Luang Namtha
The largest settlement in the northwest of Laos, Luang Namtha is an ideal launching point for excursions to visit the various hill tribes, or ethnic minorities who dress distinctly, practice different customs, and go about the same, day-to-day lives, as they have for centuries. The town suffered extensive damage during the Vietnam War; today, however, Luang Namtha has rebuilt, and positioned itself as the gateway to Laos' northwest.
Experiences
A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
Ban Nam Dee
Stop at Ban Nam Dee where you can watch bamboo paper-making. Bamboo is one of the most versatile crops grown in Laos; besides a dietary staple, bamboo is also used to build houses and furniture, weave mats, make tools, water pipes, toys, and smoking pipes and much more.
Hill Tribe Villages
Visit hill tribes such as the Black Tai, Red Tai, White Tai, Tai Lue, Khmu, Oo, Lao Bit, Lanten, Mien, Hmong, Akha, Lahu, and Phou Noi, whose lives are almost completely untouched by the outside world. They dwell in modest shelters they build themselves, eat unprocessed natural foods, and live lives generally uncomplicated by the trappings and technological complexities of modern society.
Luang Namtha Museum
Visit the Luang Namtha Museum, which has a collection of artifacts by local minorities and also an important section on the Lao revolution, of which there is surprisingly little information available in the West.
Nam Tha River
Go kayaking on the Nam Tha River, the heart of the Nam Ha Protected Area. Start your kayaking at Ban Thai, a small village populated by the Black Tai people. The river meanders through several forests with different species of tree that appeal to a variety of local inhabitants: sun bear, tiger, barking deer and many birds. The class of rapids here is gentle, mostly grade 1 or 2.
Village Dinner
Have dinner with a local village headman and his family. They will give you an informal Lao cooking demonstration and tasting before you sit down to a traditional Laotian meal of sticky rice that you roll into a ball in your hand, dip into chili paste and then eat together with vegetables and meats.
Laos Regions
Explore in-depth information, experiences and highlights by navigating to specific regions using the links below on the right.
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Why Remote Lands?
Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
On the Tribal Trail in Luang Namtha
- Author
- Jay Tindall
In the indigenous Lao people is where the country’s true beauty lies and they define the region as well as its pristine mountainous and landlocked landscapes
What to Do North of Luang Prabang
- Author
- Travelogues
Northern Laos has more pleasures than those tucked away in Luang Prabang, including hill tribes, river kayaking, and inspiring hikes.
The Laos Loop: A Motorcycle Journey in the Jungle
- Author
- Travelogues
Few experiences match that roaring between the thighs and the singular sense of freedom in the jungle footpaths and winding alleys of the Southeast Asian countryside by motorcycle. For the sheer thrill of open-road exploration there is nowhere quite like Laos.
What Others Say
Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.
Party of four from Missouri & Tokyo
We appreciated traveling in remote areas...the slice-of-life experiences made the trip worthwhile.
