Muang Long is a mountainous district to the south of Muang Sing, bordering with Myanmar and Thailand. There are over nine ethnic minority groups in this district, including Tai Leu, Tai Dam, Hmong, Yao, Akha, Muser and Lanten Xiengkok is a small port town along the Mekong River about 72km from Muang Sing, this mainly serves Chinese traders plying goods along the river.
Muang Long Town
Known for it’s morning market, where Akha women in traditional dress come to sell their produce, Muang Long is a peaceful town. Ask at the Muang Long Tourism Information Center for a guide to get the most out of this town with it’s ancient temples and stupas, and ethic villages nearby.
Attractions Around Muang Long
Nam Long’s Twin Falls
Nam Long’s Twin falls is located nearly at Ban Nam Bo ( Nam Bo Villlage ). The journey starts at the forested mountain just east of Long Town, you’ll visit a Hmong/Lahu village lodge. The trail climbs through various forest types – bamboo, banana, deciduous, and old growth. While trekking to Ban Nam Bo, you pass a village where both Hmong and Lahu people reside. then begins a short trail that follows the Nam Long River and in a short time you reach the base of Nam Bo Waterfall. It’s a pleasant pool catching a pair of chutes that plunge over a 20-meter cliff.
Phou Pha Kham Mountain Trek
Take the journey north of Long Town to Phou Pha Kham Mountain. This moderate-to-difficult one-day trek, led by the local guide, gets underway at the Long Tourism Office. Walk past Ban Chom Cheng to Ban Luang Pha Kham, a designated Tai Lue “Cultural Village”. The trail continues through a cassava grove, and then climbs Phou Pha Kham in the shade of trees that are hundreds of years old. Then you’ll look for tracks and other signs of wildlife, and might even spot a monkey or antelope on the path, as it winds past massive boulders on the trek to the top. The ridge at the summit presents views of a river snaking through the Long River Valley on one side and a panorama of mountaintops that stretches to a distant ridge on the other.
Xiengkok Motorbike Trail
If you are up for a 110km motorbike journey through great scenery, then this is the trip for you. Travel from Luang Namtha, through the Nam Ha National Bio-Diversity Conservation Area to Muang Sing, then along the Long River Valley to Muang Long further south to the Laos – Myanmar Friendship Bridge for fantastic views of the Mekong River. Border crossings into Myanmar are not possible at this stage.
