Fair Trek Eco Bungalow Village Stays in Luang Prabang

Richer village experiences for hosts & visitors

Update 2023: Post Covid-19, Eco Bungalows are not available however we have homestays available where you stay with local families.

Tiger Trail has created village stays with a little bit of luxury where sensitive and culturally interested travellers can enjoy ethnic minorities while staying in an ecologically built accommodation that supports the community with income.

The Eco Bungalow is a collaboration project between Fair Trek (the community-based tourism initiative of Tiger Trail) and World Volunteer, a student travel company based in Sweden. Together we created a project where the main objective is to benefit the communities we work with. The Eco Bungalow is a lodge created to bring tourism into the villages, it is owned and managed by the community and was built by student volunteers from all around the world.

There is a limited amount of people visiting the village at all times. The building is made out of clay (ADOBE) and provides a good level of comfort. Our three Eco-bungalows provide the community with a sustainable income through fair and controlled tourism interaction. Fair Trek initiative and the Eco Bungalow Project itself is unique in SE Asia and is a statement for a more sustainable approach of tourism in niche market tours.

The Eco Bungalows

The Eco Bungalows are divided into two separate rooms. Each room has a comfortable king size bed with bed linen and blankets for the colder months. It has a western toilet and a hot outdoor shower (with lots of privacy!). Some have a loft as well for children with single mattresses and bed linen. The Eco Bungalows provide towels, soap and toilet paper. Our goal was to make the village Eco Bungalows as comfortable as possible. The Eco Bungalow honors the need of privacy for our guests and integrates well into the local community. The structure also integrates our wish for an ecological yet comfortable building style which we ensured by using mostly local material such a bamboo and earth (Adobe). We can ensure you an amazing personal experience in this wonderful village with comfort and privacy.

TOURS INCLUDING ECO BUNGALOW STAYS

Why not trek through Laos' verdant mountains, taking in the splendor of the famous Kuang Si Waterfall and learn about Hmong culture. And at the end of the day, relax in the privacy of your own ecologically built Bungalow. During your stay, the entire room fee is reaching the community itself. 

As most villagers are subsistence farmers, they now have supplemental income from your visit in the form of: 

• Accommodation fees from the Eco Bungalow

   
• Service fees (cleaning, maintenance, cooking meals) distributed directly to those villagers carrying out those services

   
• Communal village fund from guests’ program fee

2 DAYS | AN UNFORGETTABLE TOUR THAT SUPPORTS THE COMMUNITY
Visit the fascinating Lao Buffalo dairy farm that provides income and a sustainable future for the Lao people involved. Visit the famous Kuang Si waterfall, the start of your 2-day leisurely journey to the Eco Bungalow. Here you’ll also visit the Bear Rescue Center, a rescue sanctuary run by a non-profit organization. After lunch, you’ll start the scenic 3-hour trek to the village of Long Lao Mai. When you arrive, your guide will give you a tour of the village. Introduce yourself to the local people, learn a few words of the Hmong language or get a pickup game of football going with the village children. Later, feel free to unwind in the comfort of your Bungalow. Dinner is served on the sala outside under the stars, prepared by the villagers. Start off the next day with breakfast prepared by villagers. Your guide will tell you more about Hmong culture as you spend your last day in Long Lao Mai. You’ll have all morning to immerse in Hmong culture – learn how to cook traditional meals, help villagers work in their rice fields or learn how to weave from masters of the craft. You have the option of staying for lunch or returning to Luang Prabang after breakfast.

The Eco Bungalow acts as supplemental income for the villagers – 100% of your accommodation fee is circulated back to the community as a form of income for maintaining and working in the Bungalow. This boutique lodge has 2 private rooms that accommodate up to 4 people. 

2 DAYS | ECO BUNGALOW VILLAGE STAY & WATERFALL TREK
Start off this 2-day adventure with a trek (3-4 hours) in the mountains of northern Laos. From the trekking point in Ban Nong Haeo, you’ll wind through bamboo forests and ascend uphill through the jungle whose summits offer breathtaking panoramic views. You’ll stop for a picnic lunch along the way. When you arrive at Long Lao Mai village, the site of the Eco Bungalow. After you’ve had a hot shower, stretch out on the sala outside and enjoy dinner under the stars, prepared by the villagers. After breakfast the next morning, lace up your hiking shoes for another scenic trek through the wilderness. The hike will take about 3 hours, ending at the famous Kuang Si waterfall, a hidden oasis amidst a tropical jungle. You’ll also visit the Bear Rescue Center inside Kuang Si Waterfall where Moon bears (Asiatic black bears) live in a forest sanctuary protected by the Free the Bears Fund, a non-profit organization. You’ll have lunch in Kuang Si Waterfall before being transferred back to Luang Prabang.  

3 DAYS | ECO BUNGALOWS, KUANG SI WATERFALL
Ride to the countryside to our trekking start point at Phonexay village. We trek 4 hours to a Khmu and Hmong village deep in the jungle where you will have magnificent views of Laos. After lunch, you stay in the nong Khuay Eco bungalow. This boutique clay lodge has 2 private rooms that each accommodates up to 2 people (a total of 4 people can stay in the Eco Bungalow at one time). After breakfast the next morning we hike 4 hours through stunning scenery and reach Long mao Mail village. The Long Lao Mai Eco-Bungalow has 2 private rooms that each accommodates up to 4 people (a total of 8 people can stay in the Eco Bungalow at one time). On day 3, trek 3 hours through lush jungle to one of Luang Prabang’s favorite sites, the Kuang Si Waterfall, with its Asiatic bear sanctuary and many cascading pools to swim in and explore. Take lunch in the jungle on the way and don’t rush at the falls. After a refreshing afternoon at the waterfall we’ll pick you up and you will experience the new Lao Buffalo dairy that produces cheese and a range of delicious dairy products. 

Fair Trek is the innovative community based tourism and student travel branch of Tiger Trail Travel.
Fair Trek aims to promote responsible tourism practises using the community-based tourism approach.
We believe that local communities deserve equal access to economic, social and environmental benefits from tourism.