Author: Lonely Planet
Category: Nonfiction
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Phongsali's main bus station is at Km 3, west of town. A sŏrngtăaou runs there from the market area (10,000K) at 6.30am but only very infrequently after that, so leave plenty of time. Route 1A has finally been sealed, allowing for safer, quicker and easier passage to and from Phongsali. The daily bus to Vientiane (230,000K, more than 20 hours) leaves at 8.30am and the VIP bus (250,000K) at 2pm, passing through Luang Prabang (140,000K). Buses to Udomxai (80,000K, seven hours) leave at 8am and 2pm. There's a 7.30am bus to Luang Namtha (60,000k), and a 7am bus to Dien Bien Phu (130,000K, five hours) on the Vietnamese side. As foreigners can't cross the Chinese border at Ban Pakha, the buses to Mengla, China (7am and 1.30pm) are only useful for reaching Boun Neua (50,000K).
There's a 7.30am bus to Muang Khua (80,000K, seven hours), from where you can catch the boat to Muang Ngoi Neua and Nong Khiaw (due to river damming, it is no longer possible to catch the boat upriver from Hat Sa). Note that you cannot get to Muang Ngoi Neua or Nong Khiaw in one day and will have to overnight at Muang Khua.
Amazing Phongsali Travel rents small motorbikes from 100,000K per day.
TREKKING IN NORTHERN LAOS
Northern Laos has won prizes for its 'ecotrekking' system, pioneered in Luang Namtha and Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA). Registered agencies pledge to return a significant (and stated) percentage of profits to the villages visited and to abide by sensible ecologically friendly guidelines. Visiting remote off-road villages without a guide is of dubious legality. Fortunately, guides and any necessary trekking permits can usually be arranged very quickly by local agencies, often the evening before departure. Costs excluding transport are typically around US$50 to US$75 per person per day if alone, falling to US$25 per person for a larger group. Agencies don't generally compete directly so comparing product is more relevant than comparing prices. Employing freelance guides might be cheaper but is discouraged as they'll rarely make contributions to village development funds. Visit the excellent website www.ecotourismlaos.com for more information. The following list is a generalised overview of what differentiates the various trekking centres.
Phongsali Nowhere is better for striking out into truly timeless villages where traditional costumes and arcane animist beliefs are still commonplace, particularly in the remote Akha communities. Many homes retain picture-book thatched roofs, at least for now. Virgin-forest treks are also possible near Boun Neua.
Luang Namtha Treks are very well organised and have numerous options, some combining trekking with other activities such as biking and kayaking. Forest hikes to Nam Ha NPA 'jungle camps' are especially popular. To reduce pressure on any single host village, most agents have unique routes. However, this inadvertently adds to the complexity of deciding just what you actually want to see and where you'll find it. Not all routes are equally inspiring. Ask how deep the trek goes into the forest to ensure you don't end up with a lightweight, peripheral experience.
Vieng Phukha A much less commercial starting point for Nam Ha forest treks.
Muang Sing Guided or DIY visits to colourful and relatively accessible Akha villages. The trekking scene has died off considerably, but there's still one very good operator here.
Udomxai A specialist agency makes Udomxai a popular centre for mountain biking, with some itineraries combined with treks.
Muang Khua Limited options include a one-day trek visiting an Akha Pala village (where some local women wear curiously gaudy semi-traditional costumes), with plenty of views en route but minimal forest.
Phonsavan One unique trek combines a mossy archaeological site, accommodation in a roadless Hmong village and an ascent of a multistage waterfall. It's a fascinating walk, but don't expect costumed tribesfolk in this area.
Muang Ngoi Neua Easy DIY day walks to pretty villages or very inexpensive group treks with freelance guides, some including scenic boat trips.
Nong Khiaw Try the '100 waterfalls' tour, a walk in a stream, following it upward through a series of cooling limestone cascades, to a summit.
Around Phongsali
Ban Komaen ບ້ານກໍແມນ
Phongsali's famous tea village is a very attractive place commanding stupendous valley views. These sweep nearly 360 degrees when you stand on the promontory behind the school here. A fair percentage of authentic Phu Noi homes are set on stone-pile platforms. Arriving from Phongsali (15km away), the drive passes plenty of tea bushes, with those beside the main road through the village centre reputedly more than 400 years old and said to be the world's oldest.
