Entries by LEEKO

History, Culture & Nature Converge

Sing District holds historical significance, serves as home to a diverse ethnic population, and presents pristine natural beauty between mountain ridges and peaks. Chronicles recount the founding of Xieng Khaeng on the Mekong in the early 15th century by Tai Lue leader Chao Fa Dek Noi. It grew into a modest principality, but fell first to […]

Delve into the Green Triangle

Head out on a challenging four-day trek through raw nature in Laos’ northwestern frontier with China and Myanmar on the “Chao Fa Trail”, and spend your nights in Tai Lue and Akha homes. This new tour drives due north of Sing Town to Ban Mom and beyond, before trekking to the Tai Lue village of […]

Culture Cycling, Muang Sing

Saddle up on a mountain bike, and visit a variety of ethnic minorities in villages around Sing Town on an easy two-day cycling tour over flat roads, trails, and footpaths, with an overnight stay in a Yao lodge. The 30-km first leg visits some nine different ethnic groups, the first being the Lolo, the smallest minority […]

Camp on the Elephant Trail

Learn what it’s like to live in the forest by following the “Elephant Trail” in the Nam Ha NPA, cooking meals made from food and herbs gathered along the way, and sleeping in an open-air Akha jungle camp. This two-day trek traces the paths of wild pachyderms travelling between China and Laos. You start with […]

Feature: On Luang Nam’s Off-Road

“We’ve changed the plan,” Somsavath said after greeting me at Luang Namtha’s airport. “We’ve changed the plan,” Somsavath said after greeting me at Luang Namtha’s airport. I’ve known Somsavath, who works in the Provincial Tourism Department (PTD), for a few years, and his modifications always added more bang for your buck.

Follow the money

Early in the new millennium, a New Zealand-funded UNESCO team guided a handful of trekkers along a trail in Luang Namtha to a remote Khmu village. Feedback from this pioneering group of paying tourists would help design the country’s first Community-Based Tourism (CBT) activity, the Ban Nalan Trek.

Village Visit Tips in Luang Namtha, Laos

Village visits and homestays have long been fixtures on travelers’ must-do lists for Luang Namtha. You’ve read up on the different ethnic groups and their traditional ways of life, and yearn to turn your expectations into an authentic experience. To make it happen, consider these village-visit tips.

Cook It Yourself

Lao food has become a tourist attraction, and learning how to cook it is the hottest new activity in Luang Namtha. You can sign up for a short course in Luang Namtha Town or learn how to turn plants you gather on the trail into meals and the implements to cook them.