Muang Ngoi - A Hidden Riverside Treasure In Northern Laos
Hidden on the banks of the Nam Ou River and bordered by towering limestone peaks, rice paddies and traditional villages, is the beautiful town of Muang Ngoi, a secluded riverside escape.
One of the hidden gems of Northern Laos, Muang Ngoi lets travellers experience the beauty and serenity of riverside life without sacrificing too many home comforts. Surrounded by stunning nature and full of things to do, Muang Ngoi is a fantastic addition to any Laos backpacking itinerary.
Many travellers will visit Muang Ngoi as part of a day trip or have a single overnight stay in this laid-back riverside town. We recommend staying longer and exploring further. There is so much to see and the serene, relaxed vibes will draw you in and make it hard to leave. We wound up staying 4 nights here, chilling on the banks of the river, exploring the local villages, hiking the viewpoints and generally just enjoying this sublime slice of traditional Laos.
Just as a side note - Muang Ngoi is also known as Muang Ngoi Neua and sometimes spelt Muang Ngoy. We will stick with Muang Ngoi in this article.
In this Muang Ngoi travel guide:
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Where is Muang Ngoi?
Muang Ngoi sits on the banks of the Nam Ou River deep in the mountains of Northern Laos. The town is tiny and resides within the Luang Prabang Province.
The nearest larger towns are Nong Khiaw in the south and Muang Khua to the north.
You can find Muang Ngoi on a map here.
How to get to Muang Ngoi?
The town of Muang Ngoi is only really accessible by catching a boat either up or downstream on the Nam Ou River. This extra effort protects the town from being overrun by visitors and helps keep its laid-back, secluded vibes.
Muang Ngoi from Luang Prabang / Nong Khiaw
Most travellers heading to Muang Ngoi will either be starting their journey in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang or the mountainous backpacker haven of Nong Khiaw.
If you are starting from Luang Prabang, your first step will be to get to Nong Khiaw. Buses depart multiple times a day and the journey will take between 2 and 3 hours between Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw. Click here to see your bus ticket options.
From Nong Khiaw you will need to take a boat upstream. There are two public boats departing from Nong Khiaw’s small pier everyday - you can find the pier here.
Boat tickets from Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoi are sold on the day of departure and cost 70,000 kip per person. The first boat to Muang Ngoi leaves at 11.30AM and the second leaves at 2:30PM.
The journey to Muang Ngoi will take around 1.5 to 2 hours. The boat will stop at a few villages along the way.
When you’re looking to leave Muang Ngoi the same boat will set off from Muang Ngoi pier at 9AM.
If you miss the public boats, you can always charter a private boat upriver. This should cost you around 500,000 to 700,000 kip.
The boats from Nong Khiaw fill up quickly so our advice is to buy your tickets as soon as the ticket counter opens around 9AM. If you’re travelling with large luggage you can store your bags at the front of the boat. You can of-course book tickets through any of the tour agencies in town but they will add their own commission to the cost.
The boat trip from Nong Khiaw up to Muang Ngoi is very picturesque!
Muang Ngoi from Muang Khua / Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam
If you’re entering Laos from the Dien Bien Phu Border Crossing in Vietnam you can transfer by bus (around 6 hours) to the northern riverside town of Muang Khua in Laos.
From Muang Khua you can take a boat all the way down to Muang Ngoi. Public boats depart Muang Khua daily around 10AM and will cost 300,000 kip. The journey from Muang Khua downstream to Muang Ngoi will take around 4 to 6 hours.
What is there to do in Muang Ngoi?
Soak up the chilled village vibes
Muang Ngoi is simply gorgeous. A small town focussed along one main high street with traditional wooden houses and shops on either side of the road. As soon as you step off the boat you can feel the pace of life slow down and relax. The town is a great place just to wander and chill. Muang Ngoi is packed full of cafes, restaurants and guesthouses and you can spend a great afternoon just sitting down and watching the world go by.