Ban Komaen (ບ້ານກໍແມນ) makes a very pleasant motorbike excursion. Take the Boun Neua road, turn left directly opposite the inspirationally named Km4 Nightclub (not the asphalt road just before) then curve steadily around on the main unpaved road, keeping left at most junctions but avoiding any turn that descends into the valley.
Rent a tuk-tuk from Phongsali (250,000K return) or hire a bike from the Phongsali tourist office for 50,000K per day. It's only a 15km ride between Phongsali and Ban Komaen, through stunning scenery.
Hat Sa ຫາດສາ
Sadly, boats no longer make the journey from Hat Sa's (ຫາດສາ) little port downriver to Muang Khua since the Nam Ou (Ou River) was dammed, and as such there's slim pickings for even the most culturally fascinated traveller to get excited about, save a market on the 15th and 30th of each month that attracts hill-tribe folk.
It is possible to sleep in one of three unfurnished bamboo-walled crash-pad rooms above Wanna Ngyai Shop (per person 40,000K). It is the first two-storey shack to the right above the boat landing. Mosquito nets and thin floor mats are available but it's preferable to bring your own sleeping bag. Wash in the river.
The only place to eat is Boun Ma Restaurant (mains 20,000K; h7am-7pm). Basic Lao food is served here.
Given that the electricity in Hat Sa is turned off at 9pm, the town goes to sleep shortly thereafter.
Buses to Phongsali (20,000K) depart at around 9am and 2pm from the market, taking up to an hour westbound due to the steep climb.
Phu Den Din NPA ປ່າສະຫງວນແຫ່ງຊາດພູແດນດີນ
This vast area of partly unexplored, relatively pristine forest is layered across inaccessible mountains that climax at almost 2000m near the Vietnamese border. At present, the only legal way to get a glimpse of its grandeur is on irregular boating or kayaking trips down the Nam Ou (Ou River) between Ban Tha and Hat Sa. An army checkpoint currently prevents any access to the NPA. Sneaking past it you risk being shot as a suspected poacher.
Boun Neua ບຸນເໜືອ
A local transport hub 41km west of Phongsali, Boun Neua (ບຸນເໜືອ) is a diffuse scattering of mostly newer concrete houses that has been tentatively proposed as the unlikely new provincial capital. Staying here might prove handy if connecting to Ou Tai or for those doing the Phongsali 'Jungle Trek'.
After Boun Neua (Km 41) the road to Phongsali climbs onto a ridge-top road surveying swaths of protected mountain forests. There's a signed viewpoint 500m past Km 31, with ridge-top panoramas continuing for the next 15km. Baka Luang (200m beyond Km 17) is the first noticeably Phu Noi village en route, where old women still wear distinctive Phu Noi leggings.
The bus station plus a few shops and basic eateries lie around the main junction where Rte 1A to Ou Tai turns north off the Phongsali road. Beside the bus station and market, convenient three-storey Sivienkham (r 50,000K) offers large and house-proud rooms with comfy beds, hot showers and sit-down toilets.
For Phongsali (20,000K, 1½ hours) use the through-buses from Mengla (China), Boun Tai, Udomxai or Vientiane, typically departing around 1pm and between 4pm and 6pm. The rickety bus from Boun Neua to Ou Tai (at least 4½ hours) departs at around 9.30am once the early bus from Phongsali arrives (if you're arriving from Vientiane you'll probably miss it).
SENSITIVE TREKKING
When visiting tribal villages it is important to learn slightly different etiquette according to each local culture. Th
e following notes focus particularly on the Akha, as Akha women's coin-encrusted indigo costumes make their villages popular trekking targets while their animist beliefs are also some of the most unexpected.
Shoes and feet Entering an ethnic Lao home it would be rude not to remove shoes, but in mud-floored dwellings of Hmong, Akha and some other tribal peoples, it is fine to keep them on. However, still avoid pointing feet at anyone.
