Going Local in Nong Khiaw, Laos – A location for independent travellers

There are a lot of amazing places in the world where you can take some very cheap holidays. Of those places, South East Asia has long been THE place for budget travellers. Of those places in South East Asia, Laos stands out as one of the cheapest destinations, AND of those places in Laos, Nong Khiaw is one of the cheapest that I have come across.

I didn’t really know a lot about Nong Khiaw, all I had really seen about it was the amazing photos of a river surrounded in jungle, with huge limestone karsts surrounding it. That was enough for me to want to visit.

I left Luang Prabang in the morning in a minivan, along with a few like minded travellers. Right on Laos time, we departed around an hour after the scheduled time. Along the way we picked up and dropped off random locals and/or packages, something that I was getting quite used to in Laos.

The drive was beautiful, mostly following the Nam Ou River, driving past fields of rice and small villages. It was the wet season and evidence of landslides were common, though so far we had avoided being held up. This soon changed. We came to a section of road that had recently had a landslide fall across it. There was a gap that had been cleared in the huge pile of mud and rubble that cars could only just fit through. Though it was very boggy, slippery and the road base beneath it had collapsed on one side, our driver decided that he could get through, but that the van was too heavy. We all got out in the mud to walk to the other side while the van tried to get through. I was expecting to have to give the van a push, so getting covered in mud was inevitable. Luckily this didn’t happen and I mostly avoided the mud from my knees up.

Walking through the mud

The rest of the drive was without incident and again right on Laos time, we arrived at the bus station on the outside of town around an hour and a half later that we were supposed to. Another van then took us the 2.5km into town. Most of the people from my minivan were heading up river to Mueng Noi, so I got dropped off at the bridge that crosses the Nam Ou River. As I crossed the bridge I was instantly struck by the amazing beauty of the scenery, the photos that had drawn me here had now come to life.

As it was the rainy season, the river was very full, covering the island that I had seen in all of the pictures, however it all just added to the beauty of the scene. The brown of the flooding river contrasted against the green shades of the riverbank and surrounding mountains, which contrasted against the beautiful blue of the sky. I already loved the place.

The Nam Ou River from the bridge

Most of the bungalows and guesthouses are on the opposite side of the river to the main village, and I found a nice bungalow just next to the bridge, where I had a river view with private bathroom and hot shower for around $7 per night. Rooms and bungalows further back from the river were as low as around $4 per night. The accommodation is basic, but it has everything you need.

As a first impression, Nong Khiaw seemed like a sleepy little town, very uncrowded and somewhere that you can just relax and not do much at all. This impression didn’t change, and as I walked around I noticed that there were hardly many other tourists there, just a few like minded travellers looking for something less “touristy”.

The main village on the banks of the river

Across the bridge in the main village, I walked my way down the main street, a dirt road which has a few small shops, but mostly small houses. Kids played and rode around on their bikes, while parents went about their business preparing food and other duties. Chickens and ducks roamed around freely while dogs lazed in the shade, escaping the heat of the day. The people there all stared at me as I walked by, as if it was still a novelty to see a westerner and the more I walked on, I noticed that I was the only tourist walking down the street.

As I came to the local school, kids were all leaving for the day and they smiled and talked amoungst themselves while they watched me walk by. As I passed I said “Sabai dee” and they all giggled, some of them coming up to me to practice their english. They asked me where I was going, thinking that I was lost. I told them that I was just going for a walk, that I like to walk around the town. Their response was “you the only one walking” and they explained that they don’t usually see tourists walking through the village. I couldn’t understand why, but the truth was that I prefered it.

Wandering down the main street in Nong Khiaw

I noticed this more and more as I spent more time exploring the town and surroundings. When I wasn’t just lazing in my hammock on my balcony overlooking the river, I simply went for a walk.

One morning, I walked into the countryside surrounding the village, it was a Saturday and the kids were all out playing. Walking along I passed a bunch of people that were having a bath and washing their clothes in a stream on the side of the road, all colours of clothes were hung out on whatever they could find, kids splashed around in the water having the time of their lives, while cows watched on from the roadside.

I passed farmers out tending their rice fields and other locals out taking a stroll just like me. A simple “Sabai dee” was all that was needed to get a smile out of them.

Cows on the side of the road to the north of Nong Khiaw

My last walk came on the day of my departure from Nong Khiaw. In the morning I walked the 3kms to the bus station, with the now familiar locals watching on. Arriving at the bus station at around 8am, I took the local form of transportation, riding in the back of a songtheaw (pickup truck) all the way back to Luang Prabang. Once again, I was the only tourist. My pack went on the roof with the chickens, produce and other random items. On the way we again dropped and picked up random locals and packages, also stopping to change a tyre and wait for another landslide to be cleared away. All I could think was “this is what travel is all about”.

My “bus” at Nong Khiaw bus station

Waiting for a landslide to be cleared on the way back to Luang Prabang

THIS is exactly what independant travellers are after. Not just because the place is cheap, but because you can have a REAL travel experience. You can be with the locals and not have to deal with crowds of other tourists and travel agents. For me, Nong Khiaw was exactly what I was after.