Muang Ngoi, Laos

Looking for a out-of-the-beaten-path place to visit in Laos? While Luang Prabang is an excellent laidback place to chill out, it is still the most visited place for travellers to Laos. For a less frequented destination, check out Muang Ngoi.


Muang Ngoi is a wonderful idyllic village, set on the shores of Nam Ou (one of the tributary rivers of the mighty Mekong). One of the reasons it is less visited is because, the village is only accessible by boat! From Luang Prabang, a 3-hr minivan ride will bring you to the village of Nong Khiaw, whereby you will then transfer to a passenger-cum-goods boat. After another 1-hr of boat ride, you will then reach Muang Ngoi!



However, once you get through all that effort, you will be transported back to time. Bamboo mat huts, chickens digging and clucking outside, children squealing and running around; the whole ambience and atmosphere is that of a "kampung" of days gone by. Amenities is really basic, and the room that I had consists of only a bamboo mat bed with a mosquito net and a candle! Electricity is available only from 7pm to 10pm via a generator, and even then, supply is dodgy. But for only US$1.50 a night, there's little I can complain!




There is some simple hiking that you can do around the village but other than that, it is just the place for you to get away. Of course, some of the items in the cafe menu in the village may be alittle western-influenced, but that may actually make the overall experience more palatable after all!

Laid-back Luang Prabang

Idyllic, charming, relaxed, laidback - these are some of the terms used to describe Luang Prabang. It is all that, and more; and more importantly, it had to be felt in person.


The former royal capital of Laos, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and while tourism have not reached the levels seen in Thailand or Vietnam, there is a nagging feeling that it eventually would. For now though, there is an air of resistance to ...hectic-ness if you will, and if you stay in Luang Prabang for a day or two, your pace of life would inevitably slow down to match the feel of the city.



The city-centre, esp Xiang Thong road is pretty much lined with tourist shops and facilities. However, a couple of minutes of walk away, and the atmosphere changes quickly. My favourite part of Luang Prabang would be the riverside of Nam Khan, one of the tributaries of the mighty Mekong. One can easily pass by an afternoon sitting in one of the cafes by the river, observing local life and drinking their local beer. Beer Lao, at US$1 for a 640ml bottle, has become a daily beverage for my stay in Laos!
There are a number of tourist attractions around, including the multitudes of wats in the city. Slow boats let you cruise the river, a walk up Phou Si hill lets you have a beautiful view of the city and river, and many side trips bring you to the outskirts of the city, touring caves and waterfalls. But one of the more interesting "attraction" would be watching the alms-giving procession for the monks that occur every morning before 6am. I used the word "attraction" because bus-loads of tourists actually come to witness this!



But the real attraction for me, is that a stay in Luang Prabang gives you what a real holiday entails - an idyllic, charming, relaxed and laidback time to soothe your soul.