Xieng Khaeng Stop the Clock

Be among the first to explore the remote Xieng Khaeng Region, where diverse ethnic groups live off mountain forests as they have since starting to arrive more than 500 years ago. sTrail blazers from the Provincial Tourism Department recently began probing this isolated area, after the completion of the new 35-km dirt road connecting it to Sing Town, while providing access to outsiders, who want to peek into their world.The PTD has teamed with local tour operators to offer multi-day programs into Xieng Khaeng that include mountain treks, Mekong River boat rides, Akha massages, and home-stays. The two-day “Adventure Trek” drives to the mountaintop Ban Mom for glimpses of China’s peaks, and hikes four hours to Ban Xay on the Mekong with Myanmar’s mountains as a backdrop. After a home-stay, boat to Xieng Khaeng, and trek one-hour to Ban Ja Phou Thon. The two-day “Green Mountains Trek” starts with a 4WD romp in Xieng Khaeng at altitudes reaching 1,800 meters. Ban Pakham kicks off the trek through steep, dense forests to Ban Done Chai on the mekong and a home-stay. A morning upriver Mekong boat ride stops at Ban Nam Kong for a mountain trek to Ban Phaya Luang Kham Ping. For a real in-depth Akha experience, try tackling the five-day “Stunning Mountains of Xieng Khaeng”, a trekking route that travels over thickly forested mountains and along the Mekong, with home-stays at four Akha villages along the way. Some of these treks are closed from June-September. Check at the Tourist Information Center.