Dokchampa GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
(%064-810005; r with/without bathroom 50,000K/30,000; iW)
This small guesthouse has basic rooms with mosquito nets, hot-water showers and squat toilets. The owners offer a few traveller-friendly services such as bicycles for rent (30,000K per day), free wi-fi and a small attached internet cafe (5000K per hour).
Tontavanh RestaurantLAOTIAN$
(mains 10,000-20,000K; h7am-8pm)
This typical-looking local eatery serves unexpectedly appetising food and even has a menu in concise English.
8Information
Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION
(%064-810008; www.namet.org; h8am-noon & 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri)
The Nam Et/Phou Louey NPA office (in the Vieng Thong Visitors' Center, at the northwestern edge of Vieng Thong) organises award-winning Nam Nern Night Safaris to find the park's wildlife; you're taken by boat into the core zone of the protected area, incandescent eyes following you from towering jungle, followed by a picnic and homestay.
8Getting There & Away
Westbound buses arrive from Sam Neua around noon, continuing after lunch to Nong Khiaw (60,000K, five hours), Pak Mong and Luang Prabang (130,000K, nine hours). Eastbound, the best choice for Sam Neua is the 7am minibus (40,000K, six hours), as the two Sam Neua through-services (from Luang Prabang/Vientiane) both travel the road largely by night.
The bus station is 300m along Rte 6 from the market at the eastern edge of town.
Muang Ngoi District
Tracts of green mountains are attractive wherever you go in northern Laos. But at Nong Khiaw and tiny Muang Ngoi Neua, the contours do something altogether more dramatic. At both places, vast karst peaks and towering cliffs rear dramatically out of the Nam Ou (Ou River), creating jaw-droppingly beautiful scenes. Both villages make convenient rural getaways from Luang Prabang and are accessible by riverboat from Muang Khua. Nong Khiaw also makes an excellent rural rest stop between Luang Prabang and Vieng Thong or Sam Neua.
Nong Khiaw ຫນອງຂຽວ
Pop 3500 / %071
Nong Khiaw (ຫນອງຂຽວ) is a traveller's haven in the truest sense, offering pampering, good food, decent accommodation and bags of activities with established adventure-tour operators. Nestled on the west bank of the Nam Ou (the river almost currentless since the building of the dam upstream), spanned by a vertiginous bridge and bookended by towering limestone crags, it's surely one of the most photogenic spots in Laos. On the river's scenic east bank (officially called Ban Sop Houn) is th
e lion's share of guesthouses and restaurants.
Be aware that Nong Khiaw is alternatively known as Muang Ngoi (the name of the surrounding district), creating obvious confusion with Muang Ngoi Neua, a 75-minute boat ride further north.
Nong Khiaw
1Sights
1Pha Daeng Peak ViewpointD2
2Sleeping Woman ViewpointA1
2Activities, Courses & Tours
3Green DiscoveryB2
4Sabai SabaiC3
5Tiger TrailB2
4Sleeping
6Delilah's PlaceB2
7Mandala Ou ResortA3
8Namhoun GuesthouseC3
9Nong Kiau RiversideD2
10Sengdao Chittavong GuesthouseC2
11Sunrise GuesthouseC2
5Eating
12Coco Home Bar & RestaurantB2
13CT Restaurant & BakeryC3
14DeenC3
Delilah's PlaceB2
15Floating RestaurantD2
16Vongmany RestaurantC3
6Drinking & Nightlife
17Hive BarA1
18Q BarC3
1Sights
At dusk a fabulous star show turns the indigo sky into a pointillist canvas subtly outlining the riverside massifs. Whether you're stationed at one of the town's two viewpoints, Pha Daeng Peak or Sleeping Woman, or just rubber-necking at these extraordinary karsts from ground level, you'll be manually shutting your jaw.
Tham Pha ThokCAVE
(ຖ້ຳຜາທອກ 10,000K; h7.30am-6.30pm)
Around 2km east along Rte 1C, Tham Pha Thok is a series of caves in a limestone cliff where villagers and Pathet Lao eluded bombing during the Second Indochina War. The first cave is around 30m high and accessed by wooden stairway. Continue to the second, somewhat-claustrophobic cave, 300m along a dark passage through the cliff.
Pha Daeng Peak ViewpointVIEWPOINT
(ຈຸດຊົມວິວຜາແດງ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pha Daeng Peak, Ban Sop Houn; 20,000K; h6am-4pm)
Reached by a testing though thoroughly doable 1½-hour walk (with a decent path) up Pha Daeng mountain, directly above the town, this viewpoint offers an unforgettable panorama. Drink up the sunset view (but bring a strong torch for your descent) or head here at 6am to witness the valley below veiled in mist, with the mountain peaks painted gold.
Sleeping Woman ViewpointVIEWPOINT
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Rte 1C, heading north from Nong Khiaw, roughly 1km out of town; 15,000K; h6am-4pm)
This recently opened viewpoint rivals that of Pha Daeng Peak Viewpoint for its widescreen drama of surging karsts and mountains, with the boats on the river far below like floating blue crayons. It's an hour's climb up a marked pathway, and while another route down is offered it's not sufficiently marked, so descend the same way you came up.
If you're here for sunset, on the way back down head for the newly relocated Hive Bar opposite the entrance.
2Activities
Green DiscoveryHIKING, CYCLING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %071-810081; www.greendiscoverylaos.com; h7.30am-10pm)
Reliable Green Discovery has a range of trips, including a two-day trek to a Hmong village involving a homestay, with five hours' trekking per day (US$66 per person in a group of four). It also has challenging one-day cycling trips on forest dirt tracks covering 56km (US$39 per person in a group of four).