It’s hard to explain but Muang Ngoi feels real and genuine. Despite the restaurants and guesthouses it doesn’t feel like a show for tourists. Chicken and ducks roam free about the high street whilst children chase each other and play cards on the floor. There are very few cars in Muang Ngoi, the 4 wheeled transport usually takes the form of a tractor so it's a very relaxed place!
There are several craft stores and weaving huts in the village and you can always catch one of the little old ladies hard at work on one of their intricate looms out in front of the houses. Several of the villagers will offer weaving lessons or sell you traditional handicrafts.
Come nightfall the charm really ratchets up. All of the houses lining the main road bring their dining tables out, stoke their barbecues and enjoy al-fresco village dining. The main road is full of people eating, delicious charcoal smoke and children running amok under the glow of the street lights.
Muang Ngoi really is a special place.
Even in Muang Ngoi, teenagers are still the same!
Watch the sunset from the banks of the Nam Ou River
Muang Ngoi sits in the privileged position on the eastern bank of the Nam Ou River. The sun sets behind the dramatic peaks that line the opposite, western bank. This means that you get some truly spectacular sunsets!
The river and its banks are always a hub of activity with fishermen, boats, buffalo and children playing. It’s always a great view watching the river at Muang Ngoi but sunset makes it extra special.
You can watch the sun go down from many of the cafes and restaurants that line the river or for a more backpacking, budget friendly alternative you can just sit on the banks of the river and watch the fiery display.
We’d recommend grabbing a pew on the steps down to the pier or on the pier itself for a prime sunset spot.
Click to watch the sun set over the beautiful Nam Ou River!
Hiking up the viewpoints - Muang Ngoi from above
If you have read any of our Nong Khiaw guides you will know we love trekking up for a good view! Luckily Muang Ngoi has several great viewpoints to hike up to.
There are two viewpoints right outside of the town that, unfortunately, have the same name - Phanoi / Phanoy / Pha Noi, Laotian sometimes can be a bit laissez-faire with spelling. Just to add to the confusion, they are both on the same road and very near to each other. Just for one more layer of complication - there is another Pha Noi viewpoint in Nong Khiaw! The way to tell the two viewpoints in Muang Ngoi apart is: one is called “Phanoi Viewpoint” and the other is “Phanoi Viewpoint and Caves”
Before heading to Muang Ngoi we would highly recommend getting Maps.me and downloading an offline copy of the Muang Ngoi area. Google Maps is not detailed enough and didn't have half of what Maps.me showed. These viewpoints are clearly separated and marked on Maps.me but are hard to tell apart on Google.
Phanoi Viewpoint
(GPS location - 20.712325, 102.677318) We have included GPS coordinates as the Google Map location isn't particularly helpful. Again you will have an easier time if you get Maps.Me!
This viewpoint is a very short walk to the right of the northern village temple, near the Bamboo Garden Restaurant. To get to the ticket counter you will need to clamber over a small stile and walk through a rubber plantation.
Tickets for the viewpoint cost 30,000 kip per person.
Once we had bought our tickets, we headed off through the small farmstead, dodging around chickens, puppies and even a peacock! There are two routes to climb up the viewpoint:
A short sharp 500m scramble up rocks
or
A longer 700m, more gentle climb
Being at the peak of physical perfection (sorry had to stop writing as we fell over laughing), we chose the easier, longer option.
We have since heard that the 500m option is in a state of disrepair, not impassable but certainly more of a challenge. It is not recommended to attempt this for sunset as the way becomes dangerous with lower light levels.
The 700m route started off rocky and steep with tall steps winding their way up through the jungle. As we climbed through the foliage, the route got easier and less vertical. The steep rocky terrain, giving way to a smoother staircase carved into the forest floor. As we neared the top of the viewpoint there was another brief scramble and a couple of precarious wooden ladders to climb.
The whole climb only took about 20-25 minutes but the view from the top was spectacular. The river frames the town and the valley perfectly!
