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Hello

I am starting to plan my trip to Laos and will just do the north (will have 3 weeks) based in LP.

Wondering if anyone has done any Greentrail tours. I have been looking at a few, the “the secrets of the north” looks interesting. Keen on hearing any feedback or suggestion for other guided tours or even companies that people have used. I would like to include the Nong Khiaw /Muang Ngoi area in my trip or further.

Thanks.

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Hi there, are you sure you need a guided tour? It is all doable by yourself, and you will meet lots of fellow travellers to share the experiences.

I would recommend you combine boat and road travel, and the boat ride from Nong Khiaow back to Luang Prabang or vice versa is really lovely.

In Luang nam tha you will be able to join trekking visits to hilltribes, you don%26#39;t have to hav an overall plan for the lot, just break it down into individual legs and arrange your own travel between places; it%26#39;s the best way to have fund make friends!

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Tiger Trails had excellent %26amp; friendly guides.

Hello hejda thanks sounds like you enjoyed Laos.

Yes I have read that the boat ride Nong Khiaw is lovely. Will definitely do.

Still time for me to decide how best suit me.

Hello Trav0042 I looked at tiger trails web. Wow they have a lot of different tours So many to choose. Lots of good ideas.

Did you do any with them? Which one/s ?

Thanks

We took the 1/2 day elephant excursion. It was great. They also have an overnight elephant excursion which I heard good things about.

As far as any with rafting/kayaking, there are not a lot of rapids in the area, so expect a quiet ride.

Hi Alicie

We did the 2 day 1 night Elephant Mahout Program with Tiger Trails in March this year. Fantastic experience. We were also very fortunate with only one other guest so got to get up close and personal with the elephants! The highlight without a doubt was the early morning bathing of the elephants. We opted to canoe back to Luang Prabang on the second day. Great way to take in the river, although it was quite shallow in parts due to it being the dry season.

Thanks trav0042 and mudgeeJo

MudgeeJo yes canoe back to LP sounds great. Tiger trails elephant camp is one thing I would like to do.

Seems like I only get a 15-day visa. So far, I am thinking 2-3 days tiger camp and 5-6 day Nong Khiaw /Muang Ngoi region. The rest in LP (may have time on visa for a day at Vang Vieng. and Vientiane then fly out from here) I not like to be too rushed, hopefully this plan is a slow pace.

What other things did you do or see in Laos? Sorry just enjoy reading how and what others have done.

Hi Alicie

In relation to your Visa. We applied through the Laos embassy in Canberra before we left and obtained a 30 day Visa. If you let me know your email I can email you the application form. I think from memory it was AUD$45.00 plus the cost of registered post both ways.

We started our trip in Luang Prabang after flying in from Chiang Mai. Spent 5 nights here, then headed south to Vang Vieng for 2 nights (mini bus), then to Vientiane (mini bus) for 2 nights. We then flew south to Pakse, headed out to the Bolaveau Plateau, hired a tuk tuk for the afternoon (US$20), visited a tea and coffee plantation, two waterfalls, Tad Fane and Tad Nguing.

From Pakse we caught a long boat to Champasek and hired a motorbike and went to Wat Phu. The next day we caught a songathew to Nagaseng and then long tail boat to Don Khon in the 4000 islands on the Mekong where we spent 4 nights just chilling out. From here we went back to Pakse before heading to Thailand (Ubon Ratachani) by public bus.

Another good site for information is travelfish.org. They have loads of guest houses and info that you can download which is more up to date than any guide book. This site only deals with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and also gives suggested itineraries.

Hope this helps.

Jo

Thank you Jo, for taking the time to respond.

If you look at top of this site ( in green heading) on the right, “my tripadvisor” , you should see an envelope ( my message to you). Pleased to know that I am not limited to only 15 days.

Yes I have been reading the travelfish site.

Anyway Jo “you have mail”

Alicie

You can get a 30-day Lao visa at the airport upon arrival. Have a couple of passport photographs ready and at least $45. I paid $40 I believe(American) in 2006 but it was $35 in 2005. Go figure.

Hi MudgeeJo, did you book the Mahout tour before you arrived at Luang Prabang?

Is it necessary to book?

I and my son plan to do the tour in early June, and we have just a few days in Luang Prabang.

Thanks for your info,

Susanne