Rockin’ Rosie Tour Stuck in Laos

  By Bernie Rosenbloom I sat sweating near Vientiane’s Hospital 103, waiting for the bus downtown, while watching traffic. Then, this vehicle appeared like no other. It looked like a hybrid between a military machine and camper, with a sticker on the side. “Rockin’ Rosie on Tour”. It got held up in a brief traffic … Read more

Get Listed for FREE on WeAreLao.com

  WeAreLao.com is offering FREE listings on the site’s search engines to help tourism & hospitality businesses and promote Laos during the Covid era. “Find a Tour”, “Sleep & Eat”, and “Made in Laos”  listings directly link We Are Lao visitors to YOUR website or Facebook page. These three popular listing pages rank in the … Read more

Brit n’ Boer Tips & Pics: Phongsaly Town

  By Brit n’ Boer Phongsaly is a beautiful mountainous area known for its agriculture and ethnic diversity. It is the northern-most province of Laos, sandwiched between China to north and west and Vietnam to the east. There is a large Chinese influence in Phongsaly, and this can be seen very clearly in the old … Read more

Oudomxay Launches e-Busses

  Oudomxay kicked off an electric bus service on 14 May to offer visitors an environmentally friendly way to get around. The provincial capital has been rising in popularity over the past few years, with attractions like Chom Ong Cave and Nam Kat Yorla Pa pulling in tourists. Now they can move around on the … Read more

Thai Smile Puts Lao Flights on Hold

  Thai Smile had recently announced it would reignite flights to Laos in July, but is now hitting the pause button until October. According to Airlineroute, the THAI subsidiary has pushed back the launch date to 24 October, when it will commence daily Bangkok – Vientiane service and four weekly flights to Luang Prabang. Source: … Read more

Survey Results: How Are Hotels Responding to Covid-19?

  By Bernie Rosenbloom  From 13-25 April, Sheri Kimes surveyed 893 hotels from 94 countries to uncover how they responded to Covid-19. The professor at the Cornell University School of Hospitality Management published the findings on 29 April in a simple slideshow-like report, with easy-to-read graphs and bullet points. (Download below) The survey’s questions logically … Read more

A Jumbo Cause: Helping Lao Elephants beyond Covid-19

  The Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in Laos is currently seeking contributions to help keep both their conservation and educational work alive during the challenging pandemic. The goal is to raise $85,000 (about 80,000 €) to support part of the ECC’s operating costs during the next eight months with a fundraiser: “A Small Contribution to … Read more

ORLA Tours Heads Back to the Office in Laos

  Laos locked down in late March, but this did not slow down ORLA Tours. They remained busy, with the team working from home. “Working from home, scattered throughout the country, our ORLA Tours team kept in touch daily over Skype. Updating our website, writing new articles on our travel blog (to be published soon!) … Read more

The Legendary Ban Nalan Trek

  Early in the millennium, a UNESCO team guided a handful of trekkers along a trail in Luang Namtha to a remote Khmu village. Feedback from this pioneering group of tourists would help design the country’s first Community-Based Tourism (CBT) activity, the Ban Nalan Trek. What they didn’t know was the trail they were blazing … Read more