Luangnamtha is a northern province bordering on China and Myanmar and its selection is based upon a series of environment, social, cultural, historical and development factors which make the site an excellent location to evaluate the potential for sustainable cultural and ecotourism in an around a protected area. With a population of about 115,000, Luang Namtha is a home to at least forty different ethnic minority groups, including Hmong, Akha, Mien, Shan and Yunnanese. The forests are dense, and cover near 99% of the protected area. Wild cattle (gauar and banteng), Asian wild dogs, tigers, clouded leopard, bears and gibbons also having in the forests and there is still a large bird population. The province also consists of the lowland Lao, Tai Lue, Thai Neua and Thai Dam who live in village just outside the protected area and the historic town of Muang Sing.



Muang Sing originally formed part of group of principalities loosely linked under the leadership of political entity called the Sipsongpanna whose political seat centered in southern Yunnan province, China. Now, it’s become a most interested destination of tourists from around the world. Its full of guesthouses, resorts, restaurants served a standard service in low prices. Take pick up from Luang Nam Tha at 6:00 am to Meuang Sing at 8.30 am.


Photo: New stupa in Luang Namtha

This province has a picturesque beauty with mountains, and many old temples. Although they have been destroyed during the war, there still remains one major attraction and old temple noticeably different from other classical temples. Usually tour itinerary includes an outing to Boten, the Lao-Chinese border checkpoint. South West of Luang Namtha, the still pristine forests of Nam Ha protected area with varieties of wildlife and vegetation can be found.


Photo: Casino in Boten, Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha is also a gateway to neighboring China, and the city of Boten is now a legal border crossing for international tourists. Located near the Nam Tha River, the provincial capital city of Luang Namtha is a commercial center for trade between China, Thailand. Buy a locally produced textile or basket. Visit the town’s historical museum. Get up before sunrise to experience Muang Sing’s bustling morning market, where you will meet all sorts of people, including Thai Dam, Thai Neua, Hmong, Akha, and Yunnanese, buying and selling their produces.


Photo: Tribal museum in Luang namtha

One of the best times to visit Muang Sing is in late October or mid-November, when the local people celebrate the festival of That Muang Sing, a grand stupa located just south of the city. Devoted worshippers pay their respects to the stupa with magical offerings of candles, flowers and incense. However, I want to suggest you that during this month you must take jacket with you all the time.


Photo: Tree house and gibbon experience

Getting there and Away
By air
Lao Aviation provides regular service between Vientiane and city of Luangnamtha, a trip of about one hour and ten minutes.

By road
There is regular bus service between the city of Luang Nam Tha and the transportation hub of Oudomxay, a trip of about five hours. But there is not direct bus from Vientiane to Luang Namtha.

By river
There is regular boat service on the Mekong River between Xieng Kok in Luang Nam Tha province and Xuay Xai in Bokeo Province.

Source: kpl

(KPL) Laos and UNESCO survey team has continued their efforts to seek new jars in Xiengkhouang province, because of they believed that some of jars are buried under earth.

According to a news source from local authority of Xiengkhouang province disclosed that officials concerned were ready to discover in five districts, at the moment there is only one district (Nonghaed district) that team was exploring more jars. Due to this area was suspected that there are still many jars in Nonghaed district along common border of Laos and Vietnam.

Local authority explained that almost all districts had been already explored the jars for years it is possible that Laos and UNESCO team will re-conduct new discovery of the jars because they thought that it has not enough cleared as some of jars might be still buried deeply and scattered through out the province.


Photo: The largest jar

Now the total number of enigmatic jars has been discovered about 1,900 jars in seven villages across the province, but it was expected that there might have more than 2,000 jars.

The Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang Province, Laos, is one of the most enigmatic sights in the world that many tourists want to visit this ancient jar site; meanwhile local authority has made hopefulness how to earn money from tourism business as much as possible.

The Lao government was working to clear the UXO off the plains, to make it possible for visitors to explore and appreciate the jars without fear on landmines. This is in cooperation with UNESCO, the National Tourist Administration of Lao PDR and the Ministry of Information and Culture.

The construction project of Champasak Oriental Hotel in Phonthong district, Champasak province, kicked of in the end of 2006 and now 30% of the construction has been completed. According to the schedule, this hotel set to
be finished 75% by the end of 2007. However, the construction faced a lot of difficulties due to the place for the construction located on the rocky platueu, causing a lot of design to be changed, and added up more the cost of the construction to 12.500.000 $. The rainy season also delayed the construction of this hotel for many months.

Mr. Somsak Keosouriya, representative of Lao Jakao resor, hotel and tourism reported that the budject for the construction came from foreign investment (Thailand) and this hotel will be opened to the public by the middle of 2008.

This hotel comprises of 4 main buildings. Each building is a 3-stored building consists of 112 rooms. Each building has a conventional hall which can accommodate more than 2,000 people.

As the world gets wise to warming and brave new travelers embrace low impact lifestyles, green travel has become one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry.

