FAQs
Things To Know (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about visiting Nakai Nam Theun National Park
Please follow these rules:
- Local guides and local boats are required on all tours, in addition to purchasing and entry ticket and booking through an authorised booking agent.
- No destruction forests inside the park is allowed (please collect dead wood for campfires and please avoid cutting branches for making tent or hammock structures).
- No removal or purchase of wildlife or wildlife products from the park is allowed.
- No throwing of waste anywhere inside the park except for designated waste bins. Please pack out all waste.
- Burning non-biodegradable waste is not allowed inside the park.
- No loud noises or use of speakers are allowed inside the park.
- Campfires are allowed at designated campsites only.
- Collecting or purchasing plants, flowers or other forest products from the park is not allowed.
- Firearms and illegal drugs are not allowed at tourists sites and the park.
- Getting excessively close, disturbing or using loud calls to attract wildlife is strictly prohibited.
- Gambling, doing drugs or other illegal activities are not allowed inside the park.
- Visitors are not allowed to go to areas in the park that are not yet open for tourism.
-Visitors should wear life jackets at all times while riding boats. Please ask your boat driver or guide for a life jacket before departing. Please do not stand up while boats are moving or try to move between boats when they are not parked on the shore.
-Please also ask your guide to bring her/his first aid kit.
-Please do not dive into rivers, as most rivers are too shallow and very dangerous for diving.
-Use mosquito repellant and cover up your body at night to avoid mosquito bites.
-Please stay on designated paths and stay with your guide in order to not get lost and to stay away from any UXO.
-Please be careful when walking down stairways in homestays.
-Please limit drinking to avoid accidents, especially at night.
Yes, all visitors must book a tour into the park. Tours can be booked with an authorized local booking agent -See the Contact page for a full list.
All visitors must have at least 1 local guide from Nahao or Navang village, in addition to the guide accompanying you from your guesthouse in Thalang or Nakai Town. In addition to your local guide, you may need to hire more local guides from Nahao or Navang villages to carry your equipment depending on the number of days and number of people on your trek.
To get from Thalang or Nakai Town (Oudomsouk) you must book your boat through an authorised booking agent only (see Contact page for a full list). Once arriving at Nahao Village, your guide will arrange for a local boat to from the village to take you further into the park (to Tad Nyim, Gaeng Louang, and Houay Mak Nga). Boats from Nakai District (Thalang/Nakai Town) are allowed to go as far as Nahao Village only.
All visitors to the park must purchase a park entry ticket, which costs LAK50,000 for foreigners and LAK20,000 for Lao nationals. Entry tickets are sold at the Nahao Visitor Center. You will be asked to register at the Nam Xot Checkpoint before arriving at the Nahao Visitor Center, but tickets are sold only in Nahao. Entry fees to the park are typically included in the tour fee you pay to your guesthouse. All visitors must also hire local guides and local boats, which are arranged by an authorised tour booking agent (see Contact page for the list of local booking agents).
Visitors should be prepared for hot, cold and wet conditions, as Nakai Nam Theun is typically hot during the day, chilly at night, and requires boat travel and sometimes river crossings. This means that you should bring a hat to protect you from the sun, a change of warm clothes for the night, and a rain jacket and plastic bags to protect you and your equipment during boat rides. You should pack light, as you will be traveling to the park in a small boat and trekking through difficult terrain. You should also bring toiletries, swimming clothes, sandals and a towel for washing and bathing. You should also remember to bring money for tips for your local guides and to buy small handicraft souvenirs.
Check with your tour guide if she/he will arrange for your camping equipment. If not, you can rent tents and sleeping bags at the Nahao Visitor Center (LAK30,000 per tent).
Yes, you can use your own camping equipment. However, you will be charged a camping fee at the Nahao Visitor Center of LAK10,000 per tent (in addition to the other entry fees, local guide and boat fees, and booking fees).
Yes, you can stay in a homestay in Naho or Navang villages instead of camping. Homestays cost LAK60,000 per person per night and include a simple, vegetarian dinner and breakfast (pay extra for chicken, meat or fish).