Toilets If there's a village toilet, use it. When in the forest be sure to dump away from watercourses. But in remote villages with no toilets at all, check with the guide as to the local custom: although trekking etiquette usually dictates burying faeces, in some villages the deposit will be gobbled up greedily by the local pigs so shouldn't be wasted! Nonetheless, please do carry out used toilet paper, tampons etc, however unpleasant that might seem.
Photos While many hill-tribe boys are delighted to be photographed, most village women run squealing from a camera. Asking permission to snap a passing stranger often results in straight refusal, which should be respected. However, a great advantage of staying in a village homestay is that you become 'friends' with a family. Try snapping digital photos of babies and men, show those casually to your host ladies and eventually it's quite likely that they will want to see themselves on camera. Never force the issue, however, as a few really might believe the crusty old superstition that photographers are soul-stealers.
Gifts If you want to give gifts, consider fruit and vegetable seeds or saplings that continue to give after you've left. Always ask the guide first if it's appropriate to give anything and if so, only give directly to friends or to the village chief. Giving gifts to children can encourage begging, which undermines societies that have always been self-sufficient.
Beds In trekking villages it is common to sleep in the house of the village chief. In traditional Akha homes all the menfolk sleep on one raised, curtained platform, most of the women on another (which it is absolutely taboo to visit) and the daughter-in-law gets a curtained box-space poignantly befitting her almost slave-like status. To make space for visitors, most menfolk move out for the night to sleep in other houses, leaving the guide, trekkers and maybe a village elder or two to snuggle up in a line in the male section. Bringing a sleeping bag gives a greater semblance of privacy. Note that female trekkers count as 'honorary men'.
Spirits The spirit world is every bit as lively in hill-tribe cultures as it is in other Lao cultures and it would be exceedingly bad form for a visitor to touch a village totem (Tai Lü villages), a spirit gate (Akha) or any other taboo item. Ask the guide to explain and don't even think of dangling yourself on an Akha swing (hacheu).
Breasts and babies Akha women who display their bare breasts are neither being careless nor offering a sexual come-on; they're simply following a belief that young mothers who cover both breasts will attract harm to their newborn offspring. Eating stones while pregnant is an odder custom, while the brutal Akha attitude to twins is quite unpalatable.
Northwestern Laos
Northern Udomxai and Luang Namtha provinces form a mountainous tapestry of rivers, forests and traditional villages that are home to almost 40 classified ethnicities. Luang Namtha is the most developed of several traveller-friendly towns ranged around the 2224-sq-km Nam Ha NPA, with hiking, biking, kayaking and boating adventures all easily organised at short notice. Udomxai is the regional transport hub, while Boten is the one China–Laos border open to international visitors.
8Getting There & Away
Head to the extreme north of this province and you'll be at the border with southern China. To the west is the Golden Triangle, where Laos meets Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). River trips due to damming have been curtailed somewhat but it's still possible to journey by boat some of the way between Luang Namtha and Huay Xai. In general the major roads are well maintained if you're travelling on a motorcycle.
Udomxai (Oudomsay, Muang Xai) ອຸດມໄຊ
Booming Udomxai (ອຸດມໄຊ; also known as Muang Xai) is a Laos–China trade centre and crossroads city, and with its cast of migrant truck drivers and Mandarin signage at every turn it certainly feels like it. The dusty, brash main street and lack of a traveller vibe puts off many short-term visitors, and you might think the highlight is the bus that spirits you out of here; however, it takes minimal effort to find the real Laos nearby. The well-organised tourist office – one of the best in the country – has many ideas to tempt you to stay longer, from cooking courses to treks, off-road motorcycling and cycling.
Around 25% of Udomxai's population is Chinese, with the Yunnanese dialect as common as Lao in some businesses and hotels.