Despite its rap as a collection of chic spas for wealthy, guilt-addled liberals who shell out $4,000 to commune with gorillas, green travel isn’t about giving a tour operator a month’s salary for some Disney-like attraction or consumer experience.

Traveling green is about finding and supporting destinations that have seen the light, and are already working to green-up their tourist offerings.

Seeking out green places to travel isn’t all that hard. Even New York City offers the possibility of an ecologically responsible vacation. Many travelers can get to New York by train, removing the need for a high-impact airplane ride. A tiny hotel room in SoHo uses less electricity than a deluxe suite in Aspen.

Plus, New York is a city built for walking, with solid public transport to boot. Time Out recently named New York the perfect place to “be green without doing crap.”

Here are 5 more eco-friendly destinations to put on your travel radar:



Luang Prabang, Laos

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has made it their mission to bring this Southeast Asian country (which is landlocked by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) to the forefront of tourism. It’s working - Laos was #1 on the New York Times’ list of places to go in 2008.

However, the Lao government is aiming to increase tourism sustainably so as to protect their native wildlife, lush land and clean rivers, and preserve their two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Ancient City of Luang Prabang and pre-Angkorian Vat Phou Temple Complex. Another Heritage Site-to-be is the Plain of Jars in the highlands of north-central Laos.

The Lao National Tourism Administration has a dozen award-winning eco-tourism projects currently in development, spreading country wide to encourage smaller provinces to set up sustainable tourism, help protect over-exposed areas, and begin programs such as homestays, eco-treks, and local art exhibitions.

What’s Lao for “rocking it?”

Mjølfjell, Norway

Norway is so eco-conscious it balks when a marketer calls a Prius or Tesla green.

While other European countries have aimed to cut their carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, Norway has upped the ante to 30%. Norway is also helping China come up with ways to combat climate change.

Get out of Oslo and head into the mountains and you’ll see a lot of sustainable housing, including the Mjolfjell Inn and Youth Hostel .

A destination in and of itself, the inn offers the standard outdoor fare (skiing, horseback riding, even a wildlife survival course) and also produces its own electricity.

Not bad for the world’s #5 oil exporter.

Belize City, Belize

Home to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, Belize is deeply committed to eco-tourism. Offshore, Belize boasts a number of cayes, some of which have been turned into eco-resorts, but others that remain pristine homes for birds, lizards and marine life.

Whale watching is a popular attraction here, as is mountain biking, horseback riding, and cave tubing. Go outside of the sandy city into the Mountain Pine Ridge Area and Maya Mountains, which have amazingly-preserved Mayan ruins. You’ll also find plenty of local artists and artisans to support in town.

While the Caribbean and Latin America are full of eco-tours and spas, you can also appreciate their beauty and natural preservation by traveling independently. Be sure to check out the preservations in Tobago (Trinidad’s less commercialized sister), the diverse terrain of Guadeloupe, and the stunning rainforests of Costa Rica.

Zurich, Switzerland

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

Voted the city with the highest quality of life in the world, Zurich was also recently ranked by Forbes as number 8 on their list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

The city’s public transportation works like clockwork (no pun intended) to the point where very few residents own cars. There is also a large local foods industry, including cheeses that will make your deli’s Swiss cheese taste like plastic.

The world’s first four chocolate makers were also all Swiss, so you can take comfort in knowing you’re supporting local growers with those truffles and hot chocolates.

I single out Zurich here, but the rest of Switzerland is great for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint while still traveling Europe. Not only do you get the Alps and clean living, you can explore areas heavily influenced by the Germans, French, and Italians.

Thenmala, India

Surprised?

Even though India has some of the most polluted cities in the world, there are some areas that are working to green their environment. While other regions try to slap an “eco-tourism” label on what is really just nature tourism (“Over there is a rare flower,” “Look up there at the tree,” “Check out the elephant,” and back on the bus), Thenmala is taking green travel to heart.

The local Thenmala government, tourism office, and irrigation department are teaming up with residents to to make green tourism a coordinated effort. The best part? You’ll not only get to visit the Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary (part rainforest, part deciduous forest), but the tour guides are local youths who are trained in sustainable tourism. Now that’s something to feel good about.

Of course, there’s more than just this Fab Five. In fact, you can find plenty of eco-friendly destinations (from the transportation to lodgings to the cocktail hour) on every continent.

Source: http://travelreviewonline.com/2008/01/21/5-green-travel-destinations-for-2008/

(KPL) Champassak province is accelerating the improvement of tourism sites to deal with the increments of tourists averaged by 45 per cent increase.
Last year, the trend of tourists and the tourism sites increased considerably leading to hundred thousands of tourists visited Champassak, said Mr Khamphol Nouasengsy, Head of Provincial Tourism Service, last week.

He continued that over the past one year, the tourism saw it grew rapidly, particularly Champassak province. The number of tourists visited Champassak province exceeded the plan with a total number of 165,750 tourists, of whom 45,605 foreigners.

This is due to the province is abundant with nature and the potential of natural resource, archeological and historical sites where attracted tourists currently.
Now entire the province has a total tourism sites of 206, of which 109 natural sites, 57 cultural sites and historical sites.

