River Cruise on Mekong River

If you are bored by doing nothing, Nakhon Phanom evening cruise or sunset dinner cruise is the best activity for the evening. It is one of the best Nakhon Phanom attractions and gives a wonderful opportunity to catch the South Asian sunset overlooking the Mekong. It generally rains in the afternoon and the sky colours in the evening are one of the most gorgeous that I have seen so far!

Grab a snack and beer and watch the sun go down, the water splash on your face and people going about their business in Laos! Yup, time to tick off ‘Being in 2 places at once’ from your bucket-list as it is the border town between Thailand and Laos and super pretty.

Cafes in Nakhon Phanom | Food in Nakhon Phanom

The town has a lot of influence from Vietnam because a lot of people migrated here during the Vietnam war after crossing Laos. And that is the reason you will find Vietnam coffee here. Some desserts won’t hurt either! Cute European style cafes are lined up along the main road overlooking the Mekong river.

While exploring Nakhon Phanom on foot and checking out the riverfront during the humidity I couldn’t help but check out a cute little cafe on the crossroads. I had a quick visit to the Cafe Le Landmark. This cafe serves decent coffee, tea various types of smoothies as well as some European desserts such as pastries and croissants.

Street Photography – One of the best things to do in Nakhon Phanom

The riverfront comes alive in the evening as the entire town comes down, to have a good time, catch up with friends, walk or snack. You will not get tired of photographing street art, installations, boats on the river, sunsets, cute children playing on the riverfront and the Multiheaded Naga (Paya Sri Satta Nakara) which is the landmark of Nakhon Phanom.

This street market starts operation between 4 pm to 9:30 pm and there are ample things to photograph and do here. Streetside thrift stores, souvenirs and, of course, lots of food. All the town’s historic buildings are also situated on this street which gives it a nice atmosphere too.

Nakhon Phanom Night Market

Some retail therapy and local gastronomic indulgence is always good for relaxation, right? I found the Nakhon Phanom night market to be cheaper than Bangkok (for clothes) with almost similar varieties if not more. Do indulge in some local lip-smacking starters, mains and desserts. Nakhon Phanom night market timings are 5pm – 9pm on Fueang Nakhon Road, and this was one of my favourite things to do in Nakhon Phanom!

Surprisingly this small town night market is Huge and you can shop for anything and everything under the roof in this market.

Getting a Massage in Nakhon Phanom

Massage parlours in Thailand are famous for Thai spa. In Nakhon Phanom, you can detoxify yourself with a local massage. Forget about expensive lotions and designer scrubs. Let the local community ladies rejuvenate you with freshly ground coffee and turmeric, with a pinch of salt. Don’t worry it does not have an odour and the scrub is amazing and not to forget organic and sustainable! Way to go, you ladies.

Ride a Skylab!

Tuk-tuk is locally called a skylab! The name is derived from its structure which when seen from a distance and going at higher speed looks like a tuk-tuk is flying – hence it is called a skylab. Take a ride around the town by riding one of these vehicles. Do not forget to hold on to the railings for your own safety!

How to reach Nakhon Phanom from Bangkok?

Flight: It is well connected with Bangkok and there are 4 flights every day with a run time of 1 hour and 20 minutes

Bus or Car: There are 2 buses that run daily from Bangkok Bus Terminal to Nakhon Phanom with a run time of 11hours and 30 minutes

Train: There is no direct train but if you choose this option then you have to board at Hua Lamphong to Udon Thani which takes about 9 hours and then a bus to Nakhon Phanom which takes 4 hours.

Nakhon Phanom Weather | Best time to visit Nakhon Phanom

The wet season is oppressive and overcast, the dry season is humid and partly cloudy, and it is hot year-round. The best time to visit Nakhon Phanom is between November to February.

Where to Stay in Nakhon Phanom

Being an offbeat destination, generally used by locals for transit, Nakhon Phanom hotels are mid-range ones with very options of luxury hotels in Nakhon Phanom. Most hotels face the Mekong and on its bank. I stayed at the River Hotel and I witnessed some of the best sunrises and sunsets overlooking the Laotian mountains over the 3 days that I spent time there.

Hotels: River Hotel, Blu Hotel, Fortune Riverview Hotel and R Photo hotel

Resorts: Thai Lao Resort and Spa

Hostel: Bike and Bed Hostel

Sustainable Travel Tips for Things to do in Nakhon Phanom

• Most hotels in Nakhon Phanom have refill water station – use it instead of buying PET bottles from 7-eleven stores.
• Nakhon Phanom is still developing and opening up to tourism. Try buying food and clothes from a local market/food joint to boost their economy.
• It is a clean town so do not add your waste to the streets. Always use a dustbin.
• The entire SE Asia is reeling in the single-use plastic storm. Politely say no to a plastic bag when buying the soup or that beautiful indigo shirt!
• Cover your knees and shoulders when visiting a pagoda
• There is a huge local boost to travel startups with sustainable businesses and provided a showcase platform. We should do out bit to keep these startups running successfully.

