What's on in Nong Khiaw, Laos through the year

Busy — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Dry season on the viewpoints (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Dry season on the viewpoints (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Burning season haze

  1 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallySmoke season

  The viewpoints above the river are the entire reason to stop here, and for these weeks they look out on a wall of smoke from the fields burning across northern Laos. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season on the viewpoints (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Pi Mai, Lao New Year, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Pi Mai, Lao New Year

  13–17 AprWater-festival New YearClosures

  Three days of water and beer along the one street, with the boats to Muang Ngoi and the minivans to Luang Prabang running to nobody's timetable. Source ↗

Still on: Burning season haze (1 Mar – 25 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in June.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Khao Phansa

  1 Jul – 10 Aug · usuallyReligious feast

  The full moon that opens Buddhist Lent brings dawn alms-giving and candle processions at the village temples. Lent runs through the heart of the rainy season, when the viewpoint trails are slippery. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Khao Phansa (1 Jul – 10 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — Awk Phansa and river lights, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Awk Phansa and river lights

  26 OctLights & fireCrowded

  The end of Lent is celebrated with candles around the temples and small banana-trunk boats of flowers and candles floated down the Nam Ou at night; riverside towns hold their boat races around the same days. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Dry season on the viewpoints

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyTrail season

  The climbs up Pha Daeng and Nang None are steep steps and tree roots, and they are only reliably worth it when they are dry and the valley is not under cloud.

• Festival

  Hmong New Year

  25 Nov – 31 Dec · usuallyMajor festival

  Once the harvest is in, Hmong villages in the hills of Luang Prabang province celebrate for several days with ball-tossing games, music and their best embroidered clothes. The host villages change each year. Source ↗

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Dry season on the viewpoints (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Hmong New Year (25 Nov – 31 Dec (usually))