Tickets: 30,000 kip per person
Climbing time: 20-25 minutes up and less back down (easily doable in an hour)
Difficulty: Easy
Phanoi Viewpoint and Cave
(GPS location - 20.715217, 102.675011)
To reach the Phanoi Viewpoint and Cave take the same route as the previous viewpoint but continue on down the road. There will be a small turning to your right (at the back of the temple) - the way is clearly marked. Take this road and head down the dirt track
Tickets for the viewpoint and cave are bought from a riverside cafe selling snacks and drinks. Tickets for the viewpoint cost 30,000 kip per person.
Once we had bought our tickets we set off up the steps that wind up the limestone cliff. We found this viewpoint much easier and very quickly we reached the entrance to the cave.
The entrance to the Phanoi Cave is full of lightwells but as you go deeper, it gets a lot darker!
The cave didn’t look like much from the outside, just a small opening in the rock, however after walking for 5 minutes inside we realised the scale and length of the cavern. It just kept going deeper and deeper into the mountainside. We lit our way with phone torches which illuminated amazing rock formations as well as old fire pits and remnants from the ‘Secret War’. It was a linear path and once we had reached the cave's deepest point - marked with a small Buddhist shrine - we headed back towards the light.
The viewpoint itself is up a few sets of wooden ladders all in various states of repair and decay. It never felt unsafe but at the same time, you should definitely watch your footing!
At the top there are two platforms with incredible 360 degree views over the town, river, surrounding countryside and mountains.
The viewpoint is not as high as the other Phanoi trek but the view is still fantastic. This hike, cave and viewpoint also features on many day-trip itineraries so it can get a lot busier. If you can, aim to hike early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid sharing the mountain with too many day-trippers.
Tickets: 30,000 kip per person
Climbing time: 45 minutes to an hour including a lengthy cave visit and photos at the top
Difficulty: Easy
Pha Boom Viewpoint
Honesty time, we did not climb this viewpoint. We visited Muang Ngoi right at the end of the rainy season and the way to the viewpoint has been completely cut off by the river. Normally, you would come out the south end of town, following the signs, cross a small bridge before making your way to the ticket counter.
When we visited, the bridge was long gone and the water far too high to wade. It also looks like there has been a significant landslide on the mountain which may have affected the way up. If the viewpoint is open it is meant to be a considerably more challenging climb than the other 2 viewpoints in town. This being said, the photos from the top look amazing!
Let us know in the comments if the way reopens and you climb to the top of Pha Boom viewpoint.
You can see the landslide wasn’t exactly small!
Explore the countryside - Walk to Ban Na Village and Houay Bo
This was our favourite “activity” we did during our stay in Muang Ngoi. The countryside surrounding the riverside town is simply beautiful with rice paddy fields creating a patchwork between the towering green peaks.
From Muang Ngoi you can walk around the area, visit the local villages and generally just enjoy the beauty of rural Laos. The village of Ban Na (location) is not far away and, if you're willing to go a little further you can wander all the way to Houay Bo village (location).
Did we mention that the Laotian countryside is stunning!
The road away from Muang Ngoi mainly follows the river and there are several paths you can take. We are going to share with you the route we took from Muang Ngoi to Ban Na and then on to Houay Bo. Our route involved a little bit of getting lost and fording a couple of streams.
We started our day by picking up some grilled sticky rice pancakes in town (see the food section later for more about these tasty morsels), before heading out along a dusty rutted country road (here on a map). The road wound away from the riverside village and out into the countryside. We passed the gorgeous cave and pools at Tham Kang, avoided the man asking for money (see later) and made our way out into the Laotian countryside.
We really cannot overstate how pretty rural Laos is, especially if you are visiting at the end of the wet season. The rice was just ripening and the paddy fields were emerald green, shading to gold.
Google Maps does not do a good job of showing this route. The road on Google goes straight through the paddy field whereas the road in real life runs a little higher than the fields. Again, we very much recommend Maps.me for navigating rural Laos, Google Maps was frustrating at best and completely wrong a lot of the time.