Tiger TrailHIKING, CYCLING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %071-252655; www.laos-adventures.com; Delilah's Place; h7.30am-11pm)S
This ecoconscious outfit has treks and homestays around the local area, including memorable one-day trips to the '100 waterfalls', one-day trekking and boat rides, plus the new pursuit of paddleboarding on the now-becalmed Nam Ou. These trips, as with most of Tiger Trail's activities, cost US$31 per person in a group of four. The excellent office is run by amiable Harp.
Sabai SabaiMASSAGE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %020-58686068; Ban Sop Houn; body massage 60,000K, oil massage 70,000K, steam bath 25,000K; h9am-8pm)
Set in a peaceful Zen-style garden, this wooden house is the perfect spot to restore the spirit and aching limbs with treatments like traditional Lao massage and herbal steam bath.
4Sleeping
oDelilah's PlaceHOSTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %020-54395686, 030-9758048; www.delilahscafenongkhiaw.wordpress.com; Main St; dm 35,000K, d/r 55,000K; W)
Delilah's Place has clean shared-bathroom rooms and cosy dorms with mozzie nets, super-thick matresses and safety lockers. Tiger Trail is also based here and there's a great cafe to 'carb-up' before activities, so one-stop-shop Delilah's is deservedly the main traveller hub in town. Thanks to the goodwill of eccentric owner Harp, it is also a great resource for info.
Sunrise GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %020-22478799; Rte 1C, Ban Sop Houn; bungalows 60,000-150,000K; aW)
Showing their age now, these tightly packed, termite-worn wooden bungalows are the polar opposite of luxury, but have stunning views of the river and bridge. There are four newer bungalows with relatively swish bathrooms, one of which has air-con. There's also a decent cafe with Western breakfasts and Lao fare.
Sengdao Chittavong GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %030-9237089; Rte 1C; r 50,000-90,000K; pW)
This family-run spot on the west bank (next to the start of the bridge) has wooden bungalows located in gardens of cherry blossom looking directly on to the river. En suite rooms are rattan-walled, with simple decorations, mozzie nets, clean linen and balconies, though expect a visit from a gecko or cockroach. There's also a restaurant with river-garden views. The wi-fi internet is patchy. Popular with families.
Namhoun GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %071-810039; Ban Sop Houn; bungalows 50,000-100,000K; paW)
The cheaper bungalows are set around a small garden behind the family house. Better are the most expensive riverside bungalows facing the Nam Ou. All rooms have mosquito nets and balconies with compulsory hammocks.
oMandala Ou ResortBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %030-5377332; www.mandala-ou.com; opposite bus station; r US$65; paWs)
This stunning boutique accommodation in vanilla-coloured chalets – four facing the river – has imaginative, quirky features like inlaid glass bottles in the walls that allow more light, contemporary bathrooms and swallow-you-up beds. The owners are friendly, there's a terrific Thai menu, the town's only swimming pool and a yoga deck used by Luang Prabang Yoga, which runs monthly retreats here.
oNong Kiau RiversideGUESTHOUSE$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %020-55705000; www.nongkiau.com; Ban Sop Houn; r incl breakfast US$53; iW)S
Riverside's bungalows are romantically finished with ambient lighting, wooden floors, woven bedspreads and mosquito nets. Each includes an attractive bathroom and balcony for blissful river views of the looming karsts. There's an excellent restaurant serving Lao food with a mouthwatering breakfast buffet. It also has mountain bikes for hire. Discounts are available on room rates in the low season.
Pha Xang ResortHOTEL$$
(%020-52220102, 071-810014; d US$60; paW)
About 1km out of town, Pha Xang is hardly a resort; it's instead a collection of comfy A-frame rattan bungalows with wood floors, white walls and en suites dotted around a manicured garden. The staff's English is limited, but the peace and sense of nature here is not – this is a serene spot to take in the karsts.
5Eating
DeenINDIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ban Sop Houn; mains 35,000K; h8.30am-10pm; W)
A superbly friendly Indian eatery with wood-fired naan bread, freshly made tandoori dishes, zesty curries and a homely atmosphere, Deen is deservedly packed every night.
Delilah's PlaceINTERNATIONAL, LAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Main St; mains 15,000-35,000K; h7am-10pm; W)
With Bach floating across the wood floors and a herd of African elephants thundering silently towards you on the mural, Delilah's satisfies your comfort cravings with a
mazing homemade key lime pies, lemon cake and ice cream; as well as hearty breakfasts of eggs, smoky bacon and pancakes. There's a nightly movie at 8.30pm.
Vongmany RestaurantLAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ban Sop Houn; mains 30,000K; h8.30am-10pm)
This large, open rattan-and-wood restaurant serves very tasty locally sourced Lao food – the láhp here will put a bounce in your taste buds, while the buffalo steak is delicious, and the steamed fish and river shrimp are full of flavour.
CT Restaurant & BakeryINTERNATIONAL, LAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Rte 1C, Ban Sop Houn; mains 35,000K; h7am-10pm)
At the end of the bridge, this place has the best view in town. CT has a Western-friendly menu of pasta, pancakes, breakfasts, sandwiches and tasty staple Lao dishes. It also offers takeaway sandwiches for trekking.
Floating RestaurantLAOTIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %030-9546046; riverside lane, Ban Sop Houn; mains 30,000K; h8am-6pm)