Tour guide for Laos?
 

Hope someone can just give me some advice. In March I am travelling with my family to Northern Thailand (doing a homestay) and then on to Luang Prabang where we have booked the Sayo Guesthouse (5 nights) and then the Lao Spirit Resort (3 nights). I am not sure whether we should be looking to book a guide while we are in Luang Prabang rather than just be on our own. Although we are quite happy doing things on our own we don't want to miss anything by not having a guide. Our two daughters are aged 11 and 8. I know there are many wonderful Wats to wander around and also the caves at Pak Ou. Does anyone have any 'must do' recommendations, or any other suggestions as to how our time should be spent? Thanks.

I really can't see any reason to have a guide in Luang Prabang. It's a small, very manageable town. Much of what you will want to do there is wander the town and soak up the atmosphere.

You will likely want to visit the Pak Ou caves. You can hire a boatman to take you there (recommended) or you can go with a group. There are couple of waterfalls outside of town that are frequent destinations for visitors to LP, but you'll only need a driver to get there, not a guide. You can easily hire someone to drive you on the spot in LP.

I did have a wonderful guide for two of the 6 days I spent in Luang Prabang. I believe it enhanced my experience there to be able to spend so much time with a local person, not to mention the actual guiding. Ta was recommended to me by another poster here and I would give him my highest recommendation. One of the days was spent within the city at the various wats and a trip up the River to the Pak Ou caves and a couple of small villages. The other was a trip to the waterfalls (with his wife and child) and an intensive walk through the morning food market with lots of tastings and more city touring.

Here is Ta's contact information:


[email protected]

Thank you Kathie and ekscrunchy - that's really helpful. Although I am sure there are lots of good places to eat, is there anywhere in particular we should look out for/search out. Thanks.

Yes! My best meal in Luang Prabang was at Tamarind, in the center of town but not on the main street. This place is run by a Lao/Australian couple and their interest in local food shows in the dishes they offer. They offer their regular menu only in the daytime, but you can arrange a Laotian special meal in the evenings with a minimum of two people. On Friday nights they offer a communal Lao feast which got raves from a few people that I met.

The food here was far superior to what I tried at 3 Nagas and other places..

..forgot to mention: Open from 11am to 6pm, they also offer cooking classes.

Thanks ekscrunchy - we will definitely search it out. How did you get to Luang Prabang? We were thinking of getting the bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai and then flying but have also been reading posts about going down the Mekong and staying at the Luangsay Lodge in Pakbeng. My only reservations are doing it with an 11 and 8 year old. It is, however, very tempting. I am so excited about going to Laos - somewhere I've wanted to go for a long time.

... and thanks for the tip about the cooking classes - something I would love to do it time permits.

I flew from Bangkok, but the river trip sounds really good...I hope to return someday and I would do it. But cannot comment about taking the children..

The Tamarind is great. Only open for lunch. The five dipping sauces are great with sticky rice.

Hi loveasia - just another vote for Ta as a guide in Luang Prabang - we had a great time with him - here's a link to our blog with several restaurant recos too

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/2...ang/index.html

We loved Luang Prabang!

Thanks again for your helpful comments.

Gpanda - I'm glad to hear about the sticky rice, became addicted to sticky rice and mango in Bangkok. Look forward to lots of it in Laos.

Elizabeth - thanks for link - looks like you had a fabulous trip. Thanks also for the food recommendations.

Will look into the boat and see if it works out. There seems to be a one day boat (not the fast speedboat) which would be preferable but not sure which days it goes. Ekscrunchy if we end up using boat will let you know how it goes.

Less than 5 weeks now!!!!

Don't worry. In LP, you'll get all the sticky rice you could ever want. Make sure you try the Luang Prabang salad at various spots. the greens are delicious and the light dresssings are a treat. The food in LP is wonderful.

Just returned from a 18 day trip throgh Laos and Thailand...spent 5 days in Luang Prabang to include a trek into the mountain country done through White-Elephant tours...while not something for your 8 and 11 year old it would be certainly something for others to consider. We splurged one night and ate at L'Elephant...marvoulous meal..also Tum Tum Restaurant and LeCalao where we stayed. We took cooking classes from the Tum Tum restaurant which we arranged through Linda via the internet and were very pleased with the class. We did the trip up the river from Luang Prabang which took two full days...I wouldn't miss it. The town of Pakbang is not much of anything and the generator for all the electricity in the town is turned off at 10pm and comes on again at 5am...Staying out at the lodge might be the best thing for all of you. We used our Lonely Planet Guide Book and saw about as much as anyone could want to see...don't miss the early morning processon of monks being offered rice etc. (usually about 6:30) You can find any number of boats offering trips down/up the river to include a visit to the caves. We particularly enjoyed eating at the little restaurants along the river. The night market is alot of fun and great for buying small items to take home...be sure to bargan! Have a good trip and by the way you might want to consider a 2-3 hour elephant trek while in Chiang Rai...lots of fun and very interesting as we stopped at several Hill Tribe villages along the way. Bob Y.

Thanks BYoung4u2 for all your comments and advice. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. What was the weather like while you were there? - we have just been told by a friend who sometimes works in Laos that he has heard it is a lot colder than normal for the time of year.

to ekskritchy, etc
after reading your raves about Ta the guide for LP I have written him & he will be free for 3 days! I wanted to ask you FIRST what is his daily rate or how did that work?? I know dollars are widely used, how about credit cards? I am going in May..also returning to nam & thailand..
thanxamill,
nancy

sorry, it is ekskrunchy!! great word! anyway, excited about another foodie city!! I look forward to your reply!

Nancy: Ta quoted his price in US dollars. I paid him $75 per day which included fees for the boat trip to Pak Ou, entrance to the waterfalls, car and driver for around town and the trip to the falls, etc. That is no doubt a fortune for Luang Prabang (I can hear the groans from other posters now!!) but I felt it was worth it. It was MUCH less (maybe half the price) than my hotel charged for equivalent tours. If you use him for three days there might be room for negotiation.

You can use credit cards at many of the tourist restaurants but you would need cash (dollars or kip) for the markets and for local eating places. And you can often negotiate a discount if you pay in cash at upscale shops.

I used dollars for tuk tuk rides and for tips, although you could also use local currency.

My Visa card did not work in the ATM in LP (there is a sign saying NO VISA in front of the ATM) but there is an office at the ATM location that gives Visa cash advances; I had enough dollars that I did not need to bother with this.

In short, you can get by with kip or with dollars, but do not depend on the credit cards for more than hotels and restaurants popular with tourists.

hey ekscrunchy! wow you are efficient & prompt! I like that! good info on the cc front. I will bring my MC as well... just in case. the hotels I am booking thru asiarooms.com & trailfinders is my local travel agent here in london. I think his price sounds high! but he will enhance my visit & I rarely use guides so it will be a treat! thanxamill,
rose

hello loveasia,
tell me what was the Lao Spirit Resort like??
& is it right in town? let me know when you have a minute!
thanxamill, nancy