Nong Khiaw & Maung Ngoi

After leaving Luang Namtha, I headed east to the small town of Nong Khiaw, nestled between rising rocky cliffs on the Nam Ou river. While there is not much to do in the town other than eat and hang out, there are lots of different activities to be done in the river and surrounding cliffs. These include renting a tube for $1.25 and floating down the river, kayaking, fishing, trekking and village homestays, hiking up to the viewpoint showing a stunning panorama of the surrounding area, visiting the many caves in the area, or renting a mountain bike for $5/day.

    Upon arriving at my hostel I met another guy from Japan named Tom and we agreed to hike to the viewpoint the following morning to catch the sunrise. The hike was only 2.5k but very steep and even in the “cool” morning temperatures, we were drenched by the top. The views nonetheless were definitely worth the struggle, giving some amazing views of Nong Khiaw and the meandering river which was hidden under soft white clouds yet to be burned off by the rising sun.

    Later that afternoon Tom and I took a one hour boat ride up the Nam Ou river to an even smaller town called Maung Ngoi. With the population of probably 200 people, the town consists of one main dirt road no wider than one car’s width. This does not prove a problem as there are no cars in the town, only the occasional motorbike or bicycle. The town is largely only reached by the river from Nong Khiaw, giving it the feel of a truly off the beaten path place.

    Though being a out of the way place with a small town feel, there are about three or four dozen tours there at a time, engaging in the similar activities  done in Nong Khiaw. My days were spent reading in a low lying hammock on the balcony of my $6/night bungalow, swimming and helping throw the local boys in the river, and visiting the surrounding area via mountain bike.

    After spending two and a half days in Maung Ngoi, I took the cramped boat back to Nong Khiaw, where I spent the day relaxing before making my series of long bus rides south with my eventual destination of Cambodia.