Laos - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 680

Getting There & Away
Sŏrngtăaou to Sam Neua (15,000K, 50 minutes) leave at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 2.30pm and
4pm from the market. Buses between Sam Neua and Sam Tai, Nam Soi or Thanh Hoa by-
pass Vieng Xai 1km to the north but will usually stop on request.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
NAM ET-PHOU LOUEY NATIONAL PROTECTED AREA
In the vast Nam Et-Phou Louey NPA rare civets, Asian golden cats, river otters, white-cheeked cres-
ted gibbons and the utterly unique Laotian warty newt (Paramesotriton laoensis) share 4200 sq km of
relatively pristine forests with around a dozen tigers. Approximately half is an inaccessible core zone.
The remainder includes 98 ethnic minority hamlets. Two-day wildlife-watching excursions have been
pioneered to the park's remote Nam Nern field station, a roadless former village site where a campsite
and surrounding walking trails have been professionally cleared of UXO. Highlights of the trip in-
clude a night-time boat ride 'spotlighting' for animals and day-time guided hikes learning about wild-
life tracking. Actually seeing a live tiger is unlikely but there's more hope of spotting sambar and
barking deer and for each significant sighting, nearby villages receive a small payment. This is a clev-
erly thought-out scheme that encourages the local population to work actively against poachers.
Trips are organised through the NPA office ( 064-810008; www.namet.org ; 8am-noon &
1-4.30pm Mon-Fri) in Vieng Thong but contacting them well in advance is advisable since there's a
limit of two departures per week. Tours cost (US$80/100 per person in groups of five/two people) and
include guides, cooks, food and camping equipment, with a significant proportion of the fee going into
village development funds. The price also includes the 90-minute boat ride from Ban Sonkhua, around
50km east of Vieng Thong on Rte 1. Getting to Ban Sonkhua (not included) is possible on the morn-
ing public minibus from Vieng Thong or Phonsavan but be sure to discuss travel arrangements with
the organisers.
Paul Eshoo, Lao Ecotourism Consultant
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Udomxai Province
Home to some of northern Laos' thickest forests, this rugged province is a great place to
visit Hmong and Khamu villages. Close to China's Yunnan Province, you'll find 15 ethnic
minorities in the area but the dominant group is increasingly the Yunnanese, working in
construction and plantation operations. While Udomxai town is undesirable, the surround-
ing hills are beautiful and shouldn't be overlooked if you have time to trek here.