If you are stuck with Google Maps our advice is to switch it to satellite mode. You can clearly see the correct paths on the satellite images and it helps you avoid the “roads” Google thinks are there but do not in fact, exist.
Ban Na Village
Our dirt road wound around and down towards the small village of Ban Na.
At one point in the valley approaching the village we had to take off our shoes and ford a fast flowing (but thankfully shallow) brook.
It was a scorching day so the clean cold water was a welcome respite and, socks over our shoulders, we dried nearly instantly under the Laotian sun.
Ban Na is a quiet village full of wooden buildings, sleeping puppies and wandering ducks. There are a couple of guesthouses for those looking for an even more secluded escape. A few places sell drinks, snacks and food. There are also a couple of restaurants in town.
The town is surrounded by mountains and rice paddies, it is truly idyllic. A slice of Laos that, other than a few tv aerials, scooters and mobile phones, would look the same as it did 100 years ago.
We walked up to the Thong Restaurant (location), which had incredible views out over the paddy fields. We had meant to explore the nearby Peung History Caves but a fellow traveller advised us that they had been unable to find them and they didn't think they had reopened from the wet season.
Houay Bo Village
From Ban Na village we followed signs for Konsavan Restaurant and Guest House (location) in Houay Bo village. For some reason (possibly something to do with John's amazing sense of geography), we thought that Houay Bo was closer to Muang Ngoi and would be a perfect circular route…. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. Houay Bo is a good deal further south than Ban Na.
The road to Houay Bo was, again, beautiful. We started out by having to ford another, this time much wider, stream just outside of Ban Na. After drying off on the grassy banks we wandered through narrow country paths, over small hills and alongside farms and fields.
This far down the valley, the rice had already ripened and as we walked the narrow lanes towards Houay Bo we could see the locals harvesting, drying and threshing the golden crop. As we neared the village, our way was blocked by a small family of friendly buffalo.
We arrived at Houay Bo in time for a late lunch in the small wooden restaurant we had seen advertised. The menu was simple and all the meals were cooked over a charcoal fire behind the dining room. It was proper village cooking, simple but yummy.
You can actually stay in Houay Bo. The restaurant also has a guesthouse attached. The lovely owner came and talked with us when we were ordering. You can stay out with him and his family in the tiny village and learn about local life and crafts. He would pick you up at Muang Ngoi pier and drive you out in his tractor.
Speaking of tractors, you can actually get a lift with the lovely owner back to Muang Ngoi if you do not feel like the long wander home. You can also hire a scooter driver from Ban Na to ferry you back as well if you didn't get all the way to Houay Bo. We would definitely not recommend renting your own scooter and driving unless you are an expert at off road motorcycling. The road is only suitable for local experts and tractors.
The way back to Muang Ngoi
Not wanting to retrace the route we had already walked, we decided to take the backlanes back to Muang Ngoi. Maps.me and Google showed another easy route home that would take us up through the paddy fields and then rejoin the road near the Tham Kang Cave.
This was a lovely route, with only one more river fording (that resulted in a very soaked sock for one of us).
A cute addition to Team Jellie - meet out four pawed navigator!
Paddy fields, it turns out, are deceptively hard to navigate. We wove and wiggled through the small paddy-side paths without ever getting nearer our destination. We accidentally joined a harvest crew and wandered into another farmers lunch spot. We backtracked, got lost again and nearly just gave up. Then we finally spotted the way out. Socks squelching, we finally left the rice labyrinth. We probably made this a lot harder on ourselves, we tried to go straight back to the road when we should have stuck to the bottom of the fields and exited around here. It was a very pretty place to be lost though…
After leaving the fields behind us we found ourselves back on the “main” road to Muang Ngoi and a short walk from Tham Kang Cave.
