The Green Season in Laos offers many enticing benefits for visitors looking to explore this vast and vibrant country. We present our top 10 reasons for coming to Laos during the wet season — which we prefer to call the Green Season.
ELEPHANTS IN LAOS For centuries Laos was famed as the kingdom of a million elephants. Now there are fewer than 900 living in the country. While it is unknown whether a million elephants once roamed freely in Laos, elephants are a practical part of everyday Lao heritage, culture, agriculture and livelihood. Elephant are highly respected
This past weekend I took a silk dyeing class at Ock Pop Tok’s Living Crafts Centre. The day was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the skies were the brightest blue. As I walked into their cafe to wait until the class began, I was handed a complementary fruit tea. I was told that it was some snake
Ock Pop Tok’s Silk Road Cafe is a tranquil place to come for either a brunch or lunch and gaze out at the slow and mighty Mekong. It is also a place where you can find traditional Lao food infused with Western favorites that will surely excite anyone’s taste buds. As we quickly grabbed a
Continue Reading “East meets West for lunch at Ock Pop Tok!”
It was extremely hot and sunny during my first two weeks here in Luang Prabang, a rarity during the ‘rainy season’. For my first weekend, I decided to cool off from the mid-day sun and experience some cultural diversity by visiting the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre. While some may think that the TAEC is
Last Thursday and Friday, Tiger Trail had a two-day tour guide training session at a local college in Luang Prabang. This was one of the few times of the year that all of our guides are together in one room! This training workshop was lead by both Peter Richards and Markus Neuer. Peter was an inspirational speaker and
Continue Reading “Tiger Trail Gears Up for the high season!”
Random things that are awesome about living in Luang Prabang, Laos I’ll be moving out of Laos in a week or two (or three…) and I have grown to love this country more than I ever imagined. It surprised me how quickly Luang Prabang has come to feel like home. Here are some of
Luang Prabang Eateries Aim for “The Mark” by Lanith Luang Prabang Training Center Luang Prabang News: 16 July 2014 LUANG PRABANG – The Luang Prabang Safe and Green Tourism Scheme will launch “The Mark” – a clean and safe dining initiative – at a ceremony being held at the Luang Prabang View Hotel
Continue Reading “LANITH – Eateries get certified in Luang Prabang”
Experience the Lao New Year -the Pi Mai Lao in Luang Prabang – Lao water festival I spent my first week in Luang Prabang soaking wet from head to toe for the better part of every day. I have been blasted with water guns, had buckets of ice water poured down my back, had multi-colored
Continue Reading “Lao New Year – Pi Mai Lao in Luang Prabang”
Lao Society Lifestyle Magazine Fashion & Planes in Laos Do you ever have the dream that you are flying; your stomach, heart, and mind intertwined in an aerial tango? Do you ever dream of Laos; the karst jagged limestone peaks giving way to the undulating terrain that caresses the Mekong River? Now
Continue Reading “Fly in Style, Lao sport planes meets Lao Silk”
Julia M Brennan: Talk in Luang Prabang Highlights 25yrs of Textile Conservation The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC) in Luang Prabang recently hosted a talk by renowned textile conservator Julia M. Brennan, founder and owner of Caring for Textiles, based in Washington, DC. Ms. Brennan specializes in an exhaustive range of textile treatments,
Continue Reading “TAEC Hosts Talk by International Textile Conservator”
An Intern’s Unforeseen Adventure in Laos…. It all started off as a typical day here in Laos, Luang Prabang…. A colleague, and me (a Tiger Trail intern) drove to Nongkhuay to deliver some clay bricks for our ECO Bungalow being built there. After picking up the bricks, we drove about 40 minutes away from Luang
The Living Land Farm a community Business in Luang Prabang An interview with the project and business founder, Mr. Mark Schnebli The Living Land Farm was created some 7 years ago by combining the rice fields of 9 farmers into a community project. Some of the owners were elderly and found it difficult to
Continue Reading “Living Land Farm Luang Prabang – Information”
Bamboo Playground for Ban Noonsavath Primary School! A community project in Luang Prabang with Tiger Trail / Fair Trek / Reach Out Volunteers Some of the fondest memories I have of elementary school were not inside the classroom, but outside, on the playground! I loved jumping on the swing and kicking my legs to get
Community Based Tourism in ASEAN Countries As part of their commitment to social responsibility, Tiger Trail sent me as a Fair Trek representative (as well as a representative from Laos) to join a two day conference in Bangkok organized by the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute. The conference included researchers, community representatives, government,
Workshops at TAEC, Traditional Arts Ethnology Center, Luang Prabang. Have you ever wanted to learn how to embroider like a Hmong woman, or try your hand at Khmu bamboo weaving? TAEC is now offering half-day workshops for you! These fun activities are taught by Hmong and Kmhmu artisans, and include a tour of the
Continue Reading “Workshops at TAEC, Traditional Arts Ethnology Center”
The Living Land Farm Experience in Luang Prabang What do you know about rice? What do you know about selecting the seed, the preparation of the fields, the planting or even just harvesting and treating this precious plant…?? We have visited the Living Land Farm in Luang Prabang and have learned all about it!
Volunteering and teaching in Laos & Luang Prabang There are a number of organisations bringing English to the residents and novices of Luang Prabang. Ranging from highly organised ‘voluntourism’ with all the bells and whistles, through to more low-key set ups, and a drop-in center for students, local Lao wishing to learn English have
Living with Elephants in Laos, an Elephant Sanctuary visit at Elephant Conservation Center in Sayabouri. No doubt, this can be a highlight of your Laos Tour, the visit at the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayabouri, in the western corner of Laos, just a few hours drive from Luang Prabang. We have visited the center
Continue Reading “Elephant Conservation Center – A Lao travel highlight with Elephants”
The Luang Prabang Eco Bungalow project is a milestone in community development through tourism. The partners involved in this Luang Prabang based project have created a great example for new forms of home stay / community stay business and income generation in local Lao communities. The project coordinators from Fair Trek, Tiger Trail
Continue Reading “Eco Bungalow Clay Adobe Project – Video Release”