The popular little town of Nong Khiaw in Northern Laos is no longer a secret spot on Laos’ Map. Over the last years it became a famous spot for nature enthusiasts, adventure seekers and viewpoint lovers. It is quite easy to get there, even though the mountain roads in Laos are known for not being the best. Most of the travelers will arrive in Nong Khiaw coming from Luang Prabang. The journey by minivan from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw takes approximately 3 to 4 hours. The exact duration can vary based on factors such as road conditions and traffic.
The small consists of two parts, which are divided by the Nam Ou River. It’s easy to walk across the the big bridge to get from one side of the town to another. All in all it is a very walking friendly city and not really any form of transportation is needed when staying in town, unless you want to explore the surrounding areas by motorbike. Also renting a bicycle is an option for those cycle enthusiasts out there. Because the small town is receiving so many tourists, there is a big variety of good restaurants, where you can fill up after of of the demanding Nong Khiaw viewpoint hikes. Its a town for everyone and has plenty of activities to offer: obviously hiking to one of the viewpoints of Nong Khiaw, kayaking on Nam Ou river, visiting Muang Ngoi, more trekking, more viewpoints, caves, local villages and waterfalls. If it is your first time in beautiful Laos, I recommend going through our Laos Travel Guide before approaching your Laos adventures.
There are at least 8 different viewpoints in Nong Khiaw, conveniently located around the city, which means you can always walk to the trailhead. We will list all the viewpoints of the town, but focusing on two popular ones in particular in this Nong Khiaw viewpoint guide: Pha Khao & Pha Daeng. You can find all Google Maps locations below clicking on the names.
Pha Kew Lom Viewpoint
Highest Viewpoint of Nong Khiaw with an elevation of approx. 1088 masl and an elevation gain of about 740 meters ascend. Should take a bit over 2 hours to reach the top.
Pha Noi Viewpoint
Quite a small one compared to Pha Kew Lom or Pha Khao with a much lower elevation gain of around 150 meters. The trail is approx. 1.9 km round trip, which should take you no longer than 30 minutes to go up.
Pha Khao Viewpoing
Second highest viewpoint in Nong Khiaw with an approx. elevation gain of 750 meters. Altitude is about 1070 meters asl. To reach the viewpoint to us 1.5 hours. We will discuss this one later in the article.
Pha Daeng Viewpoing
Probably the most popular viewpoing in Nong Khiaw for sunset. It is also known simply as Nong Khiaw viewpoint. Elevation gain: 650 meters, altitude bit over 1000 masl. Steep trail like all of them and popular for sunset.
Nang None (Sleeping Woman Viewpoint) 1 & 2
Viewpoint 1 has an elevation gain of approx. 730 meters, while viewpoint 2 is just a bit higher than that. Quite steep, but shorter distance.
Pha Khao viewpoint is one of the highest viewpoints to reach in Nong Khiaw with an altitude of approx. 1070 meters above sea level. Entrance fee is 30.000 LAK (≈ 1,4 USD). For that price you can also reach Pha Noi viewpoint. Pha Noi is on the same trail up and the first one you will encounter. From the start of the trail (see google maps), you pay the entrance fee and just keep going until you reach a small bamboo bridge. The path is well marked, so you will not miss it. Just follow the trail until you come across a sign in the jungle. If you want to go to the smaller one “Pha Noi”, you have to turn left at the sign. It will be around 200-300 meters until you reach that viewpoint. We skipped it an continued to the bigger Pha Khao, so we turned right.
I recorded the hike to Pha Khao viewpoint with my Garmin Venu 2 fitness tracker. As you can see on the details, according to Garmin the total ascent was 798 meters. Distance was measured with the integrated GPS in my Garmin, so the distance of 6,69 km round trip should be quite accurate. The trail is quite steep, but if you have some basic level of fitness, its easily doable in 1.5 to 2 hours one way. People go for sunset or sunrise, but we are too lazy for that. thats why we started around 9 am in the morning. After living in southeast asia for many years, I am very well adjusted to the heat, so for me no problem. If you want to avoid the heat, go early morning. But be aware that there will be much more people up there compared to late morning or afternoon. Good exercise with over 1600 calories burned. I would recommend to wear normal sneakers instead of flip-flops. No hiking boots needed.
Pha Daeng Viewpoint in Nong Khiaw, Laos, offers one of the most breathtaking panoramic views of the Nam Ou River winding through lush mountains. Standing at an elevation of approximately 1,063 meters, the viewpoint is accessible via a steep and challenging trail, taking around 1 to 1.5 hours to reach the summit. The effort is rewarded with stunning vistas, especially at sunrise or sunset, making it a favorite among hikers and photographers. The path is well-marked but can be slippery, so sturdy footwear and sufficient water are recommended for this adventure.
Like the other trek to Pha Khao, I also recorded the hike to Pha Daeng viewpoint on my Garmin watch. Total ascent to reach the summit is 479 meters with a total time of 2 hours for go-and-back and a total distance of almost 4 km covered. In fact this trek is shorter, but still demanding because of the steep trail. The trail itself is well marked like most of the others and entrance fee is 40.000 LAK. The total calories burned combined with the heat and humidity, makes it a perfect morning exercise. Like I mentioned earlier, this viewpoint gets busy for sunrise or sunset. Another popular activity up on Pha Daeng peak is camping. Please respect the nature and dont leave any garbage up there.
Views are great from any of the viewpoints in Nong Khiaw. If you want to have a short trek of approx. 2 hours both ways, Pha Daeng is a great option, also for sunset. So that makes it a short, but adventureous trek. The path is well known and quite popular. If you prefer a more quiet route, longer trek and a bit more exhausting excercise, Pha Khao is a good choice. The views from Pha Khao are a bit better because it reveals Nong Khiaw from a different angle. Also a clearly marked trail with fewer encounters of other hikers compared to more famous treks. If you opt for Pha Khao, you can also do Pha Noi because its on the same trail. That makes Pha Khao perfect. As we didnt do some of the other viewpoints, I can not give recommendations about them, but other travelers in town said they are all worth – doesnt matter which one you choose.
