South East Asian Trips

Luang Namtha Located in the northern region of Laos, Luang Namtha is an ordinary small town, but it sits on the edge of the Namtha National Park. A haven for wildlife, the mountainous terrain is covered with primary forest and attracts many eco-tourists. The town makes an excellent base for trekking, rafting, and exploring hill-tribe villages.

The capital of the province, Luang Nam Tha is a quiet, ordered town where a grid pattern of streets reveals ever-so-quietly humming businesses and residences. It’s a lovely spot to chill out for a couple of days before or after a trek into the Nam Ha NPA. The town is surrounded by a patchwork of rich rice paddies and ethnically diverse villages, and exploring them would be a highlight of a trip to the area. It’s also a transport hub for buses from all directions, including China, and consequently attracts a transient population of traders and travellers, all of whom add to the melting pot.

The original town, which was always prone to flooding, was virtually destroyed during the Second Indochina War, and the administrative centre was consequently moved 7Km north in 1976. The newer town centre sits on higher ground, and is close to where the highways come in from Muang Sing, Boten and Udomxai. Most visitors spend their limited time around the main street of this northern district, but the older southern district is mostly residential and, in general, much more interesting. Locals often refer to the southern centre as meuang (city-state) and to the northern centre as khwaeng (province).

Muang Xing

The town of Muang Xing lies on the river plains of the Nam La to the northwest of Luang Namtha. The town is a historic centre that was formerly an outpost of the Sipsongpanna Empire based in southern Yunnan in China. The town is home to a number of ethnic minorities as well as lowland Lao, Tai Lue, Thai Neua and Thai Dam. The town of Muang Xing has a number of guesthouses where trekking and hiking trips can be arranged.

The Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area is located in the southwest of Luang Namtha - a pristine habitat of dense tropical rainforest covering almost all of the protected area. Wild cattle (gaur and banteng), Asian wild dogs, tigers, clouded leopard, bears and gibbons also having in the forests and there is still a large bird population. South west of Luang Namtha, the still pristine forests of Nam Ha protected area with varieties of wildlife and vegetation can be found.