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Asia » Laos » On the Nam Ou River

On the Nam Ou River

December 2008

After the Mekong, the 278-mile Nam Ou is one of the most important rivers in Laos. It’s a major north-south transportation route for people and goods through northern Laos and connects many villages that are inaccessible by road. We took two boats trips on the Nam Ou from Nong Khiaw: north to the little village of Muang Ngoi Neua and south halfway to Luang Prabang (where construction of a hydroelectric dam forced us to switch from the river to the road).

Boarding a boat for our trip up the Nam Ou river (with green kayaks in the back for kayaking back down the river)

Recycled car seats make for a pretty comfortable ride

The traditional style of fishing boats on the river

When the water level drops after the rainy season, people grow gardens on the river banks

Water buffalos grazing by the river

Villages are hidden away behind the steep banks

The sand and gravel banks make good places to play

A tiny hydropower scheme with a waterwheel make from an old bicycle wheel

We didn't realize that water buffalo got their name from their tendency to sit in the water, like hippos

The site where a Chinese company is building a big hydropower dam on the Nam Ou (and where we had to get off our boat and transfer to a van for the rest of our journey)

Looking back up the river toward the beautiful mountains