The Konglor-Natan Ecotourism Association (AEKN) has added a slate of activities and services at the famed Konglor Cave area with the aim of attracting tour operators and boosting arrivals and revenue for the locals, who manage the site.
The AEKN is luring tour operators and travel agents with a range of services and price plans to assist them in organizing tour programs in the Konglor-Natan area.
“We will help agents and operators in organizing tours and stays among our community, and provide benefits of preferential pricing,” said AEKN President Saly Thongsavanh.
He said the addition of new activities to the traditional cave-tunnel boat ride offers visitors the opportunity to discover more of the Konglor and Natan Valleys.
“Visitors can now rent mountain bikes at Konglor and Natan piers for two hours to two days,” Mr Thongsavanh said.” The Natan and Konglor valleys are very flat and easy to ride on a bike. More demanding itineraries are also available.”
The AEKN has also identified hiking trails through rice fields and into the forest that cover a range of levels from easy to more strenuous.
Handicraft markets are positioned at both piers and managed by the villages’ women, who also offer craft workshops.
Accommodation choices include nice guesthouses and homestays, which the AEKN can organize.
Tétraktys, a French NGO specializing in local development is supporting the AEKN’s efforts, and is currently implementing an ecotourism and environmental preservation project in the Konglor-Natan area.
“We support the local communities in Konglor and Natan to help them have a better sustainable and autonomous management of the tourism site and surrounding areas,” said Flore Hutchings, Tétraktys Project Coordinator in Laos.
“(Tourism is) completely managed by the communities, and these activities allow the villagers to benefit directly from the ecotourism benefits and to live better on their territory,” she added.
The Konglor-Natan Cave area achieved the Asean Community Based Tourism Standard in 2017.
For more information, visit the Konglor-Natan Cave website.
Tour operators and travel agents can contact Mr Thongsavanh at salycave@yahoo.com.
View the AEKN’s latest press releases.
