Luang Nam Tha: Jungle Trekkings, Homestays with Hilltribe People and Rivertrips

See the locations on Luang Nam Tha Google Map

See Map of Luang Nam Tha Town by Hobomaps and Map of Luang Nam Tha area by Hobomaps


Luang Nam Tha

Picture by Sergi Hill
Picture by from the north country

Picture by Le photo à Go-Go

Picture by Sergi Hill

Picture by Pondspider
Valley near Luang Nam Tha

Luang Nam Tha in the mountains of northern Laos counts around 3500 inhabitants. The old town lies near the airport, the new town 6 km apart in the north. Here you find most guesthouses and tour agencies. It's a starting point for trekkings to the hilltribes.

What can you do here? For example visit Luang Namtha’s morning market, where people from Luang Namtha and nearby villages sell and buy fruits, vegetables (spring onion, coriander and cabbages), jungle meat and junge plants.
The nightmarket is the spot, were people hang out in the night. It opens from 5 pm. Here you can try traditional dishes with vegetables, herbs and spices from the jungle.
You can go kajaking on Nam Tha River and visit Lanten, Khmu, Khmu Rok, Tai or Tai Lue villages. Visit the Luang Namtha Museum, rent a bicycle or a mountain bike at one of the guesthouses, shop for handicrafts, explore the waterfall at Ban Nam Dee, see Wat Luang Kone (7 km from city center), Wat Ban Vieng Tai or That Phoum Phouk (Phoum Phouk Pagoda), go for guided boat trips on Nam Ha River and along Nam Ha Protected Area (with tigers, bears, elephants and wild buffalos) or visit the markets (one near the bus station and one near the airport). Read more about the Nam Ha Protected Area. You gan also go trekking into the jungle-mountains and visit villages of Akha, Khmu and Yao (Dzao) people, especially to Luang Nam Tha National Protected Area.

There are several herbal saunas in Luang Namtha, the most popular being the one next to the Panda Restaurant.

Picture by intothegreen
At Luang Nam Tha nightmarket

Picture by John Pavelka
That Phum Phuk

Picture by Sergi Hill



Where to stay in Luang Nam Tha

Adounsiri Guesthouse: Mixed reviews von tripadvisor.com. Good review on travelfish.org.


Amandra Villa: Very good reviews on agoda.com. Quite good ones on tripadvisor.com. Some say the rooms upstairs are better.

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The Boat Landing Guesthouse and Restaurant From 40 USD. At Nam Tha River, outside the town. Older bungalows, rooms are described as basic by reviewers on tripadvisor.com. In the evening it is difficult to get a tuktuk from the town to the guesthouse.

Picture by John Pavelka

Picture by John Pavelka


Dokchampa Hotel: Chinese hotel in the centre of Luang Namtha, on the main street. Quite good reviews on tripadvisor.com.


Khamking Guesthouse: Near nightmarket, therefore a bit noisy according to a reviewer on tripadvisor.com.


Kingmala Guest House: Quite good reviews on tripadvisor.com.


Nam Tha Riverside Guesthouse: Critical reviews on agoda.com.

Picture by crosby_cj


Phou Iu III Bungalows: Mixed reviews on agoda.com.


Pou Villa Resort ພູວີລ່າ ຣີສອດ: On a hill overlooking the town and the valley. Very good reviews on agoda.com. Excellent reviews on tripadvisor.com.

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Royal Hotel, also called Houngching Hotel, also Huang Jing Hotel: With 95 rooms one of the biggest hotels in Luang Namtha, an investment of a Chinese company and mostly visited by Chinese people. It has a pub outside of the hotel.

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Tai Dam Guesthouse: A main building and wooden bungalwos set around a scenic garden. Good reviews on tripadvisor.com, alst one dating from 2017.


The Phou lu III Guest House: Bungalows with balconies, with thin walls according to reviews on tripadvisor.com, which are quite good.


Toulasith Guesthouse: Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com.


Homestays: You can book tours with homestay for one night. Homestay in Ban Vieng Neua with Tai Youn people; homestay in Ban Chaleurnsouk with Khmu people; homestay in Ban Nam Dee with Akha people.


Zuela Guesthouse: Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com. See video on youtube.com.

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Eat in Luang Nam Tha

Forest Retreat Bamboo Lounge:


How to arrive in Luang Nam Tha

By airplane: Lao Airlines flies from Vientiane to Luang Nam Tha.

Boat Pak Tha - Luang Nam Tha: During two days you travel in an open boat along Nam Tha river where large sections can only be reached by boat, past riverside villages of the Khmu and Leu ethnic people. On the way you pass a Buddha image in a cliff face. You'll stay in the village of the boatsmen. Before you arrange your boat trip in Pak Tha you should know, that most boatmen on the lower Namtha will only go as far as Muang Nalae. This because they are not experienced in navigating the rapids between Nalae and Namtha. Also during the low water months (Feb- May) the boats may only run as far as Nalae. But there you find a bus to Luang Nam Tha or boatsmen, who go up with you.

