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Luang Prabang Sabaidee Fest Promotes Sustainable Tourism
The seven-day Sabaidee Luang Prabang Fest opened on 6 October, to promote sustainable tourism and Lao tradition and culture, while stimulating post-Covid tourism to the UNESCO World Heritage City, supporting local MSMEs, and raising awareness in sustainable supply chains with a focus on “Made in Laos” products. The “No Plastic” event, as part of the Lao Thiao Lao domestic tourism campaign, features daily activities and competitions alongside ongoing festivities, with PPP support from local and national businesses, government ministries and departments, chambers of commerce, and donor agencies. “Sabaidee Luang Prabang Festival is organized to encourage and support the MSMEs in Laos to become more sustainable and raise awareness about the importance of being responsible travelers,” Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) Chanthachone Vongsay told the Laotian Times. A traditional lantern competition kicks off the week-long Sabaidee Luang Prabang Fest on the opening evening, followed by an early Friday morning cycling procession for Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year 2022, in which riders must wear traditional costumes. A similar walk about town is also slated. Saturday the 8th sees the launch of the three-day International Coffee Day – Taste of Laos workshops, competitions, and tastings. A panel discussion on sustainable tourism in Laos is also scheduled for that evening. Sunday ushers in several events including a Fun Run for Children, Traditional Dessert Contest, and Traditional Clothing Contest. An early morning Alms Giving Ceremony opens Monday’s activities, while Tuesday’s Light Boat Festival closes out Day 6. Throughout the festival, which falls during the week celebrating the end of Buddhist Lent, visitors can participate in the Light Candles Festival at 12 Temples and shop at the Luang Prabang Products Fair. “Promoting ‘Made in Laos’ and sustainable tourism-related products showcases Laos’ natural biodiversity and reinforces the need for environmental care and protection,” said Xaysomphet Norlasing, Director General of the Department of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Commerce. “This event is the perfect opportunity for domestic and international tourists to experience the very best in quality Lao products.” Sabaidee Luang Prabang Fest also falls under the umbrella of the newly rekindled Lao Thiao Lao Campaign, with support from the European Union, Plan International Laos, LNCCI, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Vincent Vire, Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union in Laos, noted that the EU is proud to support Lao Thiao Lao and the Sabaidee Luang Prabang Festival to revive tourism, promote and preserve the culture and heritage of the country, and foster sustainable consumption and production practices in the tourism industry, the Laotian Times reported. Veomanee Douangdala, Vice President of Luang Prabang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, added, “We expect the unique and iconic tradition and culture, tourism sights, and environmentally-friendly products will draw many domestic and international tourists to Luang Prabang and support local businesses.” Sabaidee Luang Prabang Fest runs from 6-12 October 2022. For more information, visit Lao Thiao Lao.
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Nahm Dong: All-in-One Sustainable Park in Luang Prabang
Sustainability and ecotourism are the names of the game at Nahm Dong Park that presents 18 hectares of nature with loads of activities for all or just relaxation about 10 km from the center of Luang Prabang. Nahm Dong offers an activity menu for all ages and desires. For action in nature, visitors can tackle a zipline and treetop walking courses. Creative guests will find classes in making mulberry paper and Tai Leu dreamcatchers, Hmong embroidery, and traditional Lao cooking. Overnight guests can campout in tents or stay in a Lao house. The list also includes hiking and the Garden of Senses. There is something for everyone at Nahm Dong Park. Ziplines The six-station zipline course runs more than 800 meters, with platforms to enjoy forest and waterfall views. Two courses present a choice for all skill and thrill levels. Zipline tours are kid-friendly and safe for all ages, and present a great activity for individuals, groups, and families looking for fun in nature. Treetop Walk The 200-meter-long hanging treetop walk features five stations, including four walking obstacle lines and one zipline. Mulberry Paper Workshop This workshop teaches all the steps in handmaking paper from the mulberry tree, leading to a finished product to take home. The long fibers give the paper a distinctive finish with a fine edge when torn, and since it is handmade, no two pieces are the same. Bamboo Weaving Lao people, and Nahm Dong Park, still widely use bamboo basketry in everyday life. Visitors to the park can learn all about bamboo and its uses from the resident master, which leads to weaving a basket, placemat, and other