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Luang Namtha » Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha

 00:00:00 | 4.4.2012

Luang Namtha (Louangnamtha, Luang Nam Tha) is the largest city in Luang Nam Tha Province, Northern Laos. It lies on the banks of the Nam Tha river, and the meaning of the name is "The area (luang) around the Tha river (nam Tha)".

Best known as a stopover point on the backpacker trail from China to Laos, and as an alternative to the long and cramped boat journey between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha has become increasingly popular as a starting point for hill tribe treks, especially those into the Luang NamTha NPA - National Protected Area. While short on jaw dropping sights, it's a compact and fairly pleasant little town, albeit one divided in two distinct parts: the "old" or original town near the airport (bombed out in the 1970's war), and the "new" or replacement town to the north where the trekking companies and most guesthouses can be found. The two are about 6 km apart. The "old" town sits aside Highway 3 - the modernised route from China to Thailand. The "new" town is located along highway 17A which serves to connect Muang Sing.

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Luang Namtha is the best place for visitors who like challenging with nature. There are mountains to climb and forest to explore. Trekking in Namtha Province is not only challenging experience is also a generous contribution to help communities with jobs and promote the ecotourism in this area at the time. Namha ecotourist project in co-operation with Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) have been working together to protect this area for sometimes.

Trekking
The mountainous and 'jungle' scenery in the area is a major attraction. If you are seeking to trek through this type of vegetation, make plain your preference as many treks take pax generally through the rural landscapes of farmland and rice paddy.
You can also take a tuk-tuk or bicycle and just go independently to some of the villages which are next to the roads and not in the jungle. A mountain-bike rental from a good shop will provide you with a not-to-scale map over villages and a nice waterfall. The surroundings are really pretty to cycle about in.
The quality of bicycling on the road from Luang Namtha to the Chinese border is excellent. The road is completely sealed with little or no traffic along the way. The route from Luang Namtha to Boten round trip is approximately 120 km long and passes through Laotian hill country and rice fields. The grades range from flat to moderate with one 2 km 10% grade stretch. Welcomes along the way are great.
With a motorbike, you can travel around to see the beautiful countryside and visit the villages in and around Luang Namtha (eg. closer to Muang Nalae, Vieng Phouka or Muang Sing).
Then there a number of waterfalls to be seen, closeby Namtha town is the Nam Dee waterfall and near Muang Sing is the Gneung Phou Ku Lom waterfall.

Other
There are several herbal saunas in Luang Namtha, the most popular being the one next to the Panda Restaurant, down the lane from the Lao Airlines office. It's a very simple rickety shack, but easy to spot (look for the stove) and equipped with separate male/female saunas, a changing room and lockers. The tourist price is 10,000 kip, with optional massages for 30,000. The newest massage and sauna is down the driveway of Minority Restaurant, the standard is slightly higher than some others. See Laos#Bathe for tips on herbal sauna etiquette.
Last but not least, if you liked what you saw, leave a compliment at the People's Complaint Box in front of city hall!

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