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You are here : Home
» Activities |
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Activities in Laos
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Laos
includes many
intteresting places to visit and alot of things to do such as cycling,
hiking,
trekking and boating. Especially in the country side of Vientiane
province and other provinces
as well. Each place we can reach easily such as by bus and bicycles, it
takes
you only three or four hours by bikes to the places which is in the
suburbs or
country sides, and four hours by bus to another province like: from
Vientiane
Capital to Vientiane Province. |
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Cycling |
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The
overall lack of vehicular traffic makes cycling an attractive
proposition in Laos,
although this is somewhat offset by the general absence of roads in the
first
place. For any serious out-of-town cycling you’re better off bringing
your own
bike, one that’s geared to very rough road conditions. |
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In
term of road gradient
and availability of food and accommodation,
the easiest long-distance ride is along Rte 13 from Luang Prabang south
to the
Cambodian border. In the dry season this road may become very dusty
even in the
paved sections, and trucks – though nowhere near as overwhelming as in Vietnam or Thailand
– can be a nuisance. Other
cycling routes of potential interest – all of them currently unpaved
and rough
but due to be upgraded over the next decade – included: Luang Prabang
to Muang
Khua, Huay Hai to Luangnamtha, Pakse to Attapeu, Muang Xai to
Phonsavan, Muang
Phu Khun to Phonsavan and Samneua to Phonsavan. The last two routes are
quite
remote and reauire that you be prepared to camp if necessary along the
way. |
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Hiking and Trekking |
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The
mountainous, forest – clad countryside makes Laos a potentially
ideal
destination for people who like to walk outdoors. All 17 provinces have
plenty
of hiking possibilities, although the cautious nature of nature of the
authority means that overnight trip involving camping or staying in the
villages are viewed with suspicion. However the last couple of years
the
government has allowed a sprinkling of pilot, multi – day
trekking
projects, so the situation is gradually changing. |
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Many
visitors trekking on their own have managed to spend the night in
remote
villages anyway. There doesn’t appear to be any law forbidding this
although it
is somewhat frowned upon by the authorities in areas such as the
provinces of
Hua Phan, Sekong and Attapeu. |
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Day
hiking is another
story and you’re free to walk in the mountains
and forests almost anywhere in the country except the Sailombun special
Zone.
The provinces in Laos
with
the highest potential for relatively safe wilderness hikes include
Borkeo, Luangnamtha,
Luang Prabang, Vientiane,
Khammuan and Champasak. |
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Except
at the occasional waterfall near towns or cities, recreation
areas with
public facilities are nonexistent in Laos.
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Boating |
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The
rivera and streams
of Laos
has
potential for all sorts of recreational boating, particularly
rafting, canoeing and kayaking. No modern equipment exists, however, so
it’s
strictly bring-your-own. Nor are there any regular bamboo raft trips as
in Thailand,
though the country is prime territory for it.
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As
with bicycles, you
shouldn’t have any special
customs difficulties in bringing your own small boat to Laos.
Because
of the difficulties of overland transport, however, the smaller and
lighter
your craft is, the more choices you’ll have for places to paddle.
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For
trained paddlers
almost any of the major
waterways draining from the western slopes of the Annamite Chain
towards the Mekong valley could be
interesting. In the north, the Nam
ou, Nam Tha, Nam
Khan, Nam
Ngum and of course the Mekong river
are
navigable year-round. In central and Southern Laos
the Nam Theun, Se Don, Se Set and Se Kong as well as the Mekong
are safe bets. The upstream areas of all these rivers can be accessed
by road,
do drop-offs and pick-ups are limited only by the availability of
public or
private vehicle travel.
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In
the area between Vientiane
and Tha Khaek, several tributaries which feed into the Mekong
are smaller and less known than the aforementioned but very scenic
since they
run through rugged limestone country. In particular the Nam Xan, Nam
Kading and
Nam Hin Bun seem to be wide and relatively clean rivers. The choices
are
somewhat limited by the availability of roads to take you upstream. A
company
called North-by-Northeast Tour, based in Nakhonephanom, Thailand
(directly across from Tha Khaek), has recently begun offering river
trips along
the Nam Hin Bun and other waterways in the Khammuan limestone.
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Between
Champasak and
the Cambodian border, the
area of the Mekong known as Si Phan
Done (Four
Thousand Islands) is easily accessible and provides superior paddling
possibilities among verdant islands and rapids. |
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There
is one big caveat
lurking behind reaching
what could be paddler heaven: The legalities of floating down Lao
waterways are
a bit hard to discern. Local people do not need permits of any kind to
launch
self propelled craft on any stream or river, technically foreigners
aren’t
subject to any special regulations either, as long as they are not
transporting
commercial cargo or fee paying passengers. You should be prepared to
face the
occasional suspicious government official along the way, simply because
you are
doing something that’s out of the ordinary. Of course if you go with an
organized tour, you are less likely to face problems with local
officials. |
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SERVICES