Over 20 tourism companies are providing the service for tourists, of which nine main companies, 11 branches and one agent.

Source: kpl

t last, after researching destinations from the popular to the relatively unknown, here are The Top Ten Travel Destinations For 2008! From Safaris to South American paragliding this list of the top ten travel destinations for 2008 is sure to have something for everyone.

10. Antigua, Guatemala

This UNESCO World Heritage Site has charming cobble stone streets, active volcanoes, and enough charm to make you contemplate ripping up your return ticket home. This former capital was the political and economical center of Guatemala for over two hundred years before being decimated in 1773 by an earthquake.

9. Beijing, China

Playing host to the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, Beijing is sure to be a hot destination this year as it shows off all it has to offer to the world. This three thousand year old capital boasts such sights as the impressive Tienanmen Square, Temple of Heaven, and the Forbidden City. In addition, the Beijing Zoo is world class complete with panda bears and Bengal tigers. If that wasn't enough, a day trip to The Great Wall is feasible as it is only a two hour car ride from downtown!

8. Northern Ireland

A perfect trip for first time travelers, Northern Ireland offers the history and beauty of the rest of Europe minus the language barrier. The Mournes Stone walls are a perfect getaway from the busy cities and make for a fantastic spot for hiking. Whether your exploring the amazing Dunlace Castle or the mysterious Beaghmore Stone Circles, save some energy for a pint at the local pub after the sun goes down!

7. Quebec City, Canada

With it's skyline dominated by the one hundred year old Chateau Frontenac, the city of Quebec is as charming as it is French. First settled by the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1553 Quebec later became a part of the French Colonial empire. Some argue that Quebec is "More French than France," and it's difficult to disagree. Whether your strolling down the narrow picturesque streets of the Quartier Petit-Champlain along the St. Lawrence River or eating crepes in a cafe on a brisk October morning it's difficult to imagine that you are somewhere other than Paris. If you're looking for a European experience without the long flight Quebec is for you.

6. Cairo, Egypt

The legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is alive today through engineering masterpieces such as the Great Pyramids as well as the fermented masterpiece we now call "beer." While in Egypt the pyramids are a "must-see," but Cairo offers much more to travelers than that. Take a morning to shop and explore the Khan El-Khalili bazaar which has changed very little in the last 700 years. If bargaining for goods isn't your cup of tea, hire a guide to and see the sights of this historic city from a boat on the Nile. Cairo is rich in religious history and offers stunning attractions to explore covering Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

5. Luang Prabang, Laos



For those looking for something exotic but not overwhelming Luang Prabang is the ticket. This UNESCO World Heritage City is situated on the Mekong River in central Laos. Whether your are enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the street markets or taking day trips to the exotic Kuang Si Falls a trip to Luang Prabang will cleanse your mind and invigorate your being. This is the perfect stop if you are going to, or coming back from a trip to Wat Phou. With Laos emerging as a popular vacation destination now is the time to go!

4. Salta, Argentina

Located in the Lerma Valley of Northern Argentina, prepared to lose yourself in a world filled with fantastic wine, Spanish colonial architecture, and unmatched charm. For thrill seekers, you can para glide from Mount Bernardo or white water raft in the cool currents of the Juamento River. For those looking to unwind, Salta has many vineyards to visit and hiking trails to enjoy. This a perfect trip for a two week getaway during winter months in the Northern Hemisphere.

3. Kotor Bay, Montenegro

Montenegro has now gained independence from Serbia and is leveraging it's natural beauty to win over tourists from every corner of the globe. With black mountains crashing into the sea this corner of the Adriatic delivers magnificent scenery uncontested anywhere else in the Balkans. If you get your fill of seeing the fjords from a birds eye view, take time to explore the city of Kotor and the picturesque deserted fishing village - turned resort - called Sveti Stephan. This relatively unknown gem will blow you away, like it did for me!

2. Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul has served as the liaison between East and West for centuries, it's time for you to connect yourself with this great city. A perfect vacation for 2008, the sights are many, the foods are amazing, and the dollar is still strong here. Lose yourself in the crowds of the Grand Bazaar or in the beauty of the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque and bring yourself back at 5 Kat.

1. Serengeti Plain, Tanzania

Trade in your Planet Earth DVD box set for the real thing because the Serengeti brings the experience of high definition animal watching to a entirely new level! Here giraffes, lions, and elephants are as common as knock off Louis Vuitton hand bags sprawled out on the sidewalks of Rome. The inner child in you has always wanted to sport a khaki safari outfit and a pair of binoculars, so let loose and make 2008 the year you made the trek to explore the world you dreamed about as a kid.

Hopefully this list has inspired you to get out and explore new places and experience different culture. Like any top ten list there are always worthy places left off. In 2008 seek out new thrills and let the natural and man made beauty of this world make a profound and lasting impact on you. I encourage you to post your opinions and begin lobbying for you favorite locations in 2009!

Cheers!