Itinerary input -- PLEASE!

We%26#39;re going to be in and about Luang Prabang for 6 days at the end of Feb. Currently, our plan is:

- 2 days in LP just roaming around (looking at Wats, getting massage at Red Cross, long walks outside of city center, cooking class at Tamarind)

- 2 days to Nong Khiaw (up river by bus, down river by boat); not sure if we%26#39;ll continue on to Muang Ngoi -- any thoughts?)

- 2 days back in LP (maybe elephant ride, Pak Ou cave and waterfalls, maybe volunteer)

How does this sound? Any places we should definitely go to? Any we should skip?

Itinerary input -- PLEASE!

sounds pretty solid although you might be struggling with volunteering with such a short amount of time. You can always go to the English classes at Big Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang, where you can help locals (mostly novices/young monks) practice their English skills.

Itinerary input -- PLEASE!

Agree with Lee, though Big Brother Mouse is a profit organisation. You might try to go directly to a monastery.

Sounds like a good trip. Muang Ngoi is beautiful and not too busy - it still has its original rural charm. Its only 30 mins on a songthaew from nong khiaw and you can get the boat from Ngoi to LP too.

We just returned from a holiday to Southeast Asia which included 5 days in Laos. Luang Prabang was our favorite town of the entire trip and we would have gladly stayed longer if time had permitted, although we found 4 days in LP was enough time to get a feel for the town. We did a few of the activities you mentioned so here is some feedback.

We spent 2 days wandering around the town exploring the wats and lazily soaking up the atmosphere. Our first morning we woke at 5 am to give alms to the monks. We were way too early... just wake up at 6 and you will have plenty of time. We began on a side street which was lovely and quiet, with only the town locals donating to the monks. We then moved over to the main street which was a paparazzi frenzy of tourists taking photos... I felt like we were in Hollywood. It was weird, and I am glad we had the more intimate experience to initiate us into this beautiful tradition.

We also took an evening cooking class at 3 Elephants (behind Tamnak Lao restaurant). It was okay but a little too rushed for us, and was consequently the least favorite of the 3 classes we took in SE Asia. I would recommend a full day class or at least a morning class so you have the market tour and a little more time to enjoy the experience. I would also suggest trying Tamarind (as you mentioned) or Tam Tam Garden (?) just beyond Tamnak Lao on the main street which looked like a fascinating program. We ate at the sister resto Tom Tom Bamboo and loved our meal.

We did a 1-day excursion with Tiger Trail Adventures: Elephant riding and trekking, and it was a highlight for us. Our guides were fantastic and the tour was extremely well-run. The elephants seemed to be well treated and Tiger Trails provide ecotours which means the proceeds help out the ethnic communities in surrounding areas. The visits to the hilltribes that same day have given me the most special memories of our trip so far.

We also took a half-day trip out to the Pak Ou caves which I had considered skipping after reading some neutral reviews on TA. As with all experiences, they depend on your personal level of interest and the Pak Ou caves were totally fascinating to me; I am so glad we decided to do the trip. Living in Canada, I had never experienced taking a leisurely boat ride on the Mekong to then discover caves filled with Buddha statues, so if you think you will be interested you should not miss this.

We did not have time to see the %26#39;big%26#39; waterfalls but we heard from other travellers that they are spectacular so you might want to see those. I think a visit to some nearby hill tribes is an absolute must.

Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip,

Kirsten

Great trip report! Did you visit a hill tribe?

We visited a couple of hill tribes on our day excursion with Tiger Trails, both before we went elephant riding and after our trek. The villages were quite different from each other as they were different tribes (some Khmer, some Hmong) and they gave a more authentic experience to visiting Laos than simply staying in Luang Prabang, which has become more touristy than I had imagined before going. We visited many villages during our trip to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and the children in Laos are the ones who truly touched my heart. They were sincere and didn%26#39;t ask for anything aside from attention and conversation, even though they were some of the poorest. These children are one of the strongest images from our trip for me. Visiting the hill tribes was the magical experience I had hoped for when planning our trip. As I mentioned, each person has different tastes and expectations so make sure to do the things YOU love to do and you will be sure to have a great time. Good luck!

Kirsten

Hi Kirsten,

Thanks for your trip report, very interesting.

Which hotel did you stay in?

Cheers,

Stewie.

We stayed at Sala Prabang which was recommended to us by a friend who had stayed there a few years ago. We stayed in the newest of their buildings which is located a couple of blocks away from the main building and on a quieter street. The location was perfect and the Sala Prabang was almost ideal. I wrote a review which you can read if you are interested, but in case you don%26#39;t have time, here is a shorter version of my review:

Great location, lovely guesthouse, great breakfasts at a restaurant overlooking the Mekong, quite good value (we paid $60 US per night). Negatives: heat in room didn%26#39;t work and we only had light pj%26#39;s so we were very cold when the temp dipped down to 15 degrees (Celcius) at night. Rooms not well soundproofed so depends on good neighbours. Bring earplugs (everywhere you stay in Asia) because stray dogs bark constantly; we were surprised at how much they affected our sleep. The less positive aspects of our stay could happen at almost any guesthouse, so I would still strongly recommend Sala Prabang if you haven%26#39;t already booked a place to stay. The other place I had considered booking was the Lotus Villa which has received very good feedback. We walked by it and it looked lovely, similar to Sala Prabang from the exterior. Feel free to write me a message if you would like any other suggestions for your trip. Our vacation was greatly improved thanks to recommendations from people on TripAdvisor, so I would be happy to help out the same way.

Good luck Stewie,

Kirsten