The whole walk had taken us most of the day, including stopping to admire the scenery, our village lunch, chilling in the streams and getting lost in the paddy fields. It was a stunning walk and just what we hoped to find off the beaten path in rural Laos.
We keep saying “off the beaten path” and rural Laos but Muang Ngoi is far from being “undiscovered”. It seems to feature on quite a few tours so you will see plenty of other groups of travellers exploring the area. We like to keep it real on this blog and don’t want you thinking you’re going to be some kind of intrepid explorer hacking your way through the Laotian jungle!
That all being said, Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi and the areas of Northern Laos are much less travelled than the cultural capital of Luang Prabang or the backpacker haven of Vang Vieng.
We’d recommend packing swimwear as a dip in the Tham Kang Cave or one of the many nearby streams would make a fantastic end to a day's exploration. Speaking of which…
Tham Kang Cave
(location)
Set around 2.5km outside of Muang Ngoi, the Tham Kang Cave is an easy walk from town. We paired a visit to Tham Kang Cave with our exploration of Ban Na and Houay Bo villages (see above).
Tham Kang Cave has mixed Google reviews but this is just due to the overly enthusiastic ticket counter man who attempts to persuade gullible tourists to pay him for the privilege of just walking past the caves. If you’re just passing the caves on your way to Ban Na, don’t mind him, just agree not to take photos of the caves unless you want to pay the fee.
To explore the caves, the entrance fee is only 20,000 kip per person and is well worth this small expenditure.
The cave comes at a dip in the valley, with pure, bright blue waters flowing out from inside the mountain. The caves were used as shelter during the “Secret War” and there are signs outside showing rocks that were blown from the top of the mountain as well as what is meant to be the only surviving tree from the time.
There are two parts to the cave, one up a small set of stairs that leads into a really deep cave system that seems to completely disappear into the heart of the mountain. Watch your footing and bring a torch as it is pitch black with large drops deeper in the cave. We only had our phone torches with us which were completely useless in the deep dark of the cave so we didn’t venture too far in.
Outside above the turquoise water there is a smaller cave with a hidden swimming cove. The water is diamond clear and very inviting, so make sure you pack your swimwear as you can swim in this pool, the secret pool just inside the cave or in the river on the other side of the road!
If you’re hungry / thirsty there is a small restaurant called Sabaibeer (brilliant name) a short walk back towards town.
Swimming in the Nam Ou River
In the afternoon, when most of the boats had gone and the day-trippers had left, the pier at Muang Ngoi became the unofficial diving board for children, locals, backpackers and anyone who fancied a dip.
It’s a great place to swim, with shallow banks on either side of the pier. Just make sure you get out of the way of any boats!
It is the same pier you will get off the boat when you arrive at Muang Ngoy, you can find it here on a map.
Muang Ngoi Pier is not exactly high-tech!
Kayaking on the Nam Ou River
You can rent kayaks from near to the pier, either as part of a kayaking trip or just for a few hours of fun splashing around on the water. We wished we’d done this for a sunset view as we had a brilliant time doing just that in Nong Khiaw!
Tad Mok Waterfalls
(location)
A short boat trip downstream will bring you to the village of Sop Keng and the short trek to the incredible Tad Mok Waterfalls.
Make sure you check out our guide to these unmissable falls below:
Take a boat to the weaving village of Sop Chem
(location)
If you’re into your arts and crafts, we heard great things about the nearby weaving village of Sop Chem.
In town you can arrange a day trip there or even stay overnight in the small village. If you want to visit Sop Chem independently just head to the pier and negotiate for a ride upstream. The boats leaving for Muang Khua may well stop here if you request it.
If you can’t make it to Sop Chem there are plenty of places in Muang Ngoi to try your hand at some traditional Laotian weaving!
Head downstream to Nong Khiaw
The backpacking haven of Nong Khiaw is ringed with incredible viewpoints, historic caves and amazing activities. Most travellers would head from Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoi for a short trip but you could do this the other way round if you’re strapped for time and want to focus your stay in Muang Ngoi.
