Nong Khiaw

Nong Khiaw (Nong Kiau or Nong Kiew) is a rustic little town on the bank of the Ou River in Laos. It is squeezed in between some of the most fantastic limestone mountains to be found north of Vang Vieng.

Many travellers pass through on the way up river to the even more isolated Muang Ngoi, but Nong Khiaw has plenty of charm, a decent range of accommodation, plus conveniences like 24-hour electricity and a connection to the road network for those interested in exploring the surrounding area.

Get in
Nong Khiaw is 3–4 hours via road from Luang Prabang. Boat travel used to be a popular and scenic way to get here, but boats no longer run after the building of dams on the river.

By bus


The bus station is on the west side of Nong Khiaw about a 15 min walk from the bridge/boat landing, or 10,000 kip by common tuk-tuk. If possible, you should always check times and prices with the bus station ticket office (8 - 11 AM) prior to travel. English is spoken. As with all travel in Laos, times are a guideline and you should allow for considerable delays.

To Luang Prabang, daily around 09:00 and 11:00. 4 hr or more, 70,000 kip

To Muang Xay, you need to go to Pak Mong (45 min) first either by bus (to Luang Prabang, 30,000 kip, 9 AM) or tuktuk (50,000 kip). The minivan departs around 9:30 and 12:30 from Pak Mong (60,000 kip), take an early tuktuk to increase the chance to get the earlier minivan, the busses do not necessarily wait on each other.

To Luang Prabang by minivan leaving at changing hours, 3.5 hr, 50,000 kip (the 11:00 minibus from Luang Prabang costs 37,000 kip only (Aug 2016). Maybe there are different prices for different times, directions and/or seasons).

To Luang Namtha, as of October 2017, there's a direct minibus at 11.00, 6 hours, 100,000 kip. In case it's not available for any reason, you have to take the bus to Muang Xay and than change the bus which gives you a quite late arrival in Luang Namtha. It cost 40,000 kip to Udomxay

To Muang Khua or Phongsali you need to go to Muang Xay (11:00) as well, change bus

To Vieng Thong and Sam Neua (near Viengxay and Vietnam border) the bus starts from Luang Prabang and you have to be on call around 12:30.

The buses seldom run on time and they often leave as soon as they are full as well. Buy your ticket in advance and leave your name! Private minivan to Luang Prabang can cost as low as 500,000 kip especially if drivers have empty returns.

Muang Ngoi
Boats that go up the river to Muang Ngoi Neua leave at 10:30 and 14:30. The trip takes a little over 1 hour and costs 25,000 kip. The first boat continues on to Muang Khua, with a transfer by minibus to bypass the dam.

If there are not enough people, around 10, you may have to pay extra to get the boat going.

Private boats run for about 300,000-400,000 kip one way, cheaper if the person driving needs to go anyway. Speedboat (30 min only) cost return 400,000 and is more dangerous, but can be quite fun.

Muang Khua
Since Covid, there is no regular boat to Muang Khua. You can charter a boat for about 2,000,000 - 2,500,000 kip in total, it takes about 6 hrs. Therefore, you need to share with other people or be rich (by November 2022). Finding other people to share the cruise can be challenging, you can try visit the boat landing and pass by a few times to check if there are enough people signed up. The boats up river will stop at Muang Ngoi. Especially the part north of Muang Ngoi is extremely picturesque and worth visiting/cruising through. You can do that also with a day cruise from Muang Ngoi in a small boat.

Remember: In Laos even the public transportation is mostly privately owned and drivers stand in a queue to grab the next job/drive. So if there is no profit, they won't go. If travelling alone you might find yourself waiting for the next boat or busload of people to turn up.

Get around
Nong Khiaw is simple in layout and small enough to walk around. It's possible to rent a bike at Riverside Bungalows and Delilah's to explore the 2 roads and surrounding area.

A large concrete road bridge connects Nong Khiaw on the west side of the river with the village of Ban Sop Houn on the east side of the river, where many of the river view bungalows are found.

See
Many tour offices and guesthouses offer a standard selection of one-, two-, and three-day treks and homestays. The most popular appears to be the 100 waterfalls jungle hike. Guesthouses advertise how many people have signed up, and tours get cheaper with more participants.



Do

 * Sleeping Woman Viewpoint. Another viewpoint on the north side of the river. About one hour to go up.
 * Walk around the village enjoying the village feel with great views over the Nam Ou River.
 * Walk or bicycle on the dirt road behind the Riverside Resort for some scenic views and nature.
 * Rated one of the best hikes in Laos is the "100 Waterfalls" trek operated by Tiger Trail and Fair trek initiative. Some of their treks go to the interactive culture lodge.
 * Go rock climbing or abseiling
 * Kayaking, cycling and trekking.
 * Rent a mountain bike and push eastwards to remote Khmu and Hmong villages. Riverside Guest House rents mountain bikes for 50,000 kip and city bikes for 10,000 kip.
 * Go for a herbal steam bath or massage at Sabai Sabai.
 * Go for a herbal steam bath or massage at Sabai Sabai.

Buy
The few small shops on the main street cater more for locals than tourists, and offer little more than basic necessities.

Mini-mart near the bridge on the west side.

Money can be changed near the boat landing - Youth travel agency or over the Bridge at Riverside Guest House. Riverside can also offer cash advances on credit cards.



Drink
Cold Beerlao is served everywhere in local restaurants. The small shops sell cheap but decent Lao Lao in unlabelled bottles.



Budget

 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.
 * December 2023 - Didn't see anything less than 150,000 for private room.

Connect
Most restaurants and guesthouses have free Wi-Fi.

Go next
North of Nong Khiaw one hour by boat is Muang Ngoy Kao or Old Muang Ngoi, a backpackers favourite, with limited road access (3 hours instead of 1 by boat) and electricity available only since 2013, and a backpacker vibe, with village treks nearby, then north by boat to Muang Khua.

Boat connection to Luang Prabang is no longer available due to the dam built on the river downstream; take a local bus, or a minibus/shared taxi (50,000 kip/person) from the bus station. Daily service to Luang Namtha via Udom Xai is also usually available, and costs (October 2017) 100,000 kip to Luang Namtha.