3 days hiking and 2 days Kayaking
Hiking to the hill tribes followed by kayaking to the Buddha Caves on the Nam Ou and Mekong Rivers outside Luang Prabang, was 5 days that was arguably life changing. It was tough hiking, punctuated by amazing local people along the way with a backdrop of lush tropical views. I've hiked all over the world and Laos is a well kept secret for hikers and travelers.
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It is a perfect compromise between tourist hub with the services that you expect in tourist areas and a raw uncontaminated experience. Laos leaves you with the feeling that you have experienced a tiny bit of the country, and the landscape is breathtaking. Villages are half or full day hike apart and the country is wild enough that between villages is nothing but farms and forest.
Why Luang Prabang & Why Green Discovery Tours
We were first attracted to the Luang Prabang region when we heard about the Kuang Si Falls. But we wanted to hike and see the real Laos and meet the people. As a lazy hiker (due to problematic knees) we needed to find a guided hike with the option of a porter. Green Discovery are one of the oldest tour companies in Laos and they offered a real hiking experience under your own steam.... with a porter. It has earned a reputation as a tourist destination but off the beaten track.
The Kuang Si falls are as good as "the brochure". I've swum in a lot of swimming holes and Kuang Si is THE most beautiful of all. There are 1 and 2 day hikes to Kuang Si but we wanted something a little more than that.... and we got it on the hill tribe hike.
We chose Green Discovery after much searching and deliberation as they are all about the real hike, bike or kayak experience. It is not 5 star comfort. Its full days of hiking, off the grid. They pride themselves on Eco-Tourism and Adventure tours. Green Discovery are the original eco-adventure company in Laos.
In a Nutshell
Day 1 - 15km hike
The tour company picked us up at our hotel all fresh, clean and rearing to go. After about a 1 hour drive north we started our walk through farmlands. In May the farmers are doing a lot of slashing and burning in preparation for planting prior to the monsoon rains. It is hot (36°C) and the burning offers little shade. It is hard to complain when tiny local women are out there for 12 hours a day hacking bamboo, burning and planting sticky rice.
The track climbs steadily and offers some gorgeous views. We stopped for lunch at a farmers hut and our guides, Kone and Wong, whip up an amazingly tasty lunch of vegetables, sticky rice and bananas. More then we could eat, all served on fashioned banana leaf "dishes". Kone whittled bamboo chopsticks with his knife as he walked that morning, and these were our cutlery for the next 5 days.
We hike 15km on the first day. The trail of clear and well worn. Its pretty easy going, heat and slope not withstanding!
Our first home-stay hut.
Lunch served in banana leaf plates with handmade bamboo chopsticks
We continue our gradual climb in the afternoon as we watch the storm clouds building as we wend through rice fields and bamboo forests punctuated with small villages complete with there tiny flocks of local children all keen to wave and say "bye bye" in greeting. After 6 sweaty hours our first home-stay village appears over the crest, resting in a small valley.
We washed off the days thick layer of grime and sweat at the communal spring fed hose. Women dressed in just a sarong (me included) and the men in their smalls, while other villages did laundry or washed children all at the same hose. The evenings entertainment was watching the storm roll through over a few very welcome beers.
Day 2 - 10km hike
After breakfast we go on a walking tour of the village, the highlight of which is the school. All the village children attend a small 4 classroom school. Pigs and chickens run loose everywhere through the village of simple homes, some with thatch roofs and some with iron. Of course, every family has a small vegetable garden.
Today's hiking is only 10km, however, the terrain is thick bamboo forest that has to be hacked through. Some of the slopes are steep, and after the rain, quite slippery. Its slow going. We stop for lunch at a mushroom drier's hut. A simple shelter with a big oven for drying the local red mushrooms, considered a delicacy. Our guide, Wong, collects a bag full along the way and includes some in our evening meal that night.
These prized mushrooms are dried
Lunch stop at the mushroom drying hut
After lunch and a snooze in the shade of the hut we set set off further into the forest and do battle with a gazzillion leaches. Mostly harmless but a total nuisance. Salt, insect spray and vigilance, and we escape with a single bite between us. Not bad, considering the sheer numbers of the little blighters. some parts of the trail have us hiking along stream beds. The water level was just 150mm deep (6in) but we navigate in and out of the creeks so the decision is to be made to walk in wet boots, flip flops or go barefoot. At least its cool. The jungle in this section is thick and lush and its hard going along barely discernible trails. We reach the farmlands of the village we are to overnight in about an hours walk from the village. The path is distinct for this final stretch as the locals make this journey everyday to and from their fields. .