items that make great souvenirs. Half-day Cooking Class Eat what you pick and cook while discovering traditional Lao cuisine in this class. Wannabe chefs visit the park’s organic vegetable and herb garden to learn about and pick some of the ingredients in the recipes provided in a booklet. Then it’s time to hit the kitchen to cook five dishes for lunch. Make a Tai Lue Dreamcatcher The Tai Lue ethnic group believes a dreamcatcher protects sleeping people from bad dreams while bringing good luck. Visitors taking this workshop will create their own Tai Lue dreamcatcher to take home as a souvenir from Nahm Dong Park. Hmong Embroidery Class The Hmong people traditionally embroider their clothing for decoration, and now use it on scarves, table cloths and pillow cases. In this class, Hmong families at the park teach participants how to do this age-old art. The Garden of Senses Enter the 1,000-sqm Garden of Senses dedicated to humans’ five senses, along with an area for traditional Lao medicinal plants. A walk through the garden presents a natural banquet of sites, smells, sounds, tastes, and feel, leaving visitors with a new experience when exploring a garden. Go for a Hike Nahm Dong offers a hike for everybody. Nature lovers of all ages can head out on a choice of routes through the park’s forests and gardens to waterfalls and viewpoints. Hikers can venture out on their own or go with a guide who can talk about what you see. Go Camping Tent camping has become the latest craze in Laos, with more and more people opting to spend the night under the stars while sitting around a campfire. Tents, sleeping bags, and mattresses are available for rent at campsites that have toilets and showers. Overnight guests can also rent a traditional Lao Loum house. Great for Groups Nahm Dong Park presents the perfect place for holding an event, whether it’s for lunch, incentive activities, meetings, staff parties, or birthdays. The park can accommodate groups of up to 150 people. Restaurant & Bar Nahm Dong’s restaurant and bar serves organic drinks and traditional Lao food with ingredients fresh from the garden. Relax over a meal or drink while enjoying the natural surroundings. Viewpoint Café Check out the Viewpoint Café and enjoy a cup of coffee in the forest while looking over the canyon and valley. Contact Nahm Dong Park Website: www.nahmdong.com Facebook: Nahm Dong Park Luangprabang Email: info@nahmdong.com Tel: +856 030 560 9821, 030 5609 822 How to Get to Nahm Dong Park Click on photo for Google Map. FITs and groups can hire a driver. Those renting a motorcycle will head south of Luang Prabang (see map). Travel Guide To find a certified LaoSafe business in Luang Prabang, click on the links below. Accommodation Food & Beverage Tour Guides Drivers How to Get to Luang Prabang *Note: Schedules are constantly changing. Please directly contact the transportation providers for the most current schedule. Flights from Vientiane Lao Airlines: Daily flights as of 1 July 2022 Lao Skyway: Four flights per week as of 1 July 2022 Direct Flights from Bangkok Lao Airlines: Three flights per week as of 1 July 2022 Train from Vientiane Lao-China Railway: Three daily departures
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Coffee Tourism Springs Back to Life in Southern Laos
Strong, full-bodied Bolaven Plateau coffee has been making its way into cappuccinos, lattes, frappes, and ice coffees around the world in recent years, and now global tourists are coming to experience the “Spring of Lao Coffee” in Champasak Province. Courtesy Southern Laos Tourism Website Travelers can sip their Morning Joe in Pakse, while watching the sunrise over the Bolaven Plateau, knowing that a 1-hour drive lands them in the thick of Lao coffee country and a choice of high-caffeine tours and cafes in and around Paksong Town. The Bolaven Plateau in the Morning Paksong is the hub of the Lao coffee industry, as well as tourism, on the Bolaven Plateau. Endless coffee plantations and processing centers begin popping up as the road from Pakse closes in on Paksong. And serving their caffeinated products are a number of cafés. Tour operators often combine coffee tours and café stops with visits to the area’s many waterfalls such as Tad Fane and Tad Yeuang. Coffee Tours Bolaven Plateau coffee tours are starting to come back online after the Covid break, with the top two already committed to welcoming guests. Smaller plantations and roasters are expected to restart their tours and homestays later this year. Touring Coffee Plantation Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Groups often choose the one-day tour offered by the Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative (CPC). The cultural experience kicks off with a visit to a coffee plantation and the chance to pick beans with one of the 1,855 small-holder farming families that comprise the CPC. Sorting Beans at the CPC Participants then take the beans to the CPC center to learn about processing and packing. Next comes lunch with a local family in a traditional house on stilts, before returning to the CPC center to see how the coffee is distributed worldwide. The