Eco Adventure Laos — Local services in Luang Namtha

The most authentic experience you can get for trekking around Luang Namtha! There are more companies that offer a similar route for tracking, but this agency is very special, because it is not a Profit-Drive company but works as a community project. All proceeds go to the locals, for example funding a school in the village you can visit. They try to involve as many different locals as possible during your tour so that multiple families can benefit. And the guides are just awesome. Kong spoke perfect English and told us so much great background stories. Nam, our jungle expert, managed to show us tons of secrets we would never have seen like eatable leaves, roots and insects, frogs, crabs and healing plants. The hike as such was very versatile, from a lot of evergreen lush forest to crossing a river, walking along rice fields and visiting the village. The bamboo hut we camped at was very comfortable and the guides cooked amazing meals in the jungle over the fire, even for me as a vegetarian. Seriously the best Lao food I have had during my three week visit. They are also great craftsman, so we got bamboo walking sticks, which helped a lot for downhill walking, homemade bamboo cups for morning coffee and they even made a flute out of bamboo for us. It was just an amazing experience to get to know the real Laos. The hike as such was challenging but very well manageable. Our guide took good care of everyone being able to follow and chose the route depending on our level of experience. So I would say there is a route for every level available. And I truly recommend the three day hike, because sleeping in the bamboo hut by the river and swimming in the river is an equally great experience to sleeping in the guesthouse in the village. In the village it was also very clear that our guides were liked and respected by everyone. We saw some other foreigners who looked a bit lost because their guides had just dropped them in their guest houses and left. Not our Kong. He introduced us to the locals and gave us a great tour. Other even ended up joining us :) So if you consider booking a tour in Liang namtha, please do it here and support the...

I went on a 4-day trip with Eco Adventure Laos, a little break from cycling. Starting early at 8:30 AM. Pai, our friendly guide with excellent English, introduced himself. It surprised me how well he spoke after I’d gone a long time without speaking English. Our small group of four headed to the morning market to gather food for the mountains. Pai explained that there were essentials we needed for our time in the jungle.

After a drive to the starting point, we began hiking with Thong, a local guide who knew the area inside out. He led us to a high point with stunning jungle views. That evening, we used banana leaves and bamboo sticks to make tents, embracing nature to its fullest.

Thong showed us how to start a fire, even with wet wood. He used bamboo as a firestarter, which worked well after some effort. We cooked over the fire with local vegetables. Being part of a vegetarian group made the experience even more bonding.

On the second day, we woke up early for a 14 km hike through the jungle. One of the biggest challenges was reaching water sources. The mountain peaks were interconnected and would have been impossible to navigate without Thong. We kept a steady pace, moving from point A to B. Along the way, we saw many butterflies, a pig-tailed monkey, and squirrels. After the long hike, we enjoyed the sunset at one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen. That night, we slept in bamboo huts and ate food we’d foraged from the jungle—mushrooms, banana flowers, and edible plant leaves.

The third day involved another big hike, about 12 km, through the jungle. We ended up at a peaceful riverside homestay, completely remote and surrounded by nature. The locals were incredibly friendly and deeply connected to their environment. They made us feel at home and served us a traditional dish called “Olam,” a kind of hot pot with 15 different vegetables, all cooked in bamboo.

On the final day, we had a simple breakfast of coffee and scrambled eggs before saying goodbye to this tranquil place. After a 10 km hike back to the main road, a pickup collected us and brought us back to our...

From the planning to the trek itself, to the aftercare, everything was excellent with this tour agency. I did a 3d2n trek in the Nam Ha NPA with them. Our guide, Si, was fun and speaks really good English. The scenery was beautiful, the food throughout the trek was great, and it wasn’t a problem that I’m a vegetarian. The accommodation for the first night of the trek was a bamboo lodge in the rainforest next to a river, so you can take a dip after hiking for several hours. On the second night you stay in a homestay in a village of the Khmu tribe, which is really interesting and a very pretty village. Unfortunately I had to finish the trek early as I sprained my ankle on the second day, but the guide was so helpful and caring. He cut off part of his knee support to make a support for my ankle, arranged a motorbike to take me to the village and a car to take me back to Luang Namtha the next day, so I could still enjoy the evening in the village. Back in town Pheng (who works for the agency) took me to the medical clinic, translated for me, arranged crutches for me from a local market and brought them to me, and then checked up on me every day until my ankle was healed enough for me to leave town. Such incredible and kind service. FYI this agency pays it’s guides (English speaking and local), drivers and the villagers with the homestays better than all the other companies in town, which is why their prices are a bit more than the cheapest in town (but still around the same price as some other agencies - we paid 90€ for a 3 day trek). So I highly recommend using...