Nong Khiaw (Nong Kiau) is a rustic little town on the bank of the Ou River in Laos. It is squeezed in between some of the most fantastic limestone mountains to be found north of Vang Vieng. Money can be changed near the boat landing - Youth travel agency or over the Bridge at Riverside Guest House. Nong Khiaw is 3-4 hours via the road or 6-7 hours by boat from Luang Prabang along the Mekong and Ou River. Boat travel is by far the most spectacular but more costly.
Local travel information Boats on the Nam Ou: To Muang Ngoi the public boats leaves around 11.00 A.M. and around 2.00 P.M. The price at the moment is 20.000 K. (might change if not enough people in the boat) Private boats run for about 300.000-400.000 Kip one way, cheaper if the person driving needs to go anyway. Speedboat (30 min. only) cost return 400.000 and is more dangerous but quite fun actually! To Luang Prabang Public boats are not so common but normally start at 11-12 A.M. The road offers a much faster way to go but less interesting. A private boat down to Luang Prabang (6-7 hours) would cost about 1 to 1.3 Million Kip. It’s recommended to get a small group together and share the cost as the trip is worth it. You can leave your name at the boat station! If it runs like a public boat you are supposed to pay around 150.000 Kip per person (4 times the price of a public Minivan) In high season there are normally enough people to go. Speedboat to LPB costs 1 Million Kip and takes 2.5 hrs. (up to 6 persons)
Further on the Nam Ou to Muang Khua
The boats leave around 11.00 AM if there are enough people to fill it. A charter cost about 1.1 Million Kip. and takes about 6 hours. Visit the boat landing and pass by a few times to check if there are some/enough people signed up. Speedboats to Muang Khua costs 1 Million Kip and takes only 2.5 hours. Especially the part north of Muang Ngoi is extremely picturesque and worth visiting/cruising through. You can do that also with a day cruise from Muang Ngoi in a small boat.
Remember: In Laos even the public transportation is mostly privately owned and drivers stand in a queue to grab the next job/drive. So if there is no profit, they won’t go!! Means it’s not really a public but shared transportation system.
Buses from Nong Khiaw: The buses run hardly ever on time. Buy your ticket in advance and leave your name!
To Luang Prabang and Udomxay run daily at around 9 & 11. A.M. price 40.000 K. 4 hrs.+ - To Luang Prabang by Minivan leaving at changing hours and costs 50.000 K. p.p. To Luang Namtha you have to take the bus to Udomxay and than change the bus which gives you a quite late arrival in Luang Namtha. It cost 40.000 K. to Udomxay To Muang Khua or Phongsali you need to go to Udomxay (11. A.M.) as well, change bus To Vieng Thong and Sam Nua (near Viengxay and Vietnam border) the bus starts originally from Luang Prabang and you have to be on call around 12.30 +!
Private minivan to Luang Prabang can cost as low as 500.000 K. especially if drivers have empty returns (no stops unless you want it!)
Get around For sure you can walk every distance in and around Nong Khiaw. Or you rent a bike at the Riverside Bungalows to explore the 2 roads.
What to see and do
Since Tiger Trail has opened their tour office in Nong Khiaw there is suddenly something more to see. They will bring you out for various trips, hikes, river tours, bamboo raft workshop, village stay. A Must see is the newly discovered 100 waterfalls jungle hike which made it already into a TV-Show. It was discovered in 2008! Daily tours seem to run with min. 2 persons. It gets more affordable with 3-5 people joining. Ask for friendly Mr. Hom who is running the office. Some of the tours seem to be visible online.
Walk around the village enjoying the village feel with great views over the Nam Ou river. Walk the dirt road behind the Riverside resort for some scenic views and nature. Go rock climbing or abseiling with Nong Kiau Climbing from Green Discovery's office. Kayaking, cycling and trekking also possible. Visit the Phatoke Cave where the communist guerrillas were hiding during the Indochinese war (a good 30min walk east on the highway). Rent a mountain bike and push eastwards to remote Khmu and Hmong villages. Riverside Guest House rents mountain bikes for 50'000 and City bikes for 10'000. Meet people at the Cinema to enjoy a huge selection of movies in your private cosy rooms with Dolby surround. Good for evening activities and drinks | 