Picture by John Pavelka
Nam Tha River

Picture by Mat Honan

Picture by immu

Bus: Bus to Muang Sing takes 2 hours. Songthaews going in the morning. See bustimetables for Luang Nam Tha province. Bus to Huay Xai needs around 4 hours, to Luang Prabang between 8 and 12 hours, There are buses to Bokeo International bus station in HUay Xai, from where you cross the Mekong by the new Friendship Bridge and go on to Chiang Rai or Chiang Nai by Vip buses. There are also buses from Luang Nam Tha via Boten to Mengla and to Jinghong (both (Yunnan province in China).



Akha Village Ban Nam Hee

Situated at the confluence of the Nam Hee and the Nam Fa. Nam Hee is the name of a small river that flows to the Nam Fa that flows to the Mekong. An interesting story about the gates on the way to the village has been written by Lao Bumpkin. The gates are about keeping the spirits out. Nam Nam Hee ist also mentioned on dailykos.com

Picture by johntrathome
Spirit houses

Picture by Pondspider
Akha women, returning from the market

Picture by Pondspider
Looking up the Akha village

Picture by Pondspider
Looking down to the Akha Village

Picture by John Pavelka


Nalan Tai Khmu village:

Picture by Alexandra Moss
Guestroom at the Khmu village

Picture by Alexandra Moss

Picture by Alexandra Moss



Vieng Phouka Trekking Centre

Vieng Phoukha Guide Service Unit, and supported by the EU. The guide unit offers
treks to ethnic Khmu, Lahu, Akha and Tai Lue villages. Mountain Guesthouse:

Buses from Luang Prabang drop you off at Vieng Poukha.
Buses from Luang Nam Tha and Huayxai pass through Vieng Phoukha



Muang Sing

Muang Sing Historical Centre
Map of Muang Sing town
Map of Muang Sing area
In Muang Sing District, treks to Akha, Hmong and Tai Lue villages are offered by
the Muang Sing Guide Association.

Chantimieng Guesthouse: From the balcony you overlook the rice paddies. Guite good reviews on tripadvisor.com.


See Luang Nam Tha on Youtube.


Read also:
Discover Luang Namtha ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ
China-Laos-Railway operating for 6 months - what happened so far. With informations about timetables and tickets.
Boten: A Ghost Town at the Lao/China border waits to be waked up by China-Laos-Railway

Dozens die as Lao Airlines crashes before landing in Pakse

See the locations on Ban Phaling Google Map



22.10.2013
Lao Airlines and its insurance company have paid 20 million kip and US$5,000 respectively to the family of each of the victims of last week's plane crash, as The Cambodia Herald reports. This payment is intended to cover funeral expenses and further compensation is expected in the future, according to the Director General of Lao Airlines' Planning and Cooperation Department, Mr Sitthideth Duangsitthi. So far 43 bodies - out of 49 victims - have been recovered and 17 identified. The flight recorder of the plane that plunged into the Mekong River near Pakse, has been located and retrieved, as The Nation writes.

17.10.2013:
There is no hope that somebody could have survived the crash of flight QV301 by Lao Airlines from Vientiane to Pakse on Wednesday. The airplane went down into the Mekong near Ban Phaling village in Phonthong district, Champassak province. Rescuers in fishing boats pulled bodies from the Mekong River on Thursday. Divers from Thailand were helping. According to Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee the bodies of 15 victims have been recovered, reported Associated Press. Lao Airlines released a second updated list of the 44 passengers' nationalities: On board were 16 Lao nationals, seven French, six Australians, five Thais, three Koreans, three Vietnamese and one person each from China, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States. The bodies are kept at Vat Chin in Pakse district, as The Nation reports. Victims families and relatives find contact informations on Facebook-Page of Lao Airlines.


16.10.2013:

Very sad news from Laos: Dozens of people were killed in southern Laos when a plane of Lao Airlines crashed into the Mekong River on October 16, as BBC reports. Flight QV301 from the Laotian capital Vientiane (leaving 14.45) came down about 8km (5 miles) from Pakse airport. A Lao Airlines statement on Facebook gave a total of 49 dead. According to BBC among the dead are seven people vom France, five Thai nationals and three South Koreans and as well as citizens from Laos, Australia, Canada, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the USA and Vietnam.

The plane that crashed has been identified by the news as ATR 72-600, which is a French-Italian manufactured twin-engine turboprop plane. French media say that the plane was brand new, delivered in March 2013. It crashed during stormy weather into Mekong River, near Don Khong according to Bangkok Post. This newspaper publishes the names of the victims.

Pakse page on Facebook shows pictures of parts of the crashed plane. Facebook Page "We Love Laos" shows the plane in Mekong River.