Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha

By bus or minivan the journey from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha is scheduled to take 7 hours.

Bus Times from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha

There is currently 1 service a day from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha

Use the Search Box below to buy your tickets from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha.

Nong Khiaw Bus Stop

Naluang services from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha commence with a pick up from any hotel in Nong Khiaw.

Luang Namtha Bus Stop

Naluang services from Nong Khiaw to Luang Namtha terminate at Luang Namtha Bus Station.

About Travel to Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha is a large town located around 230 km by road to the north west of Nong Khiaw which is located about 55 km from the border crossing to China at Boten. since the introduction of the high speed railway service from Vientiane, travellers making the journey overland to China via Boten no longer need to transit through Luang Namtha, which is on the main road route. However, the area around Luang Namtha remains popular for trekking, cycling, and canoeing.

Staying in Luang Namtha

In a country with many small towns with few amenities, Luang Namtha is large enough to be considered a small city and it’s by far the most developed place in this remote corner of northern western Laos.

Luang Namtha has a population of around 50,000, approximately 10 guesthouses and hotels, and a further 10 or so places where leisure travellers can eat and drink.

Hotels in Luang Namtha

As a whole Luang Namtha’s hotels have seen better days. Some of the hotels which were operating effectively, and were being maintained, have never really recovered from the shut-down during the pandemic. Many hotels have also suffered from the reduction in the number of people transiting through the town on their way to and from China.

The town’s largest hotel, the Dokchampa Hotel, is still open but is not currently bookable online. You can, however, book similar mid-range hotels in Luang Namtha such as the MANYTHIP Hotel and Tulip Hotel through the larger online hotel booking websites. Expect to pay the equivalent of $20 to $40 USD a night for these hotels. For cheaper accommodation visitors need to contact the hotels which aren’t bookable online, such as the Dokchampa Hotel, directly.

Restaurants in Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha has a small number of sit down restaurants. The main place people go to eat out in Luang Namtha is the town’s night market.

The most comfortable and well decorated restaurant in Luang Namtha, the Bamboo Lounge, is also the restaurant with the best range of international cuisine. For good quality local cuisine we recommend either Lai’s Place or Minority Restaurant. Hotels such as Manychan Guest House and Zuela also have notably good restaurants.

Travel to China

There are regular bus services from Luang Namtha Bus Station to the border with China at Boten. There are also some longer distance services from Luang Namtha Bus Station to Mengla in China, which is a city about 50 km by road to the north of the border crossing at Boten. Mengla has hotels and connecting bus services to other destinations in the south of China such as Kunming.

Trekking near Luang Namtha

The most popular area near Luang Namtha for trekking and canoeing is the Nam Ha National Protected Area. The Nam Ha National Protected Area covers 2,234 square kilometres, including three major rivers, large areas of dense jungle, and remote villages inhabited by minority groups such as the Akha and Tai Dam.

A guide is mandatory for visitors to the Nam Ha National Protected Area, as is a permit. Most visitors to this conservation area book a tour with a trekking company. The best known trekking company operating trips to the Nam Ha National Protected Area is Green Discovery Laos, which runs several programmes lasting from 1 to 3 days and costing from $74 USD to $177 USD per person inclusive of transport, permits, and food.

How useful was this page?