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| Hongsa | ||
| province | Sainyabuli | |
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| Residents | unknown | |
| no value for residents on Wikidata: | ||
| height | unknown | |
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| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
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Hongsa is a city in the Lao province Sainyabuli. The city is known for its elephants and the elephant festival.
background
getting there
By plane
By train
In the street
The Thai border crossing Huay Khon and on the Laotian side Muang Ngeun have recently become an international border point. Where to get "Visa on Arrival" at the border. This means that you can take the night bus from Bangkok to Nan (Thailand) and from there with a smaller bus every day at 8 a.m. from Nan bus station to the Thai border town of Huay Khon. There you cross the border. From Muang Ngeun songtheos (local taxis) go to Hongsa every day. 35,000 KIP. Here you stay overnight to take the songtheo (local taxi) to the Mekong boat landing site Thassouang the next morning. This alternative offers the possibility to only drive one day on the Mekong and not have to spend the night in Pakbeng. The lower part of the Mekong (from Pakbeng to Luang Prabang) is forested and more pristine compared to the upper part (Huay Xay to Pakbeng), as the Mekong is not the border river to Thailand in this part Ngeun wants to travel to Huay Khon, you should know that you can get a Thai visa for only 15 days at this border.
From the provincial capital Sayaboury, pickups go to Hongsa from the local bus station in the morning. The road has been expanded so that the adventurous journey only lasts 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
From Hongsa you can take a public pickup to Sayaboury and on to Paklay in one day - from Paklay there is the possibility to take the slow boat to Vientiane, but not all year round. It is also possible to come to Luang Prabang in one day.
With the motorcycle or 4 wheel drive car there is a so-called "short cut" via Ban Napoung to Luang Prabang. Anyone looking for adventure is on the right road!
By boat
The Mekong is 16 miles from Hongsa. Upstream - Every day in the late afternoon (between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm) the slow boats coming from Luang Prabang stop in Thassouang. The Thassoaung boat mooring looks more like a large sand hill. There the songtheos (local taxis) wait until the slow boat from Luang Prabang has arrived and then it goes on the unpaved road to Hongsa (approx. 1 hour). The trip is a bit adventurous, but you will be compensated with a wonderful panorama and sunsets. The trip costs 30,000 KIP
Downstream - you arrive from Pakbeng around 12 noon and either have to wait until late afternoon for the slow boat from Luang Prabang or you have to negotiate a price with the waiting drivers of the Songtheos (local taxis).
Tourist Attractions
Hongsa is a small, rich district capital and is located in the fertile Nam Khen Valley, surrounded by beautifully forested mountain ranges. Hongsa is an amalgamation of 8 villages with a total of 6,000 inhabitants. Every village or district has a temple, with beautiful naive painting. Since Hongsa has not yet been developed for tourism, it is worthwhile to visit the villages on short hikes. A tour guide is not necessary for these hikes. If you are looking for peace and authenticity then Hongsa is the right travel destination! At full moon, temple festivals take place in one of the 8 villages. Folk and customs included and Lao Lao, the homemade rice schnapps included ... The villagers love to encourage travelers and visitors to drink with serious consequences for the unsuspecting among you! The morning market takes place every morning from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. - more exotic it doesn't work anymore ... Hmongs, Khamus, Yaos and other ethnic minorities can be seen in the market and you can visit them with a tour guide. They only wear their traditional costumes on special occasions, but you can still recognize them.
activities
Sayaboury Province has the largest elephant population in Laos and Hongsa has the largest number of working elephants in Sayaboury districts. The elephants are used in the timber industry. As the hills are very steep, only elephants can bring the huge logs down into the valley. JUMBO GUESTHOUSE organizes day trips to see the elephants at work. You can also book day tours and tours for a few hours. It is also possible to book an elephant homestay tour, where you stay overnight in Hmong and Khamu villages, which lasts for several days. A lifelong memory, please visit www.lotuselephant.com for more information
shop
Since December 9th, 2010 there is an ATM at the BCEL bank, directly above the market square, the red ATM house is clearly recognizable, as is the Lao Development Bank with Western Union Service. Here you can only exchange foreign currency for KIP. In the district of Ban Viengkheo (6 kilometers) from the bus station you have the opportunity to visit a Thai Lue village. The Thai Lue are known for their colorful cotton weavings. If you walk along the village you will see large looms under the stilt houses and watch the women at work. So far there is no special shop where you can buy the weaving mills, rather the fact that in individual households the women are offering their work for sale.
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
- Jumbo Guesthouse. Tel.: 856(0)20-56856488, Email: [email protected]. It is a small guest house with four large and bright rooms. The operator is Austrian, i.e. she speaks German and English. There is breakfast with homemade jams and dinner. She cooks Asian for "falang" - not so spicy and not so fish-heavy. Laos is "organic by default" - the vegetables and meat naturally taste good. There is no menu. The menus are freshly cooked every day. Monica is also happy to give her guests some information about the country and its people and the area, as well as obligatory travel information. European guests who work in Asia are pampered with European food and whoever likes can cook there too. The dogs of the guest house like to go on tours with the guests, much to the delight of the guests and the dogs!Price: LAK 120,000.Jumbo Guesthouse is relocated to outskirts of Luang Prabang in 2016
health
Practical advice
Hongsa has a post office. So far there is no way to get on the Internet.
trips
literature
- : The dwindling of the silver threads. Picus publishing house, 2014, ISBN 3711710484 , P. 132 (German). Three chapters deal exclusively with the district of Hongsa