tour ends with testing and a chance to purchase roasted and ground beans. CPC organizes tours every Tuesday and Thursday during coffee harvest season from November to March. Website Facebook Page Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 2227 6066 Email: cpclaos.coffeetour@gmail.com Mystic Mountain Coffee Mystic Mountain Coffee opens the door to adventure and the Bolaven Plateau’s coffee culture. Mr Khamsone invites tourists into his homestay and walks them through his plantation, teaches them the coffee production and roasting process, and drives them around on a choice of tours in Chinese Army Jeeps. Jeeping with Mystic Mountain Coffee Full-day, 2-day, and 3-day jeep excursions into the region’s untouched nature lead to treks through coffee plantations, homestays at Laven and Suay villages, riverside picnics, and hidden waterfalls with swimming holes. During the journey Mr. Khamsone will share the secrets of coffee production from field to cup, finishing with a tasting of several local varieties. Tours are offered all year round, but Mr Khamsone recommends dry season from November to June to see every stage of coffee production. Website Facebook Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 9966 1333 Email: mysticmountaincoffee@hotmail.com, skhamsone@yahoo.com Bolaven Cafés A string of cafés offering Bolaven coffee lead up to Paksong, where small coffee houses serve a choice of special brews and cold coffees. Groups and FITs always stop at one or more, and tour operators generally place café visits in their Bolaven Plateau tours. Click on the photo for Google Map CC 1971 Café Located in Paksong Town, CC 1971 Café serves coffee grown by small local farmers in the retrofitted skeleton of a bombed-out building, bringing new meaning to “atmosphere”. The façade of the café remains as it was in 1971, except mortar shells, bomb casings, and remnants of artillery and downed jets are used as decoration. CC 1971 Cafe Inside, patrons return to the 21st century with a small counter brewing hot and cold “Paksong Coffee” produced by local co-op, and also presents pastries along with a handful of tables to enjoy their choices. You can even sip coffee in what’s left of the bombed rooms. Back in the café, visitors can purchase bags of Paksong Coffee beans to take home. Open Daily 6:30 AM – 5:30 PM Facebook Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 5543 4855 Email: vilakone_81@hotmail.com Jing Jhai Coffee House Two Americans, Janelle Kaz (coffee roaster) and Tyson Adams (clean water specialist), launched Jing Jhai Coffee House in Paksong about 10 years ago. As “the world’s first philanthropic coffee roaster and café,” Jing Jhai aims to build a social coffee business on the Bolaven Plateau by investing their profits into local education and clean water projects. Jing Jhai Coffee House Jing Jhai features specialty roasts from beans sourced from local farmers at 25% above Fair Trade prices. Among the top sellers are honey-processed Arabicas. Visitors can purchase packages of their favorite roasted beans during their coffee break. Open Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Facebook Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 9994 1972 Email: adams.tyson@gmail.com Lak 40 – Coffee & Tea Lak 40 – Coffee & Tea sits off Route 16 East at Km 40 and the entrance to the CPC center, and is operated by three generations of a Bolaven coffee plantation and producing family. The rustic café rests in a garden setting, and houses a counter and shelves overloaded with specialty roasts and a hodgepodge of manual coffee makers. Lak 40 – Coffee & Tea Visitors can choose from a variety of beans for their favorite type of hot coffee or foamy latte. Lak 40 also offers a curious list of creative iced coffees and frappes, alongside its recently released cold brew. To better serve travelers wanting takeaways, Lak 40 recently opened a modern shop right on the road, where it also offers packages of specialty roasts to go. Always Open Facebook Tel/WhatsApp: +856 20 2274 8822 Email: lak40coffeeshop@gmail.com Popular Bolaven Coffee Brands Lao Mountain Coffee Sinouk Dao Le Trio Getting to Paksong from Pakse The drive from Pakse to Paksong takes less than an hour. Leave Pakse on Route 13 South to the 8 Km Bus Terminal and turnoff onto Route 16 East. Take the well-paved (partial tollway) 4-lane road past Tad Fane and Tad Yeuang (Km 40) before reaching Paksong Town. Transportation providers and travel agents in Pakse offer transportation and tours in vans and cars. Click on photo for Google Map Tourism & Hospitality Businesses in Pakse Town Accommodation Food & Beverage Travel Agents & Transportation Tourism & Hospitality Businesses on the Bolaven Plateau Accommodation Food & Beverage Southern Laos Tourism Website How to Get to Pakse *Note: Schedules and frequencies are constantly changing. Please directly contact the airlines for the most current schedule. The schedules/frequencies below are as of 1 July 2022. Flights from Vientiane Lao Airlines: One daily flight in the morning Lao Skyway: Three flights per week in the morning (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
