Vang Vieng is a very popular stopover for visitors travelling overland from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.
Q: We’re planning a holiday in Laos, stopping off will at Vang Vieng on the way to Luang Prabang. I have heard tubing in Vang Vieng is very popular. Is it safe enough for my 11-year-old son to enjoy?
A: Vang Vieng is a very popular stopover for visitors travelling overland from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. The Nam Song river runs through this small town and many people delight in floating down the Nam Song on black inner tubes to admire the wonderful scenery.
“Tubing” is particularly popular with young backpackers but I am sure it will be fun for your boy as well. What to do is rent an enormous inner tube and simply float along the river. It’s best to drive a couple of kilometres upstream before launching yourself into the water. The river generally flows at a slow but steady pace in the dry season, and the idea is to relax and absorb the scenery as you float back to Vang Vieng.
Tubing is the great way to appreciate the spectacular karst mountains lining the route. Caves are well sign-posted and it’s easy to take a break from tubing and go exploring. The main attraction is Tham Chang, a large and well-lit cave near the Vang Vieng Resort, to the south of town. Although not the most spectacular, it has a lookout point with a great view back over Vang Vieng, the river and mountains. However, you need to carry some money in your drypack to pay the entrance fee of 9,000 kip per person.
There are several bars along the river but they have been taken over by heavy drinkers and are not ideal for families with kids.
The best time to go tubing is in the morning from 9am, and when the sun goes behind the mountain after 3pm.
Tubes have to be back by 6pm. Rental price is 55,000 kip plus 60,000 kip deposit, which includes a one way trip to the starting point for a minimum of four people. Dry bag can also be rented at 20,000 kip.
However, the river is very low this summer and the water level is only deep enough to swim and float the tube to town.
Q: Rather than take a day trip from Koh Samui to Ang Thong Marine Park, is it possible to spend a few nights there? Thank you, Ronan
A: Although staying overnight on Mu Koh Ang Thong is not as popular as a day-trip, it is possible. Just 20 kilometres or two hours by boat from Koh Samui, the park covers 250 kilometres, but only one fifth is land and that’s made up of 42 small, jungle-shrouded islands to the northwest of Samui. Many of them have spectacular rock formations, secret caves and hidden lagoons.
Koh Mae even has a saltwater lake hidden inside a hill. To reach this inner lake, or Talay Nai, you have to climb up the hill and squeeze through an opening where small steps have been carved. It’s not an easy climb but the magnificent scenery makes it worth the effort
The most attractive islands are Koh Wua Ta Lap, Koh Mae Ko, Koh Prayat, Koh Sam Sao, Koh Nai Put and Koh Wua Te. Koh Wao and Hin Yippon in the north of the park are excellent for diving and snorkelling. Most islands have limestone cliffs up to 400 metres high and are fringed by beaches and rain forest. The best way to explore the rest of the park is by sea kayak. Blue Stars and Sea Canoe, local Samui tour operators, both run day and overnight trips.
To stay there, you have to go to the National Park office on Koh Wua Ta Lap, where bungalow-style accommodation is available. If you wish to stay overnight, you must book in advance through the Ang Thong Marine National Park office at (077) 422 262-3, (077) 286 025 or (077) 420 225.
There are only five fan bungalows there, ranging from a huge three-bedroom place at Bt1,000 a night to a small one for two people at Bt400 a night. A tent an also be pitched for Bt300 a night.
Boats leave Samui’s Na Thon Pier and Bo Phut at 8am and arrive at the national park around 10.30am. The fare is Bt550. Foreigners are required to pay an admission fee of Bt200 for adult and Bt100 for a child. The park is closed in November during the monsoon season.