Phongsali or Muang Khua guide recommendations & costs?

Yes just before great restaurant in Town sentre also GH Yehobah or something like that there is the bus /pick up stop and a local trek company and guide in the shop there compared to ther parts of Laos where the Farang control the expensive european priced treks he's local and very knowledgable aboput local ethnic minorities ie Akha etc if you turn right ther down hill and rd bears right on left very nice GH but again,like LP I was there way back in2009

Hello,

we were in Phongsali in January 2013. We booked a 3 day/2 night trekking trip with the Tourism office going out from Boun Neua. As a couple we paid 800000 Kip/person for the trek and additional 8000 Kip for the bus to the starting point of the trek - everything else was included.
I have no contact info for a local guide in Phongsali but when we were in Phongsali there were at least 2 trekking companies in town - The Tourism Office (http://phongsaly.net/) and Amazing Lao Phongsali (http://www.explorephongsalylaos.com/).

I don't know your itinerary but if you are heading to the Northwest of Laos (around Luang Namtha) I would definitely recommend to you trekking from Muang Long (http://muanglong.weebly.com/). Our guide was great and the trekking was really brilliant - 4 day/3 night trekking trip for 1000000 Kip/person (everything included) and worth every single kip.

Cheers Martin

Lao Tourism Office in Phongsali can set things up in Phongsali. It is a gov't-sponsored service and I have found most of these offices, including in Phongsali, to be quite competent if you are a little patient and have a realistic understanding of costs.

Quality trekking is not particularly cheap. Personally, I want to minimize the number in the trekking group (2-4 is ideal, I'd say). Second, I want a quality translator guide - one who knows the village language and has knowledge about the region and the peoples. If they can facilitate good meals with good cheer with all involved that's worth some too. A good guide knows the villagers to assure all involved parties are well-treated and respected, and that a positive experience is mutual for all.

I like curious, engaging, quieter guides with lots of experience, and they tend to cost more because they are certainly worth more. The prices quoted in #2 seem reasonable. More people in a group reduces costs considerably; more people also reduces the quality of the experience considerably, too.

Also, if you skimp on a guide, you're skimping on the experience. I like

That said, I have always had the luxury of arriving at a location (e.g. Phongsali, Muang Long, Muang Khua, Attapeu, Kong Lo Caves, etc.) and having a day or two to set up a trek. I am hesitant to set up a trek, say, in LP for an experience in Luang Nam Tha - meeting the guide and being "in the scene" gives you far more assurance of the quality of the guide and experience. (I do understand that many do not have the luxury of this extra day or two.) I also prefer to pay my guide/translator directly when possible.

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice! Especially MontyMan - we have read many of your posts and we really appreciate your insights.

Since we just finished our trek up in the Phongsali region, I would like to give a quick update on the above comments:

Alas, MontyMan, it seems that the local office is now closed (or perhaps just closed for the season?). When we arrived there last week (mid-April), the business was shut, and when we returned from our trek, it still was closed.

The prices listed on the Tourism Information Center's website are out of date. According to the office staff, the prices were from 2012 and the Tourism Information Center had raised the prices around 20% to 25%. It might also be of interest to know that none of the treks organized by the Tourism Information Center originate in Phongsali. Instead, most are based out of Boun Neau (41 km to the west).

Finally, regarding the prices. Indeed, those prices listed by Marti_At are around the current going rates. However, with all do respect (especially since the rest of the post is quite helpful and knowledgable), I vehemently disagree with StillWithUs that the prices are reasonable. After three weeks of traveling around Laos and investigating trekking and prices, we are dismayed to discover that many (if not most) of the trekking companies appear to be dishonestly charging highly inflated prices for 'ecofriendly' treks.

Since the ecofriendly treks and prices deserve their own post, I would like to suggest that this subject be switched to a separate post that I will make here in the next day or two.