One of the many temples in Luang Prabang
After exploring the Sultanate of Oman on four wheels, the idea of discovering another country by the same way quickly arose and the destination was picked fast, too: Laos!
We decided to do the tour with a guide, which later on showed as a good move as it really enriched our Lao experience.
Mostly due to Phay, the man who gave us an insight into the north-eastern region of his country, was as witted as sympathic. He let us dive into the Lao language and was giving answers to our multiple questions!
We booked a 4 full day tour at offroadlaosadventures.com starting in Luang Prabang and then leading into the north.
This bamboo bridge only exists during the dry season, during the rainy season it gets deconstructed and rebuild afterwards.
The wild and beautiful jungle scenes were stunning!
At the end of our first day on tour we were awarded by a great sunset
The sunset seen from the bridge in Nong Kiaw over Nam Ou river. Here we stayed at the guest house at Joy’s restaurant, which offers rooms with a balcony with hammocks and a great view over the river!
At this part of thr track the vegetation was quite dense and natural. Often we also drove through cultivated land with banana, tobacco, rice and natural rubber tree plantations.
This scene is quite typical for the region, one mountain is crouched to the other.
We really enjoyed that view on that tree reaching its blossoms over all other trees.
Sometimes when a forestal area is getting cultivated the old and large trees get spared.
Strong roots
Mountain village
That was our drive: a nice Ford Ranger!
These traditional Lao houses get disappear more and more, as people prefer concrete houses. These houses are build only with wooden bolts and wedges. The stilts are put on stones to protect them from termites.
The dog kept guard over the fishing kids.
The water buffalos not really could decide which lane to use…
Water buffalos at their favorite place – a cool muddy pool.
Water buffalo scratching his neck, he did not let himself being distracted during this task.
The morning hours with the fog clinging to the hills are magical.
Rice paddies
The large trees always offered a great sight.
If you can stand the heat you will find a lot of unclimbed walls in Laos!
The Mekong river seen from a jungle track
The mighty Mekong river
A lizard – anyone knows the exact species?
The 1000 Buddha cave is quite a touristic spot, but it’s definitely a must see and the banana boat ride over the Mekong is fun!
Pak Ou Caves along the Mekong river
The Mekong river seen from the boat station of the 1000 Buddha cave
In Laos there are no more free elephants, which is a sad thing for the Kingdom of a Million Elephants. This elephant was held in a camp for tourists. I cannot say I felt good visiting these animals as I did not know the circumstances of the treatment of these lovely creatures. There are facilities, that keep them in an as proper as possible manner, if interested please email me.
A Mahout bathes an elephant in the Mekong river.
The pools of the limestone terraces at the Kuang Si waterfalls offer great opportunity for a refreshing bath.
Unfortunately the Kuang Si waterfalls were the last stop on our trip. We ended our journey through Laos with a tasty hot pot meal in a restaurant at the Khan river.