Things to do in Huay Xai

Ban Nam Keung Kao

This quiet and traditional village is a 30 minute speedboat trip north of Huay Xai and is rarely visited by foreigners. No English is spoken here so be sure to have your phrasebook with you. There is little to differentiate this village from any other in Laos, except for a couple of outlying sights, hotsprings and Nam Yong waterfall. Both of these are an hours hike from the village, so the best thing to do is wander around the village till you find a farmer with a tractor and nothing better to do than take you to the sights. For about 5,000kip you should be able to arrange transport and a guide to show you the springs and the waterfall. For those who have seen hotsprings before, these ones are pretty dull, in fact when there has been rain, the river beside them submerges them. Nam Yong waterfall on the other hand is quite impressive, falling for about 20 feet and is very powerful. When we visited a gang of locals were floating large logs down the falls.

To reach either of these sights, you will require someone from the village to guide you – most are willing and those with transport are the best. Enroute you’ll pass through a rice filled valley which is very scenic -- watch out for snakes though -- our guide caught a large one and was far happier than us.

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How to get there: A speedboat from Huay Xai takes about 30 minutes including 3 hours waiting time and return trip should go for between 300 and 500B per person. The road between Huay Xai and the village is not worth considering.

Wat Chome Khaou Manirat

This wat sits at the top of a small hill in the centre of Huay Xai. It's quite a climb up the naga-flanked stairs. The view is fair but the Mekong River is obscured by trees. The wat itself is quite attractive. The monks are young and quite cheeky. Chanting begins at 6.00pm.

Massage and sauna at the Lao Red Cross

The Lao Red Cross offers sauna and massage as part of its fundraising activities. The massage is the oil rubdown type for which you strip down to just your underpants and a towel. The herbal sauna is renowned for its healing properties and comes after your massage. The sauna can fit several people, but there are only four places for massages, separated into two rooms. Open 5.00-8.00pm only 40,000 kip for an hour's massage 20,000 kip to use the sauna

Local day trip

Phu Doi Travel offers a day trip visiting ethnic minority villages including Hmong, Khamu, Lantan and Tai Lue. See how they live, learn about their culture and how they produce paper, whiskey and noodles. Price varies according to the number of people but ranges from 195 baht each for a group of eight to B1,240 for a solo traveller.

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Pho Doi Travel, Underneath Chanthorn Guesthouse