Welcome to Nong Kiau!

"The Most Scenic Spot in Northern Laos"

Nong Kiau is a small rustic town by the bridge where the Route 1 to Sam Neua and Vietnam crosses the Ou River. This little settlement is blessed with probably the some of the most attractive natural settings in Northern Laos. Vertical limestone mountains with the river that runs through it takes the breath away. Nong Kiau Riverside stretches over 300 meters along the river only surrounded by forest and mountains. There are hardly any other sounds than the songs of hundreds of birds and cicadas.

We feature electric blankets and very hot showers in all rooms. What more could you ask for in the cold season?.

We just bought ourselves a brand new Hyundai minibus with super comfort and safety belts at all seats. More information here.

Rock climbing is being introduced by Mr. Nicholas, read more here.

Our Rooms

All our 15 bungalows feature a spacious 40 square meters quality private room with big private balcony and nice large bathroom. The balconies faces the river with stunning view of the river and mountains. Due to limited electricity supply we do not provide aircondition yet, but as it's almost never hot in the nighttime you are more likely to value our electric heated beds and very hot showers in the cold season. We will attempt installation of a few air conditioners soon, and if electricity supply turns out to be sufficient we'll expand to all 15 rooms soon. All rooms have electric kettles, tea and coffee.

Beds are covered with mosquitonets of the squared type. Having nets over the beds instead of screening the windows and doors allows you to open a window in the night and feel a breeze coming into the room along with the sounds of the river and the cicadas.

Please beware that electricity is sometimes unstable. A flashlight can be handy.

Trekking, Cycling and Rock Climbing

We have high quality new Trek and Gary Fisher mountain bikes for rent. There are excellent cycling options around Nong Kiau.

We arrange full day and half day courses of rock climbing as well as abseiling. Have a look at the wall here. The green route is our first abseiling, the climbing courses takes place on the same wall.

Our excellent instructor from the UK, Mr. Nicholas, is now setting up a number of routes. The abseiling route below involves a couple of hours ascend through jungle and with some climbing of 4B, lunch hanging off the wall and finally abseiling down to the bottom. This is a very variated day programme, where we - apart from abseiling, which it is all about - also get really into the jungle up the mountain wall with a fantastic view of the Nam Ou valley and Nong Kiau Town. Read more about the itineraries here.

Abseiling route

Climbing routes

Getting here

There are two ways to travel between Nong Kiau and Luang Prabang. The one is by road, the other by river. Buses leave from Luang Prabang Northern Bus Station in the morning around 8.30 and then again around 10.00 and 12.00. Schedules tend to fluctuate, so please check before travelling.

The river trip, at the other hand is by far the most interesting. It is more expensive, but it's worth every penny it cost. Tickets are sold in Luang Prabang by various travel agents, and boats can be chartered exclusively at the boat pier in Luang Prabang. Boats leave from the boat pier in the morning. Boats from Nong Kiau to Luang Prabang leaves in the morning as well. Boat departures depends on the number of passengers and in the low season they sometimes have difficulty filling up, which means that you will have to charter or partly charter the boats if you wish to go.

There are bus connections to and from Udom Xai, Muang Vieng Kham and Sam Neua. Boats connect Nong Kiau with Muang Ngoy and Muang Khua through a part of the river that runs through some of the most amazing gorges in the country. To Muang Khua a boat will have to be chartered in most cases as there is little traffic on this part of the river.

From Udom Xai there are connecting buses to Luang Nam Tha and Muang Sing. From Muang Khua public boats departs daily to Had Sa and Phongsali.

To and from Vietnam

A new and very interesting option of travelling to and from this part of Laos is the newly opened Tay Trang border allowing travel between Dien Bien Phu and Muang Khua. A few adventurous travellers find their way regularly, but this route deserves the attention of a much broader audience. Dien Bien Phu is a historical highlight of Vietnam, but nevertheless not visited by very many. This mountainous part of Vietnam is as remote and untouched as it's counterpart in Laos across the Annamite Mountains.

The border post is a small highland outpost a short ride from Dien Bien Phu. On the Lao side it's a 76 k's descend into one of the most beautiful valleys hidden anywhere in the north. The bus ride goes through unseen Thai Dam villages and amazing mountain landscapes. The road is unpaved and access is occationally interrupted during the height of the rainy season. During the second half of July, all of August and first half of September, bus services can be irregular.

Otherwise the bus leaves Dien Bien Phu 5.30 AM and arrives early enough to catch a boat to Nong Kiau. A river journey on the top of an adventurous bus journey ensures that this day has been packed amazing impressions.

Map of Nong Kiau

Minibus Service

We have bought this factory new Hyundai minibus, the most comfortable vehicle you are likely to come across in all of Northern Laos. You can hire it at quite reasonable rates. Drop us a mail for more information.

About Us

Nong Kiau Riverside is jointly owned and run by Inthy from Vientiane and Eskil from Denmark. The project started in 2004 when we by chance came to Nong Kiau and discovered this little paradise being overlooked by most people. We believed that some decent accommodation providing discreet comfort would give visitors a good base for exploring the area and enjoying the nature without disrespect of the natural environment and local village life. So we went ahead.

Two years later we had rough skin in our palms, but hardly anymore funds in the bank. It had taken more than we had expected, but we were ready to open with six bungalows completed. A year has passed and we are finalising the last rooms so that we are here with 15 bungalows ready for the season.