Udomxai
1Sights
1Banjeng TempleC1
2MuseumC2
3Phu That StupaB2
4PMCB1
5Wat Phu ThatB2
2Activities, Courses & Tours
6Lao Red CrossA2
4Sleeping
7Charming Lao HotelB1
8Dansavanh HotelB2
9Lithavixay GuesthouseC2
10Villa KeoseumsackB2
5Eating
11Ban Thin MarketA2
Cafe SinoukB1
12Meuang Neua RestaurantC2
13Souphailin RestaurantA1
6Drinking & Nightlife
14Ming KhouanD2
Transport
15AirportD3
16Lao AirlinesD3
Lao SkywayD3
1Sights
Phu That StupaBUDDHIST TEMPLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; hdawn-dusk)
Stairways lead up from the main road to pretty little Phu That Stupa, a historic structure that was totally rebuilt after wartime destruction. Religious ceremonies are held here on full-moon days.
Wat Phu ThatBUDDHIST TEMPLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; hdawn-dusk)
This attractive hilltop temple is one of the best spots to head to for cooler air and fabulous sunset views of the valley below. The 15m-tall gold Buddha is equally impressive.
MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 10,000K; h8-11am & 2-4pm)F
Stairways lead up from the main road to the town's new two-storey museum, featuring colonial-style shutters and oriental gables. Inside, much of it is dedicated to uninspiring communist propaganda; however, there are some interesting ethnic costumes and tools used in rural Lao life.
Banjeng TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Wat Santiphab; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; hdawn-dusk)
Udomxai's foremost monastery is Banjeng Temple, which is modest but very attractively set on a riverside knoll. The most notable feature here is an imaginative concrete 'tree of life'. Tinkling in the breeze, its metal leaves hide a menagerie of naively crafted animal and bird statues that illustrate a local Buddha myth.
PMCARTS CENTRE
(Productivity & Marketing Center of Oudomxay; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %081-212803; www.facebook.com/pmc.oudomxay; h8am-noon & 2-5pm)F
PMC is a small exhibition room and shop introducing local fibres such as jungle vine, and selling handmade paper products, bags and local essences. If you're wondering why it's part-funded by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, that's because these crafts are an attempt to find non-narcotic-based commerce for former poppy-growing communities (hence its ironic nickname, the 'opium shop').
2Activities
The tourist office (Provincial Tourism Department of Oudomxay; GOOGLE MAP ; %081-211797; www.oudomxay.info; h8-11.30am & 2-5pm) offers one-day tours around Udomxai, a city walk, two- and three-day visits to the Chom Ong Caves, plus two possible trekking routes that include Khamu village homestays. To find potential fellow trekkers arrive at 4pm for a 'rendezvous meeting' the day before departure. It also has well-maintained dirt bikes taking you off-road on great local adventures.
Nam Kat Yorla Pa Adventure ParkADVENTURE SPORTS
(%020-55564359, 081-212195; www.namkatyorlapa.com; Faen Village, Xay District)S
Cycling, trekking, ziplining, rock climbing, abseiling, swimming, massage and shooting
are all available at Oudomxay Province's newest forest resort 17km north of Udomxai by the picturesque Nam Kat (Kat River). Stunning accommodation in modern slick rooms starts at US$104. Alternatively, take the 'abseil, zipline and via ferrata' package, which also includes sleeping in a tree house for US$75. Don't miss the stunning pool.
Lao Red CrossMASSAGE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %081-312391; steam bath 12,000K, massage per 30min 30,000K; h3-7.30pm)
On a hillock overlooking a beautiful river bend, the Lao Red Cross offers Lao Swedish-style massage and herbal steam baths in a modest bamboo-matted structure. All proceeds are recycled into first-aid training in local villages.
CCourses
The tourist office organises an interesting series of paper-making workshops (from 100,000K depending on group size) that include gathering the raw materials. Its cooking courses (from 100,000K per person with a minimum of four, 200,000K per person for a couple) include shopping for ingredients, but the teacher speaks better French than English.
4Sleeping
Dansavanh HotelHOTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %081-212698; Rte 1; r 150,000K; aiW)
Dansavanh was once Udomxai's top hotel and its dirty facade still retains an element of neocolonial grandeur, but the rooms, while large and properly equipped, lack any imagination. Facilities include a small spa, karaoke and an attractive riverside restaurant–beer garden. The De Syuen tea shop in the lobby is a must for tea aficionados.