This small town in northern Laos seems to go somewhat unnoticed on the routes of most travelers but in reality it is the perfect place to spend a few days of rest in a rural and almost wild environment.
Nong Khiaw is located in a spectacular enclave, in a bend of the Nam Ou River and practically surrounded by karst mountains, so most of the activities, which to be honest are not too many, focus on its surroundings and in almost all of them the protagonist is the landscape.
The good news for those who arrive tired from trekking in the Luang Nam Tha area is that in Nong Khiaw it is not obligatory to do anything, you can just go to rest and the river bank is the best place.
Although, as you’ve seen, it’s easier than you might think to keep busy in Nong Khiaw, many travelers choose this village as a resting place, a stopover on the way to wherever the next destination may be.
It’s easy to relax and let the hours pass by while reading in a hammock by the river, where the accommodations with the most beautiful views are located. And although there is more tourism than you might imagine before arriving, the place still retains its appeal.
A stroll through the less touristy part of the town gives you an idea of what life is like in a town where there are barely ten modest, dusty shops and a pier that almost goes unnoticed.
Nong Khiaw, in northern Laos, has a tropical monsoon climate characterized by warm temperatures throughout the year and a marked differentiation between the dry season and the rainy season. It could be said that it has three main seasons (dry and hot, dry and cool and the rainy season). We detail the climate by season:
Dry season:
Rainy season:
Most EU countries together with united Kingdom, United States and Australia won’t need to process a visa in advance. Laos offers a visa on arrival, you will only need a valid passport, a few other requirements and the money ($35). We tell you everything in Visa for Laos, how to get it quickly. (coming soon)
It’s essential to travel to Laos with comprehensive insurance. We were among the first to offer the popular 5% IATI discount, and you can now get it with Heymondo Travel Insurance as well. You can find more information about both companies through the links provided above, or you can access the discount directly using the buttons below (in both cases, you’ll see the reduced final price on their website):
While many hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants in Laos offer free Wi-Fi, some travelers prefer or need a constant connection. We’ve included details on obtaining a eSIM Laos card with unlimited data.
Luang Prabang has an international airport which you can reach from several neighbouring countries such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap, or from Vientiane. We usually use Skyscanner to find cheap flights to Luang Prabang, so it’s worth checking it out to see if you get lucky.
Many people come to Nong Kiaw from Luang Prabang:
Although, as you’ve seen, keeping busy in Nong Khiaw is easier than it seems, many travellers choose this village as a resting place, a stopover on the way to wherever the next destination may be.
It’s easy to relax and let the hours pass by while reading in a hammock by the river, where the accommodations with the most beautiful views are located.
And even though there is more tourism than one imagines before arriving, the place retains its appeal.
A stroll through the less touristy part of the town gives you an idea of what life is like in a town where there are barely ten modest, dusty shops and a pier that almost goes unnoticed.
When a town is better known for the area it is located in than for what it is actually like, it is normal that the most popular activities involve going out to explore the surroundings.
Points of interest include waterfalls, viewpoints an hour away such as Phadeng Peak, or one- or multi-day treks that can be booked at agencies on the main street of the tourist area.
A couple of kilometres from Nong Khiaw are the Pha Tok caves, a huge cave several metres above the ground, which is accessed by stairs built into the side of the mountain.
In times of war it served as a refuge for villagers and soldiers and given the size of the cave it is easy to imagine.
An hour’s drive north along the Nam Ou River is the town of Muang Ngoi, another place where you can enjoy a landscape very similar to Nong Khiaw but even smaller.
As there is no road to access it, the only way to get there today is by boat, or rather by boat, a beautiful way to discover the landscapes and life around the river in the same style as the journey along the Mekong from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang.
We were put off by the idea of taking the motorbike because it was a rented one and we didn’t want to leave it for a whole day in Nong Khiaw, but the truth is that making the trip to Muang Ngoi was something that particularly caught our attention, even if it was a bit more of the same.
You can take a look at the recommendations we detail below:
We were put off by the idea of taking the motorbike because it was a rented one and we didn’t want to leave it for a whole day in Nong Khiaw, but the truth is that making the trip to Muang Ngoi was something that particularly caught our attention, even if it was a bit more of the same.
On both sides of the river there are simple restaurants with local and western food but in the tourist area you will find more variety. There are a couple of Indian restaurants that offer good food but be patient as they take their time…
Click on the image and it will take you to a new Google Maps window with all the points of interest to travel around Nong Khiaw.
