Nong Khiaw is town in northern Laos located by the Ou River, surrounded by limestone mountains. It's a quiet town that offers beautiful views.
How to get there?
The best way to get there is to take a bus. It costs around 50,000 - 60,000 kip and takes between 3-4 hours to get there. The roads are pretty bumpy, so be ready for a rocky ride. If you get a window seat, you'll see beautiful landscapes along the way, which will hopefully make up for how terrible the ride is.
We bought our ticket from our guesthouse for 80,000 kip, which included our tuk tuk ride to the bus station (20,000 kip). Just note that if you decide to purchase at the bus station, you might not be able to get a seat during high season (Dec-Mar).
When you reach Nong Khiaw, you'll get dropped off at the bus station. It costs 5,000 kip for a tuk tuk ride into town. The bus station is only 2km from the city centre, so feel free to save the money and walk it. Once you get past the bridge, there will be an abundance of guesthouses and restaurants.
We stayed at Sunrise Guesthouse for 80,000 kip for a room with hot water, wifi and flush toilets. There's also a balcony with hammocks to lay on.