Hi there!
In a few days, I will be traveling from Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam) to Laos. I'm looking to do some trekking there, but I'm not sure whether to go to Udomxai or Muang Khua. Does anyone have advice on the best location to start some (preferably independent) trekking in North Laos?
Regards, Renee
go phongsali in laos reason is expats seem to run thetrekking elsewhere at expat prices, in phongsali local guide and treks Akha etc
Renee,
Not sure I would recommend solo/ independent trekking up there. A local guide can be very very useful. One helped me from stepping on a green viper (which I might have without his presence) ...
But enjoy either way.
Hi Renee,
As #1 suggest, Phongsali is a great place for hiking. Getting off the roads independently might be a bit of a problem; personally I did a three day hike along a dirt road in the province, and had a great time. Udomxai is quite big, and a fair distance from any villages or forest; it's not the best base for hiking. Muang Khua has a great location, but I'm not sure that there are many trails in the vicinity. There should be boats from Muang Khua heading north to Phongsali (the boats stop at a town about 15km away from Phongsali, from where you should find a bus heading up the hill into town). That would be a more interesting base from which to do some hiking.
Phongsali province & Muang Khua are great places for trekking, as above, but also don't write off Oudomxai province.
Muang Xai town itself is one of my least favourite in Laos ( it has become a Chinese dominated market town with little going for it) but the province is large, interesting, and little visited. There is a trekking agency opposite the market ran by trained local guides, and a huge area of land to the west and south of the town where they have their trekking routes. Lots of minority villages.
Solo trekking on-road is fine but if you want to get off-road and into villages for overnight stays you really need a guide.
I trekked in Luang Nam Tha. It wasn't completely independent as we arranged a guide through a local agency when we got there. i had a very good experience but can't compare it to any of the other places mentioned as I haven't been there.
I enjoyed my trek in Muan sing, which was a basic map from Adima GH and off I went straight into the AK45 of a guard to some poppy fields at top of mtn. He told me in English tht if I did not turn back he would have to shoot me Ha! Ha! I said "OK if you insist!" Luam Namtha and Luam Phrabang have many EXPENSIVE, expat trekking tours (this is not Thaiiland lol) but I thought Phongsali more reasoned locals doing the treks, at reasonable prices. I saw Tiger trails (Luam Phrabang) expat owner berating his $2 a day staff once, like some little Hitler which put me off him and his ilk forever.