Activities around Nong Kiau

Hit the dirt tracks and river, and see the untouched Laos.

This one day bike trip explores the remote villages and stunning landscapes which can be found just out of town in the mountains and along the Nam Ou River.

We bike from town along the paved road for 6 kilometers. Then we turn off and pedal on dirt road. This is where the adventure begins.

The trip offers panoramic views overlooking the mountains and narrow valleys along the road which is carved out of the mountain sides. Part of the landscape is thick forest. We pass villages of Thai Lu, Khmu, Lao and Hmong ethnicity in beautiful settings. We take time to visit the villagers and get an impression of their way of living.

By Ban Phayong Village, we stop at the side of a small stream for a local picnic lunch served on banana leafs for plates. After a rest we get back on the bikes and continue to Ban Sob Khan, a lovely ethnic Lao village on the bank of the Nam Ou River. Before we board our boat we can have a look around and a swim in the river if we wish to.

We end the day with a late afternoon cruise down the Ou River among some of the steepest and most beautiful limestone mountains in Northern Laos.

One Day Trek and Boat trip
NK-T-001	Huai Lek – Huai Khong - Nam Ou

Follow the small paths of hunters and farmers into the mountains and villages.

We put on our boots to walk through forest, mountains and uphill rice fields. First we transfer 10 km to Ban Huai Lek, a small Khmu village east of here. We cross mountain tops and descend into villages, passing through the villages of Huai Khong and Sop Vanh. We might get wet feet as we cross the stream of Nam Vanh.

We will get an impression of how people living off the land in the villages and our guide will look for local fruits and vegetables along the way as they are collected from the forest. This depends on season. Lunch will be prepared in Ban Huai Khong.

Once down by the Nam Ou, there’s another 6 km left along a dirt track back to Nong Kiau. We choose to jump in a small boat in Ban Sop Vanh and cruise back in the late afternoon. The river is spectacular at that time.

One Day trip to the roof of Nong Kiau

This one day trip takes up to top of the highest mountain in Nong Kiau. We follow an old trail local people have used for hunting, hiking up to the very top of the limestone cliffs. From there the breathtaking panorama of Nong Kiau will unfold beneath us, leaving us speechless.

 We get up for a really early start just after sunrise, where we head for the foot of the mountain at the western side of the Nam Ou across from our place. From there we walk up a narrow and steep path through jungle and between lime stone cliffs. The path has been almost forgotten about, so the vegetation is lush and in places it narrows down so we are in thick bush.

 Up there, our guide will arrange the lunch with the most amazing backdrop of ridges of mountains, disappearing behind one another into the horizon. Deep below us are the town and the river.

The descend takes as long time as the ascend did, so we will be back late afternoon.

This Day trip is an easy one! See all the best along the river in one day.

If mountain hiking is for backpackers, then this is for their parents. Jump into a local motor boat, cruise upstream through fantastic landscape remote villages, caves and waterfalls. The nature unbeaten, as the river winds its way between the mountains. Small villages are nestled up behind the coconut trees, given away by the rows of boats along the bank.

 We leave at 8.00 and start with a village on the way upstream to get a glimpse of rural life along the river. We will pass by the village school, if the kids are in, we’ll have a look at a class. After that we head for Sop Kong Waterfall. This is an hour’s trek from the river through mountain and rice fields, which is quite a beautiful walk. We’ll have a swim and our picnic lunch by the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

 After lunch and a rest we cruise on to a small cave near the river. This is situated where the river runs through a narrow gorge. Just north of the gorge is another little village worth seeing. On the way back we take a stop by Muang Ngoy, long famous among backpackers. If there’s still time, we can have a cup of coffee at a riverside restaurant. We need to return by 4 P.M.

 This Day trip is an easy one! See all the best along the river in one day.

If mountain hiking is for backpackers, then this is for their parents. Jump into a local motor boat, cruise upstream through fantastic landscape remote villages, caves and waterfalls. The nature unbeaten, as the river winds its way between the mountains. Small villages are nestled up behind the coconut trees, given away by the rows of boats along the bank.

 We leave at 8.00 and start with a village on the way upstream to get a glimpse of rural life along the river. We will pass by the village school, if the kids are in, we’ll have a look at a class. After that we head for Sop Kong Waterfall. This is an hour’s trek from the river through mountain and rice fields, which is quite a beautiful walk. We’ll have a swim and our picnic lunch by the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

 After lunch we return.

One full day slowly enjoy the steep and changeable scenery along the river.

This itinerary is on and about the river. We leave at 8.00 by boat and cruise up to Muang Ngoy. After an hour we get off the boat into the kayaks. Now the fun starts. We paddle downstream quietly and enjoy the feel of the wet element and the sounds and smells of nature. We are likely to encounter quite a few birds, including the beautiful kingfisher. Once in a while we stop on sand banks to stretch our legs. We enjoy our lunch along the way. Afternoon arrival to Nong Kiau.

 Three full days enjoying the scenery and life of the river.

This itinerary is on and about the river. We leave at 8.00 by kayaks and head downstream. Shortly after departing, the river separates from the town and road, us separating from civilization. For the next 24 hours we will see few signs of civilization and lots of stunning cliffs. We keep paddling, until late afternoon, when it becomes time to set up our camp. We’ll find an appropriate sand bank where our guide set up a tent and camp fire for cooking.

The next morning we wake up early to feel the chill of the morning. Coffee over a camp fire on a sand bank with mist between the mountains just tastes different. We get back on the water and continue downstream. Another day, another camp, another lunch and dinner in the open.

On the third day we reach Pak Ou, where the Nam Ou meets the Mekong. Here we carry the kayaks up to the waiting truck and get a transfer to Luang Prabang by minibus.

This is a four days trip deep into the countryside and down the Nam Ou. Good accommodation half way.

On this tour we spend half the time on small tracks in the countryside and the other half on the Nam Ou. The first day we cycle app. 80 km from Nong Kiau to Ban Na, first 15 km along the main road towards Nam Bak, after which we turn off to the north and follow dirt paths that gets gradually more and more narrow. This route takes us far away from civilization and into the deepness of the Lao nature. Parts of the trip is on steep mountains paths. We stay overnight in Ban Na.

The second day we ride approximately 40-50 km and reach Muang Khua, where we will stay in a reasonably good hotel.

The next morning we shift from bike to kayaks, which was brought up here by our driver. The trip back to Nong Kiau will take us two days down with a home stay half way. On the final day we’ll be back late afternoon.

 Climb the stunning cliffs above the Nam Ou River

We begin with a trek along the river bank, then head up hill trekking through the jungle arriving at the base of the cliffs which provide a great location for stunning views of the landscape, river and of Nong Kiau. This journey takes approximately 35 minutes.

We will climb from around 9am till 12pm then stop for up to 1 hour for lunch for those who are participating in full day, then continue until 4pm, before heading back into town. The climbing is on bolted limestone with a variety of climbs ranging in difficulty from 4 to 6b+ on solid reliable rock set in stunning scenery. You will be guided by both western and Lao guides with over 25 years experience in the sport.

You will have the choice of what difficulty of climb you would like to try and you will be doing so in both a safe and secure method.