Read More Thailand posts here:

• Rediscover Thailand with Spirituality
• Things to do in Chiang Rai
• Rediscover Thailand with Spirituality

Read posts from neighbouring countries dotting the Mekong River:

Cambodia: 2 days in Phnom Penh

Laos: Must visit attractions in Luang Prabang

Vietnam: 2 days in Hanoi

Disclosure: I was invited by Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) to attend the Mekong Tourism Forum, 2018. Special thanks to Tourism Authority of Thailand, Destination Mekong and Office of Nakhon Phanom province for organizing this event.

 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. It means it adds no extra cost to you if you book through the link but I get a referral bonus which helps me earn a little to keep this website up and running.

Sustainable Tourism in Luang Prabang – All the Initiatives

Refill My Bottle initiative

As a part of sustainable tourism in Luang Prabang, most hotels and cafes promote the use of refillable bottles. Cold, filtered water is kept at reception/ lobby areas which are easily accessible to tourists and can be filled. Some eateries even offer a small discount if you bring your own coffee cup.

Thanks to the efforts of the German development agency, GIZ, there are even maps put up in various tourist areas which shows places that offer free water stations.

Say No to Plastic straws

Luang Prabang has taken the No Plastic straws campaign extremely seriously. Hotels and restaurants promote the use of bamboo straws by actually using them. Thanks to self-help groups like Bamboo Lao, bamboo straws and even cups are readily available and used proudly. Other products readily made using different types of Bamboo are mats, hats, small stools and others. Read about Bamboo Weaving in Luang Prabang, Laos. 

You can easily buy these straws in the local night market as well.

Discourage the use of single-use plastic

Whether you stay in a hostel or luxury hotel, the toiletries offered to you will be in a reusable basket or jute pouch. And you cannot stop yourself from falling in love with these small gestures and the attention to details they offer.

You will not find tissue papers for wiping hands near any washbasins in public toilets and cafes. You will see fresh, nicely folded cloth napkins/towels with a basket underneath the basin to dispose of after use. They are washed, dried and folded again for use of next tourist, just like traditional times.

Grow Local, Eat Local

This is a mantra, quite religiously followed in Luang Prabang. Rather than importing items, the local community is employed in producing fresh products, herbs and spices which are used across the town. One can easily shop for local produce or eat them after cooking, sold in the morning and night markets of the town.

They even have Ethical cheese and sustainable coffee which is supplied to the local hotels. After Vietnam, I had honestly thought that there could be no coffee to top that experience, and boy was I wrong! So so wrong.

Sustainable Art and Culture in Luang Prabang

There are organizations in Luang Prabang that are working hard to preserve the ethnic traditional handicrafts by employing local villagers. Ock Pop Tok is one such organization which helps Laotian women to earn income while educating them and teaching them weaving.

“The institution’s brightly coloured textiles and designs are not just to be found in its shop, but also in its gardens, café, living crafts centre and even in its little boutique resort. The concepts and applications at work here are a true example of how responsible practices and a focus on sustainability can be both luxurious and ethical, and it not only benefits a business financially but contributes to people’s lives and conserves nature in the best way possible”. Says Khiri Reach.

Sustainable development through education and capacity building of hospitality staff

Most hotels in Luang Prabang are part of a CSR programme wherein the hotel staff participates in sustainability workshops conducted by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, a German development agency). The workshop helps hotels to formulate their environmental policy and maintain data of water and electricity consumption and how to reduce it. The programme capacity builds local community members in the hospitality sector.

There are even English speaking and personal grooming classes conducted for the staff by individual hotels.

Waste Management in Luang Prabang

This is one of the important sectors which makes or breaks the town. The aesthetics of the city are completely dependent upon waste management and thankfully it is extremely efficient in Luang Prabang.

During my discussion with hotels and locals at the ‘Oh Luang Prabang you are simply Beautiful’ event, most of them said that waste was segregated into 2 major categories – food waste and recyclable waste. Most hotels have their own space for composting leftover food waste which is later used as fertilizer in their gardens. Plastic and other recyclables are sent to recycling agencies.

Since hotels are part of ‘Refill my bottle’ initiative and use refillable shampoo and lotion bottles, the plastic waste generated is negligible.

Thanks to the efforts of Sustainable Tourism in Luang Prabang, the town was awarded the Golden Award for Top Tourist Destination for seven consecutive years. (News, 2016) 

The world needs more and more such tourist towns which are sustainable is all aspects. There’s lesson to be learnt here from Luang Prabang.

Special thanks to Ms Alichith Phengsavang, CSR Manager of Angsana Maison Souvannaphoum for most of the information in this post and answering my million questions on sustainability in Luang Prabang. 

Read More about Laos here:

• Luang Prabang Night Market
• Nong Khiaw Viewpoint
• Luang Say Residence, Luang Prabang
• Kuang si Falls, Luang Prabang
• Ethical cheese at Laos Buffalo Dairy

Disclosure: I was invited by Laos Tourism Board and Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) to Luang Prabang.

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links. It means it adds no extra cost to you if you book through the link but I get a referral bonus which helps me earn a little to keep this website up and running. Read about my Privacy Policy.

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