If you’re planning a trip to Nong Khiaw, check out our massive ultimate guide to the town. It’s one of our favourite places on the planet and we’ve spent nearly a month there. Read more below:
Where to eat in Muang Ngoi
The sticky rice pancake lady
(location) - approximate, she moves around!
Setting up shop on the roadside a little way up the street from the Gecko’s restaurant we encountered one of favourite breakfast stalls we’ve found on our travels so far.
The pancake lady of Muang Ngoi has a very simple setup. A little steel pan was balanced on top of hot coals, whilst next to her sat, a pile of sticky rice patties and a bowl of coconut milk. In some kind of Laotian wizardry, the discs of sticky rice were quickly dunked in the coconut milk before being fried in the oil for just a couple of minutes on each side. For just two ingredients, what the lady produced was phenomenal!
It may not look much but it was soooo tasty!
Nutty, chewy and yet crispy, these steaming pillows of rice soaked up the sweet coconut milk and became a hearty, filling, super cheap and utterly delicious portable breakfast. If you’re in Muang Ngoi, make sure you head down the highstreet to find her, trust us you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re greedy like us, we’d recommend splashing the cash and ordering 2 pancakes each which will keep you full for hours.
Each pancake cost us 10,000 kip - a complete backpacking bargain!
Barbecued meats, stuff on a stick and deep fried goodies
Up and down Muang Ngoi’s main ‘high street’, shops and stalls will sell a variety of snacks to go. In the morning the shops will deep fry various crispy treats both sweet and savoury and when the sun goes down the barbecues fire up and small stalls selling skewers of vegetables, tofu and meat spring up on the roadside.
We highly recommend buying some grilled Laotian sausages, deep fried, sweet sesame balls and maybe even some of the barbequed mushrooms. It’s super cheap with sticks coming in at around 10,000 kip each.
The sticks also make a perfect accompaniment for sunset beers on the river!
Gecko Restaurant
(location)
Gecko’s was probably our favourite place to treat ourselves during our stay in Muang Ngoi. Set in a stylish, renovated shophouse complete with a reclaimed 7-11 sign, Gecko’s serves excellent coffee, delicious homemade cookies and lots of fantastic food.
Sometimes even us long-term travellers crave a bit of home comfort and Gecko’s could happily supply. We enjoyed a delicious ham and cheese sandwich served on freshly baked, proper baguette bread and one evening we treated ourselves to a fantastic pizza. Again, the bread base nearly stole the show. We don’t know what’s in the water in Muang Ngoi, but they bake fantastic bread up there!
All the food was made with imported ingredients and you could really taste the quality. It is more expensive than eating street food or the traditional Laotian food on offer in town, but sometimes you do need to treat yourself!
Penny’s Place
(location)
Probably the most popular restaurant in town, Penny’s sits at the main crossroads between the town and pier. Penny’s is run by a lovely friendly lady (Penny we presume) and serves a full menu of backpacker favourites, Laotian classics as well as pizza and sandwiches - all baked fresh in-house!
We enjoyed a delicious “suzy”, a Muang Ngoi specialty curry made with coconut milk, root vegetables and spices. It was sweet yet savoury, creamy yet light and very moreish. If you’re in Muang Ngoi, seek out some suzy, it’s available everywhere or be like us and head to Penny’s Place for a great one.
Veranda
(location)
As budget backpackers you can’t go wrong with some fried rice and the Veranda restaurant serves up a brilliant plate! Slightly charred from the wok and stuffed full of pork, egg and green vegetables, it was exactly what we needed to fill us up after a day of hiking. We’d always recommend adding some of the chilli for extra punch, if it's not on the table just ask for it.
Veranda is located almost in the middle of the main high street and was always busy when we passed by.
Vita Restaurant
(location)
Located opposite Gecko Restaurant with seating on an open wooden veranda, Vita Restaurant serves up excellent Laotian food. We ordered a plate of chicken larb (or laab), a pumpkin curry and some sticky rice all of which were brilliant.
