The Nam Tha River is the traditional water borne artery of North-West Laos. Heading south from Luang Namtha, the river cuts through sections of the Nam Ha National protected Area, revealing some beautiful stands of old growth forest.

This trip takes you from Luang Namtha to the border town of Laos with Thailand, Houay Xai. You're staying in villages along the way where you get a unique insight into Lao peoples' traditional lives.

Itinerary:
Day 1: Luang Namtha - Ban Nam Tod - Ban Hot Yawng
The trip starts in Luang Namtha on the banks of the Nam Tha river, where our guides give you first kayaking instructions and familiarize you with the equipment. On the way you visit the Lanten village of Ban Nam Tod. The Nam Tha accelerates at "Tiger Leaping Rapid". After a day on the river and in the forest, the night is spent in the Khmu village of Ban Hot Yawng.

Approximately: 5 hours kayaking

Day 2: Ban Hot Yawng - Ban Hat Nalaeng - Ban Khon Kham
The second day starts off with a Khmu style breakfast mainly consisting of what is in season at the time of the year. The day is spent kayaking through mountainous scenery along the range that forms the eastern boundary of the Nam Ha NPA. The village of Ban Hat Nalaeng is reached by late afternoon. From here, we continue with a traditional wooden motorboat to the village of Ban Khon Kham where we will be guests in the house of our boatman.

Approximately: 4 hours kayaking / 4 hours motorboat

Day 3: Ban Khon Kham - Houay Xai.
The day on the river up to the Mekong continues in a long-tail boat. The transition from hill rice to wet rice cultivation indicates the arrival in the lowlands, the cultural area of the "Lao Loum".

At the confluence of the Nam Tha and the Mekong, the journey continues north to the border town of Houay Xai where the trip ends. Overnight at Houay Xai is on your own account.

Approximately: 9 hours long-tail boat

Note: Nam Tha is best for rafting from July to November, for kayaking all year round

1 day tours cannot be booked in advance by Email. Please visit our respective branch office directly.

Information       Price per person   1 person 602 US$ 2 persons 322 US$ 3 persons 245 US$ 4 persons 226 US$ 5 persons 210 US$ 6 persons 192 US$ 7 persons 178 US$ 8 persons 161 US$ Private surcharge per group 201 US$ * Maximum of 8 per tour | Booking »

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Where does your money go?
From 8 people on 3 days Nam Tha Explorer Trip in 2008
Actual distribution may differ slightly from trip to trip due to exchange rates, changing costs and specific conditions of a particular tour

	: Green Discovery, overhead, equipment costs, marketing, product development, profit 27%
	: Villager 12%
	: Guides, drivers, restaurant 42%
	: Nam Ha NPA 0%
	: Community-based Tourism Development Fund 6%
	: Taxes 13%

Green Discovery recognizes that the welfare of our business depends on the welfare of the people, communities and environment around us. It is for that reason that we take extra effort to ensure that benefits from our trips are distributed broadly. Each trip is a bit different but all trips benefit the local economy and contribute to protecting the environment. The guides, drivers, the food and most of the villagers benefit from your presence. Most notably you’ll see that every village we visit not only receives some of the money that you paid for the tour, they also are active business partners in the tour. We also pay $2 per day per person to the National Protected Area and set aside 10% of the above expenses for training of guides, villagers and development of more community-based tourism programs.

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