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All 3 Luang Namtha Attractions »

Forest Retreat Laos - Day Tours

Main Street, Luang Namtha, Laos
+856 2055 680 031
Website
The jungle retreat where we stayed the night.
food during the trek
Our guide
Our Khmu guide Buen. He likes trees.
4 visitor photos
Ranked #1 of 3 tours in Luang Namtha
4.5 of 5 stars 17 Reviews
Type: Tours
Owner description: Forest Retreat Laos is an exciting trekking ecotourism agency and gourmet cafe in Luang Namtha town, northern Laos.We specialise in custom designed...... more » Owner description: Forest Retreat Laos is an exciting trekking ecotourism agency and gourmet cafe in Luang Namtha town, northern Laos.We specialise in custom designed kayaking, trekking, homestays and forest retreats in the famous Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA) and its surrounds.We also offer superb fresh ground espresso, fresh juices, cocktails, gourmet wood fire pizza; all up to the highest western standards…Come and listen to your favourite music, get free info, enjoy super-fast WiFi and our comfy couches in our ambient eco-office / bamboo lounge in the green building in the middle of town!How we can help you:Forest Retreat Laos is a small local company that adheres to strict international safety standards monitored by our international advisors.We offer everything from custom made private tours, to daily group tours from 1 hour up to 5 days. All of our tours support the local community, and a percentage from each and every tour is given to the local tribal people.The Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA) is the base for all of our tours; this is one of the biggest and most untouched National Parks in all of Laos. The beautiful confluence of the Nam Ha and Nam Tha rivers is our private area in the NPA where you can relax, swim, trek, kayak, stay in our Forest Retreat camp or a local villager’s home. You can take a Lao cooking class, attend cultural tribal gatherings, or just spend time soaking up the pristine natural beauty of the expansive Nam Ha NPA.Please feel free to contact us if there is anything in particular you are looking for – if it is possible, then we will make it happen! Whether you would like information about joining a group tour, a private custom-made tour off the beaten track, or you want us to arrange a romantic picnic for you and your loved one, we are here to help.We aim to make this website your one stop information guide about everything there is to know about Luang Namtha and trekking in the local area. So, what are you waiting for…. look around the site or contact us!We look forward to seeing you in our beautiful Luang Namtha. « less
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17 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
london
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Not the best coffee in SE Asia. Or Luang Namtha”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

This ecotour company/cafe promised "the best coffee in SE Asia" on their sign out front. I wasn't expecting the best coffee in SE Asia, or Laos, but I was hoping for a good cappuccino, especially given the Kiwi heritage of the owners. Unfortunately, the coffee was a big watery disappointment - the colour and strength of weak tea. Having travelled... More

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See 3 more reviews by qwerty123London for Luang Namtha
Forest Retreat Laos, Marketing & Customer support at Forest Retreat Laos - Day Tours, responded to this review
27 May 2012

Thanks for your honest review. We're really astonished that you had a bad coffee here and after racking our brains the only thing we can come up with is that there were 2 days in the past 2 weeks where all 3 of our trained baristas were off work. We're really sorry - we know good coffee and trained in... More

Bunbury
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
“Passing through on a Bike ride”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2012

stopped here and had breakfast, dinner and a few drinks. great people, service and excellent food at great prices. Good location in th emain street More

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Melbourne
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“I cannot believe this is organised by New Zealanders”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I booked a 2 day trek and forest camp with them. And it is the only company I have used when travelling that I would actually tell people not to use. Please do not book any trip with them. It may seem naive but for a 2-day trek with an overnight stay in a natural protected area, I expected the... More

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Forest Retreat Laos, Marketing & Customer support at Forest Retreat Laos - Day Tours, responded to this review
8 April 2012

Hi there Thank you very much for your feedback. It is really unfortunate that your group was affected by the new road going in next to the National Protected Area. Normally the construction company building this road finishes by 6pm, and we only found out this week that they had a 2 week permit to operate later into the night... More

Toronto, Canada
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Great Mix of Nature, Physical Activity and Culture”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 March 2012

We booked a 2 day / 1 night trip (1 day trek and 1 day kayak) in the Nam Ha NPA. Karen and Andrej, a Kiwi couple, co-own the company with their Lao tour guide partner and friend Thong. We booked with them because they are an ethical and responsible company that supports local communities and they were willing to... More

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Forest Retreat Laos, Marketing & Customer support at Forest Retreat Laos - Day Tours, responded to this review
8 April 2012

Hi there Thanks so much for your review. We just wanted to thank you for your tip about taking in small bags for bringing out rubbish - we have now implemented this and also have removed the larger bag that was left at the site. We are also in the process of updating all of the trekking/kayaking/tour information to include... More

Tahoe City, California
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Favorite place in Nam Tha”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 March 2012

"This is a newer restaurant in the trekking town of Luang Nam Tha Laos. The proprietors are friendly ex-pat New Zealanders Andrej and Erin who are there everyday making sure the service and the food is coming out well. The food has a western bent which is welcomed after the basic Lao food on a trek. They have great morning... More

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Boston, Massachusetts
1 review
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Mind your belongings!”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 February 2012
3
people found this review helpful

I used this outfits cafe as a base when in Luang Namtha, they booked a bus for me and when I got to my destination, I found my camera missing. When I finished my "Gibbon experience", I travelled back to their office [4 hour trip] to enquire about my camera. They denied ever finding it, however after hanging around for... More

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Forest Retreat Laos, Marketing & customer support at Forest Retreat Laos - Day Tours, responded to this review
3 March 2012

Hi there Thanks for your somewhat confusing review. We clearly remember booking the public minivan for you, and your return to Luang Namtha whereby you informed us you had been so drunk on the minivan that you left your camera there, and asked us if we would mind helping you to locate it. Not only did we assure you that... More

2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Great place to go!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 January 2012

Staff were so very accommodating. Great food, great drinks! A must if you're in the area! More

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Christchurch, New Zealand
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Kiwi hospitality in Northern Laos”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 January 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We were lucky enough to happen upon Karen and Dre on Christmas day as they were roasting a turkey (in a saucepan over a fire - no ovens in Laos! - Kiwi ingenuity). As fellow Kiwis we managed to identify our countryman & woman by the greenstone pendant. A very pleasant couple / very chilled doing great things for their... More

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lynem6
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Great experience”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 January 2012

We booked a 2 days (1 day trekking + 1 day kayakking) with forest retreat and had a great experience! The trekking is quite streneous but so worth it! We had nice food (sticky rice + 3 different typical laossien plate) during our trek. Our night at the tribe's village was a great experience as well. Little advice, bring at... More

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See 2 more reviews by lynem6 for Luang Namtha
Auckland, New Zealand
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
Reviews in 23 cities Reviews in 23 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
“Best place in town”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 January 2012

We were told to visit Forest Retreat by friends who had been to Luang Namtha earlier in 2011, and we were glad we did. We had breakfast there every morning, enjoyed the fresh fruit, baguettes and great coffee. While we didn't do any treks with the company, the very helpful and friendly Kiwi owners, Karen and Andre, gave us detailed... More

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See 3 more reviews by Houligans for Luang Namtha

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