Activity: Elephant Adventures
Location: Hongsa District, Sayaboury Province.
Tip: Be prepared to live life as a real Lao mahout
Logging elephants have been retrained to offer a more environmentally and economically sustainable source of income for local Lao mahouts – tourism. 
The experience: Elephant Adventures offers visitors two- to three-day elephant treks through the forests and rice fields of the stunning yet remote province of Sayaboury, Laos. Departing from Luang Prabang or Pak Beng, visitors can experience life as a Lao mahout, learning traditional elephant commands, participating in
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags:
Activity: Trekking with Savannakhet Eco Guides Service
Location: Various protected areas, Savannakhet province
Tip: On the five-day journey, a good level of fitness is needed. Bring photos of your family and home. Local villagers will love it.
Take short or long guided treks to revered forests and lakes and to see the remains of Muang Kao historical site. Stay with the Katong people or take the challenging five-day expedition.
Beside the Xe Banghieng river
The experience: The Savannakhet Eco Guides Service specialises in ecotourism. They offer a variety of
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity name: Tiger Trail Outdoor Adventures
Location: Luang Prabang province
Tip: Choose an activity that reflects your interest level and standard of fitness
Trek, bike or kayak in the hills of Luang Prabang, help the Hmong in the fields, or care for ageing elephants too old to work.
Interactions in small groups
The experience: Fair Trek is a specialist brand of ecotourism developed by Tiger Trail Outdoor Adventures that is committed to putting something back into the communities and environment that it visits. A wide range of tours are
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags:
Activity: Samlaan Cycling Tours
Location: Oudomxay, northern Laos
Tip: The best season for cycling in Laos is mid-October to mid-February
Low-impact cycling tours in northern Laos provide cultural insights. The operator uses some of the income to build schools and provide clean water to villages.
The experience: Born and raised in Laos, Ken Phetxayphone has always loved to ride bikes. His small, friendly team from Oudomxay will take you by mountain bikes through the back roads, forests and villages of northern Laos on tours ranging from
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Don Kho weaving island and Phou Khong mountain
Location: Northern Champasak province
Tip: The trek to Phou Khong is a five-hour hike. Bring sturdy shoes and bathing gear.
A small island with a historic past in the Mekong river offers insights into cotton, silk and basket weaving. A nearby mountain beckons with the promise of panoramic views and wild orchids. Simple homestays are the main form of accommodation.
Peaceful end to the day
The experience: Don Kho is a small island on the Mekong River that
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Elephant watching from an observation tower
Location: Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area
Tip: With so many wild elephants around, only visit with a trained guide
Relatively near to Vientiane, see wild elephants gather at a salt lick from the safety of an observation tower. Simple or strenuous guided forest walks are also available.
Elephant observation tower
The experience: In the mid 1990s a herd of some 30 wild elephants living in the mountains of Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area (“Buffalo Horn Mountain”) decided to move
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity name: the Viengxay Kaysone Phomvihane Cave Memorial
Location: Viengxay district, Houaphanh province
Tip: Bring a good torch if exploring the hospital cave or other remote ones
Explore caves where thousands of Pathet Lao defied military bombardment for almost a decade. Many of the caves are well preserved and are full of exhibits that bring to life a painful period in modern history.
War leader's dining room
The experience: Deep in the forest and limestone mountains of Viengxay in Houaphanh province lies an historic ‘hidden city’ little known to
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Trekking, camping and river rides in Phongsaly province
Location: Various protected areas in Phongsaly
Tip: The best way to see the Phou Din Den NPA is to hire a boat north from Hat Sa
Phongsaly offers remote deep forest treks, hilltribe diversity, and the discovery of former French outposts. Rivers remain the main arteries of transport.
Rugged Phongsaly wilderness
The experience: Phongsaly is about as remote and timeless as one can get in Laos. Located in the far north, at the crossroads between Chinese and Southeast Asian
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity: Adventure trips and cultural discovery in Luang Namtha
Location: Various locations in Luang Namtha province
Tip: When in Akha villages, don’t touch the village’s wooden spirit gate or the ceremonial swing
Gentle day trips or strenuous hiking and rafting are available in an area known for its ethnic diversity.
Simple but warm hospitality
The experience: With its incredible diversity of tribal peoples, forested mountain ranges and wild, scenic rivers, Luang Namtha is becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most popular ecotourism destinations. The province offers a wealth of
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
Activity name: The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre
Location: foot of Phousi Hill, Luang Prabang town
Tip: Closed Mondays
This is a quick way to learn about the diversity and depth of Laotian ethnography and physical culture.
Lanten wooden sculpture
The experience: The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre has arisen out of the passion and commitment of three women to showcase and conserve the rich and diverse cultures of Laos’ ethnic minority groups. Located in an historic building in Luang Prabang, the centre features exhibits of the cultural artefacts,
Read More…
Category: What to Do in Laos
Tags: bookcontent
