Frogs, bungalows, spiders: Visit in the jungle of Laos
Laos is famous for its wilderness and I wanted to have a feel of it. So I visited a jungle hotel near Vientiane. I was rewarded with a peaceful atmosphere and quietness. Also I have to admit, that for the real dense wild jungle Central Laos is probably the wrong place, because of the already too high population density. So for the very adventurous I recommend North Laos for that purpose.
The jungle here was an area on two sides of a river surrounded by small villages and plantations. I was told that in earlier times tigers were still coming to the river but that now a plantation are in their way. So the stay in a yet bigger part of the jungle about 20 kilometres away.
Besides the huts there is a communal area with a restaurant and a small book exchange. Further away you can enjoy a Lao herbal sauna in the middle of the jungle (preparation on order). Then they offer a jungle tour, which I made and you can see the outcome in the pics below. They also offer a good massage.
State of the huts: I was lucky to get the accommodation for about 20 US dollars. The huts are basic with own bathroom with cold water. They have to move and rebuild the huts and the restaurant as it is to close to the edge of the river now due to a recent landslide. So once that process is finished the prices will probably be higher, but I still highly recommend it!
It’s the perfect place for jungle fans, a couple getaway or if you just need a quiet break for meditation or to get away from the buzz. Just a remark: It’s the quietness of nature, so no car and motorbike noise but the jungle nature can be noisy too as you will come to realise.
And there is no internet there, which I actually enjoyed. But they have plans to change that.
How to get there: Call the resort one or two days ago and then meet them at the Scandinavian bakery next to the Nam Phou Fountain.
The Ban Lao Pako Eco Lodge on Wikipedia
Pictures of the resort:
Inside the bungalow …
… you will never be alone. 🙂
The restaurant
The jungle tour:
First you have to cross the river to enter the bigger part of the jungle on the other side.
Visit of a village nearby
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Looks absolutely fascinating. I will be travelling on my own and am pondering whether to join a 3 day trek through the jungles and hills that I have seen promoted. Offers hiking and staying with host families in rural villages?
Hello Christina,
you should try this. I’ve done it twice, once in Vietnam, once in Indonesia, and it was always a good experience
Hello David,
You are absolutely right with your comment! And it is wrong, not to visit Laos! So much beauty and less tourists to share it with. 🙂
In Laos I experienced both its nature and adventure. Participating in rafting and rock-climbing were the highlight of my visit. In my opinion Laos tends to be overlooked in favour of its better known neighbours.