The evening we have a cool stream to wash in at a village with some electricity and the semblance of a road. Although the road is only navigable in the dry season, it affords the locals the relative luxury of more services including electricity. That evening we are entertained but the local children that come and go. We are the more their evening entertainment, if only we had the energy to entertain our guests, but our bodies are screaming for sleep. Our accommodation is once again a bamboo hut. Its minimal but comfortable enough.
Day 3 - 10km hike
The next days hike is just 10km and the terrain and landscape varies from bamboo forest, thick jungle some moderate hills and farmlands. The views from the peaks is fabulous and worth the sweat and blisters to get there.
We pass through a few small villages complete with their free range chickens, pigs and welcoming children. After a couple more ascents we finally get our first glimpse of the Nam Ou River below complete with terraced paddy fields. The paddy field are not the postcard vibrant green yet as the monsoon has not quite begun.
After a few days we share some wonderful experiences with our guides
The views are almost worth the buckets of sweat
Out first view of the Nam Ou River
Not exactly a stroll in the woods
Although the Nam Ou is so close you can almost hear the children splashing it is 5km of descent into the valley to our home-stay village below. After an hour of knee busting downhill plodding you realize why they are called the Hill Tribes that we have spent the last 3 days with.
Our porter, Wong, navigates over some indifferent ducks
We walk the final few km through cultivated Teak forests and rice farms. Our home-stay is a welcome sight. it is not made from bamboo and is nestled close to a wonderful yellow sand swimming beach on the river. Our lodgings are simple but comfortable and sleep comes easily after a few cold beers from the local shop.
Jonathan outside the home-stay. The guy on the motorbike is selling his home made whiskey.
simple but comfortable lodgings
Day 4 - 5 hour kayak
The days brings a change of pace and its easier and cooler. After recent rains the normally clear waters of the Nam Ou are a shade of brown from the runoff from nearby farms. The water is clear with no bities! The rain also means the river is flowing faster which means easier paddling. The patches of white water are fun without the scary bit. Suits me fine. We stop for lunch on another golden sand beach, and with the temperature a toasty 36°C or 100°F, a swim is glorious.
View across the bow of our kayak
Me after a very welcome lunchtime dip in the Nam Ou
After a few hours of paddling we arrive at our final home-stay on the river bank. Our hosts show us to their million dollar view patio overlooking the river. Our hosts prepare another simple but fabulous meal and we are accompanied by their menagerie of chickens, ducks, pigs, dog & cat. We wander down to the river for another swim with the local kids.
The paddling is fairly easy going in the swift current
amazing meals come from such simple kitchens
View over the Nam Ou from our home-stay
The patio above the animal pens is the perfect place to rest up
Day 5 - 4 hour kayak
On our final day we paddle past / under an amazing rock overhang. A looming sheer cliff above us.
We paddle to the junction of where the Nam Ou River meets the Mekong where the famous "Buddha Caves" or Pak Ou Caves are situated. These caves are 1000's of years old and contain over 4000 Buddhas made from all manner of materials. There is a flow of motorized boats ferrying tourist to and from the 2 caves as they are only accessible by boat.... or kayak in our case.
The ultimate way to arrive.
there are an estimated 4000 different Buddha statues in the 2 caves
The moorings seem to need some minor repairs
boat loads of tourists are ferried to the caves each day
After a short paddle down the Mekong we are collected by our van for a 1 hour drive back to the town of Luang Prabang.
Highlights
Where Is it?
Laos is landlocked between Vietnam & Thailand
Luang Prabang is in Northern Laos
Travel to Luang Prabang
The Lazy Way
A big thank you to Green Discovery. The trip was everything we hoped for. We wanted an adventure and it was just the right mix of simple comfort yet took us out of our comfort zone. . Thank you to all our hosts, most of who's names I can't spell or remember. Most of all to our guides Kone & Wong. You guys made the trip a truly memorable life experience. They were so accommodating and such great company to boot.
