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

What about the bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang? Be aware of spirits!

Picture by Catherine Murray
The bus can look like this...

... and also like this...

Picture by Thaths
... because also pumpkins have to be transported

Should you fly from Vientiane to Luang Prabang or should you take the bus? Well, the busride will not be a too easy one. But first this:

In Vientiane buses leave at Northern Bus Station. You have the choice:
VIP buses: Depart 08.00, 9.00, 20.00. Costs: 140 000 to 170 000 kip one way, 10 hours. You will get a bottle of water, a small snack and will stop for a lunch.
Air-con Buses: 06.30, 07.30, 09.00, 11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 18.00, 19.30. Costs: 120 000 to 130 000 Kip, 10 hours.
Local Bus: 11 hours, 70 000 Kip
Mini Buses: To Vang Vieng, there you have to catch another Mini Bus to Luang Prabang. Ticket includes pick-up from hotel or guesthouse at around 10.00 or 14.00. Costs: 60,000 Kip).
See laomeow.blogspot.com

In Luang Prabang buses leave at Naluang Bus Station.
VIP buses: 08.00 and 09.00.
Express Buses: Depart 06.30, 08.30, 11.00, 14.00, 17.30, 18.30, 19.30.
Mini Buses: Only to Vang Vieng (09.00, 10.00, 14.00, 100,000 kip).

And what's your experience on this bus ride? You will see a breathtaking landscape, mountains and valleys in all kinds of green colour, Lao rural life with waterbuffalos and playing children - if mist or clouds don't cover everything and prevent you from seeing anything...

Picture by sarahstarkweather
Near Vang Vieng

But why does the bus take 10 hours for 384 km on a road, that is mostly paved? "It soon became clear", notes Safari mkubwa sana!: "There are numerous deep pot holes scattered randomly around. Some pot holes take minutes to cross and the bus driver generally needs to drive quite slowly to spot them before it's too late."

Worse: During the rainy season there can be interruptions of the road by land slides or trees falling on the road. In august 2011 a land slide has entirely swept away a stretch of road. "Buses are forced to stop on either side of the landslide, and passengers walk across to join another bus on the opposite side. As the buses have to stop at points where they can turn round, the total distance to walk is around 1.5-2km", writes lhm on Thorntree Forum. This seemed to be between between Kiew Kacham and Phou Khoun.

And why did it happen? "A lao friend told me that the landslide was caused by spirits/ghosts who were not happy that the people in a village nearby ate a very big snake", notes tictocchoc on Thorntree forum.

So if you cannot take easy situations like these, if you cannot sleep in a bus, because the way onward is not open, if you cannot live without air-con, when the air-con is broken, if you are afraid of ghosts, you will remember this journey as horrible...

But see the views you miss, when you don't go:

Picture by taylorandayumi

More views on videos on youtube 1, on youtube 2. Or have a look at pictures on this blog.

And well, if you want to fly, there are daily flights by Lao Airlines.