Nong Khiaw: Peaky Climbers

A four hour minibus ride away from Luang Prabang is the straight-out-of-Jurassic-park little village of Nong Khiaw. It sits on the bank of the Nam Ou River, surrounded by jungle-covered limestone cliffs. We set up camp here for a couple of nights to explore Jungle Book style, and we didn’t regret it.

Pha Daeng Peak viewpoint

We’d heard that sunset from Pha Daeng Peak was a sight to behold, so on our first evening we begun the trek at 4pm, and what a trek it was. At the entry point sat a mum with her two little boys next to a bomb shell warning us to stay on the path because of the risk of unexploded bombs in the area. One of the little boys took our 20,000 kip per person entry fee, and the mission began. The 1.5 hr trek takes you along mud tracks, through jungle, over twisted vines and fallen trunks, and scrambling up rocks. The sweat was real. If I had any liquid in my body by the time I reached the top I’d be surprised. The mosquitos were also real. Every time we stood even remotely still they descended to snack upon any bit of flesh showing, rewarding me with 75 mosquito bites like a Pha Daeng badge of honour that I didn’t want or need.

By the time we reached the top we were a small mess, but good grief it was worth it. We were met with 360* views over the peaks and down the valleys, we could see the whole of tiny Nong Khiaw and the Nam Ou River winding through the valleys down below. Golden hour had set in and the whole place was bathed in the most beautiful light. The sky was so pretty, it almost looked fake, like someone had painted it. Nature is the best. We plonked ourselves down on a rock and watched the sun set over Nong Khiaw (as we also slowly froze thanks to the volume of sweat our clothes were now sporting). We were about to head back down when a local told us to stay for twilight because it’s even more beautiful, he gave us some coconut cake, water and sour berries and we settled in for another half hour. He was right, it was dreamy, as the sun bobbed behind the clouds it’s rays shone up above them. It sounds like I’m milking it, but it really was ace.

So, now the sun had set, the new mission was to head back down the peak in the pitch black. Luckily, we’d read a blog telling us to bring head torches and so, like little miners, we headed back down. Thankfully the mosquitos had gone (they were probably now in a food coma thanks to us), however they were now replaced with giant moths who took great pleasure in dive bombing our faces thanks to our handy head torches.

Long story short: we survived and ate pizza.

Seriously though, What. A. View.

100 Waterfalls

The next morning we were a shattered and slightly achey mess, so obviously the most sensible thing to do was to head off on another hike. When will we learn?

Today’s mission: to find and climb the 100 Waterfalls. A lot of blogs suggested tours but these were pretty pricey for Laos, so we binned off that idea and arranged it ourselves, getting our own private boat from the ‘pier’ (it’s a tiny platform made by tying bamboo together) and then paying a local guide to take us up the falls- it pretty much halved the price that the tours were offering. The boat ride itself, which took us to the tiny village from which we would begin the trek, was beautiful. We wound down the river between the tree-clad limestone cliffs, wind blowing our hair like a waterborne Beyoncé. The village we arrived at consisted of huts with weaved walls and tin roofs, breakfast cooking on open fires, chickens and ducks roaming around, and a handful of villagers. After meeting our local guide we set off, us in hiking boots, him in flip flops. The hiking boots turned out to be highly necessary, but he didn’t need them because he was apparently half human, half mountain goat. We walked through lush rice paddies and jungle landscapes, to get to the base of the falls. Just before beginning the ascent we stopped at a little weaved hut where a group of local men were drinking Lao Lao whisky from a plastic bottle with 4 giant bugs in it. It smelt like nail varnish remover. It was 9:30am. And now they wanted us to join in. Han and I declined their kind offer, whilst Ryan took one for the team.

Moving swiftly on, we started the climb up the waterfall, it was like something straight out of The Jungle Book. Now, I wasn’t counting, but there were a lot of waterfalls. Which equates to a lot of slippy rocks and a lot of ‘Eh? How do I get up there?’s. Yesterday’s swarms of mosquitos and moths were long gone, but today we were treated to leeches. Unsure how many we collectively picked out of our socks, but any amount of leeches is too many leeches. Again though, worth it. The views from the top were cracking. Stood in the waterfall we could see for miles, and the whole way up we’d had that soothing sound of water cascading over boulders- my fave. Thankfully the way down was not the same as the way up, otherwise I reckon we’d all have ended up with concussion at a minimum, and an hour later we were back in the village and onto the boat. Team Trek strikes again.

Nong Khiaw seems to be one of those places travellers miss because of how tiny it is and because it’s slightly out of the way. I’m so glad that we didn’t. Other-worldly beauty and stellar treks have made it another reason for loving Laos. Thanks for having us you dreamy little river side village.