The Lonely Planet

The latest Lonely Planet of 2007 says:

Nong Kiau Riverside (Ph 254770; www.nongkiau.com; s/d incl breakfast US$12/16) Every now and then you stumble across a delightful bargain that makes you feel like royalty – this fits the bill perfectly. This quiet resort has huge bungalows with timber floors, bamboo walls, stone bathrooms and wide balconies. The four-poster beds have high-slung mosquito nets and there are ceiling fans and writing desks in every room. There’s also a good restaurant (meals US$1.50-3; hbreakfast, lunch & dinner) serving tasty Lao food and the setting is gorgeous.

We have to let you know that the prices mentioned were our introduction rates when we were newly opened. The LP researcher talked to our staff who told him the rates. They were not aware that he was a guide book writer and needed future rates rather than present rates. We apologize for what inconvenience this may cause.

What They Say About Us

Please have a look at these links to variuos blogs and postings about us and the area.

http://www.travelfish.org/board/post/laosadditions/1756_Nong-Kiau-Guest-House---Nong-Khiaw---Luang-Prabang/0

http://impressive.net/people/gerald/blog/2007/04/24/northern-laos/

http://garnet-lee.blogspot.com/2007/04/nong-khiau-and-muang-ngoi.html

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid=24&threadid=1314957&messid=11490421&iCountryId=96

http://jingalex.wordpress.com/2006/09/

Darling Deluxe

... forgot to tell you that we of course order our mattresses from the same factory as The Oriental, Novotel, Shangri-La Hotel and Sheraton in Bangkok. Darling Deluxe Mattresses will makes you sleep like an angel :) Could it be any sweeter? :)

Contact Us

Lao Telecom has managed to change our phone numbers twice this year. Our latest numbers are stated below (Subject to change).

If you wish to book a room or otherwise contact us, please mail us at:

Nong Kiau Riverside
Ban Sop Houn
Muang Ngoy
Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR
Tel.: +856 (20) 570 5000, +856 (20) 213 7187
info@nongkiau.com - www.nongkiau.com

Please beware that phone lines can be unstable in the countryside and if the phone is not answered, then it's a sign that it is not ringing at all. Mail is the safest way to contact us. Our mail address is not subject to change.

Trip and Travel Advice

Money: Please beware that the economy in the countryside of Laos is based on Lao Kip in cash only. Plastic cards, travellers cheques and foreign currency is not likely to help you to your next bowl of noodle soup. There are no banks to assist you. Weekly travellers are forced back to Luang Prabang or even out of the country for the simple reason that they ran out of cash. Occationally people have been unable to use their otherwise valid credit- or debit cards in Luang Prabang as well, due to lack of connectivity between issuing bank and the Lao bank or other reasons, so never rely on just a plastic card for your travels in Laos. If you travel through Thailand before arriving to Laos, then it's worth considering grabbing a stack of cash from an ATM before crossing the border. This is not advisable for travellers coming from Vietnam or China as the currencies of these countries is not as widely accepted as the US Dollar or Thai Baht.

To and from Sam Neua: Public transportation towards the east is scarce. The only direct bus to Sam Neua passes Nong Kiau in the evening and arrives in Sam Neua the next morning. It is also possible to travel small town by small town. This involves a lot of waiting for whatever vehicle passes, it takes a couple of days and it is only for the adventurous who is prepared to put efforts into seeing the real countryside.

If neither a night bus or an adventure into the remote countryside appeals to you, then you might consider reversing your itinerary. You can go to Sam Neua first via The Plain of Jars and then catch a day bus to here. The day bus is a long journey as well, but you see the scenery, which is breathtakingly beautiful. The bus passes Nong Kiau in the evening.

To and from Vietnam: Nong Kiau is becoming a gateway to Vietnam. You can go either via Muang Khua to Dien Bien Phu, or via Sam Neua to Mai Chau and Hanoi. The former involves a nice boat ride to Muang Khua from here. There are only three buses a week from Muang Khua to Dien Bien Phu leaving every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The scenery from the bus it very interesting as it sneaks through the mountians on an unpavewd road. Beware that the road sometimes becomes impassable in the rainy season.

Things to do Around Here

• Take a walk along the Nam Ou up to Ban Had Sao and following villages. This is a very interesting 1-2 hours walk between each village, easy in some places, a bit difficult in others. As the way back is the same as the way out, you can turn around whenever you feel like. Each village will have a number of boats that you can hireto take you back.
• Rent a bicycle and ride east. The landscape is stunning and a number of K'hmu and Hmong villages can be found along the road. Bring lunch and drinking water as little can be bought along the road.
• Visit the famous Pha Toke Cave 2 km east of town. This is where the Pathet Lao forces had their provincial headquarter during the war in the sixties and early seventies. Two km west of town you will find another strategic cave which functioned as a weapon storage until it took a hit by an American plane.
• Watch the sunset from the bridge or various restaurants along the river.
• Play a game of petanque with the local patriots across from the post office.
• Hire a small fishing boat for an extraordinary view of the sunset.
• Go fishing. Ask your guesthouse to help you with a fishing pole.
• Tube rafting. Places organizing tubes and boats upstream advertise with signboards.
• Take a late afternoon swim in the river.
• Visit the local temples and have a chat with the monks.
• Give an English class at the local school or to anyone around you.
• Watch a movie at the local cinema.
• Do a trek with a local guide. There are a few good ones that you can't do on your own. Look around for advertisement signboards.
• Stay another day just to chill out and read a good book. The surroundings couldn't be better.