Unlike the larbs we’ve eaten before, the chicken larb came out piping hot and laced with fresh herbs and zingy citrusy goodness. The pumpkin curry was pure comfort in a bowl. Sweet, luxurious and delicately spiced, it was the perfect counterpoint to the fresh larb.
If you haven’t tried pumpkin curry in Laos make sure you seek it out, it’s super moreish!
Where to stay, accommodation in Muang Ngoi
Muang Ngoi has plenty of guesthouses both on the riverside and set further back in town. Most of the accommodation is geared towards 1 night visitors so if you’re staying a little longer you can usually negotiate a better price.
In the high season Muang Ngoi can get busy so you may want to book in advance. You can have a look at the online booking options here or check out our handy booking map below:
We were travelling in the quiet period at the end of the rainy season and rolled the dice at finding our accommodation when we arrived. This worked out really well for us as we got a prime air-conditioned room overlooking the river with a private balcony and en-suite for under £10 per night (275,000 kip) at the Say Lom Guesthouse. We found that there were a lot more places to stay than showed up online.
Our balcony riverside view from our room at the Say Lom Guesthouse!
If you haven’t booked accommodation there will be people from the guesthouses waiting on the pier ready to offer you a room.
As we mentioned you can also stay in Ban Na and Houay Bo villages. You can either book to stay with these as part of a tour or directly with the guesthouses themselves.
What to pack for Muang Ngoi?
Pack comfy clothes you can hike in, swimwear and lots of sunscreen and mosquito repellent!
If you have been staying in Nong Khiaw and are going to return there after your Muang Ngoi trip you can try asking your Nong Khiaw guesthouse to look after your larger luggage and pack a lighter bag for Muang Ngoi. This will make it much easier getting on and off the public boat.
Where to go after Muang Ngoi
From Muang Ngoi you realistically have 2 choices.
North to Muang Khua where you can reach the Vietnamese border or head deep into the true north of Laos.
Or you can go downstream south to Nong Khiaw which has links to Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha or, for the more adventurous, Sam Neua and Vieng Xai.
The boat ticket office in Muang Ngoi opens at 7.30 AM. Boats leave for Nong Khiaw from Muang Ngoi pier everyday at 9 AM. Tickets cost 70,000 kip per person. If you’re planning on heading north to Muang Khua, the boat departs from the pier at 1 PM and tickets cost 300,000 kip per person.
You can book onward bus tickets to Luang Prabang or Luang Namtha at the bus station in Nong Khiaw, via a travel agent in town or online via 12Go.
Is Muang Ngoi worth the trip?
Um… yes obviously! Muang Ngoi is wonderful. A laid back, tranquil, slice of rural Laos. There are no cars, no resorts (yet) and the whole town has a rustic realism to it. There are creature comforts here but for the most part it's just you, the river and the beautiful scenery.
The town has plenty to do to keep you occupied when you’re not relaxing on the riverside. As backpackers it was a fantastic destination as we could go anywhere and see everything either for free or for a super cheap price. If you have planned a trip or are enjoying Nong Khiaw it is 100% worth your time to add a stay upstream to Muang Ngoi to your itinerary. Whether you’re travelling solo, a backpacker couple looking to unwind, or you're travelling with a group of friends and want to really explore Laos, Muang Ngoi is a great addition to any Laotian backpacking itinerary.
We planned to stay just 2 nights in Muang Ngoi, but within 2 hours of arriving we doubled this and stayed for 4. It is a really special place, where you can just unwind and appreciate the beauty of Laos.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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The Tad Mok Waterfalls are a perfect day trip from Nong Khiaw or Muang Ngoy. Accessible via a short boat journey and a hike across beautiful paddy fields, the Tad Mok Waterfalls make for an adventure filled expedition! Read our guide for all the information you need for visiting these incredible falls, from how to get there, ticket prices and what to wear.