Things to do with kids in Luang Prabang

Things to do with kids in Luang Prabang

1. Do

   Big Brother Mouse

   A worthwhile organisation devoted to encouraging literacy in young adults and children. Depending on sponsorship and volunteers, it welcomes tourists to help with English conversation and reading practice. You can just hang out and chat with locals about whatever you like. They publish and distribute books in Lao and English. Consider buying some books to take as gifts to village children if you travel through Laos. They have another branch in Vientiane. Two, 2 hour conversation sessions per day. Lots of nice locally-written kids' story books available to buy, starting from 50 cents for their A6 size books.

   09:00-11:00 & 17:00-19:00 daily

2. Do

   Donate blood at the Lao Friends Hospital for Children

   Lao Friends Hospital is the only free children's hospital in Laos, and they are chronically short of blood donors. Among the many children in the area who receive care, the volunteers at the hospital treat over 200 children with thalassaemia, a genetic condition which requires frequent blood transfusions in severe cases. If you are able to donate blood, consider doing it here. Conditions are clean, all equipment is single-use and sterile, and you get some snacks and a t-shirt for your trouble.

   Closed · opens 10 am

3. See

   Phou Si Hill

   ພະທາດພູສີ

   Phou Si Hill dominates the city, and you can get a great view of the whole area from the summit. There are trails from both sides of the hill, including one just across the road from the Royal Palace/National Museum, and it's about 320 steps to the top. Sunrise and sunset are the most sensible and rewarding times to go. There is a near-panoramic view from the top. The ticket office closes at 18:30, so climbing to the top is virtually free afterwards, which gives you about 30 minutes before it gets dark. If you take the south path down, you'll go past several temples including one claiming to enshrine the Buddha's (rather large!) footprint.

   20,000 kip (children free)

4. See

   Royal Ballet Theatre

   ຫໍຄຳ Haw Kham

   Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening there is a show featuring one part of the Lao epic Phra Lak Phra Ram. The show is about an hour long and in Lao with story and dance sequences. There are Lao, English and French synopsis available at the ticket desk. The ticket desk opens at least 1/2 an hour before the show and is accessed by entering Royal Palace Museum entrance gate. The museum is closed at this time so entry is free. Curiously the ticket desk is not attended while the museum is open, although they do have the schedule and current ticket prices. Also, the website has a form for tickets, but they do not seem to respond to it.

   Oct-Mar: 18:00, Mar-Oct: 16:30·200,000 kip, 50% for children

5. See

   Royal Palace National Museum

   ຫໍຄຳ Haw Kham

   The former royal palace, now a national museum. It is not a national history museum however. You pass through the state rooms and the private rooms of the royal family and can see the collection of official cars. No photos, videos, bags, or shoes allowed, free locker provided. No bare shoulders, midriffs or knees; you can rent a cloth for 5,000 kip at the locker room if needed. Also on the grounds of the palace is the former royal temple.

   08:00-11:30 and 13:30-16:00·30,000 kip

6. Do Not mapped

   Hike or bike across the river in Chompet

   Hike or bicycle alongside the river through a few small Hmong villages and past a few temples (10,000 kip admission) and a cave. Beware the children at the temples with the ticket-takers, especially at the temple with the white stairs leading to the water opposite Luang Prabang. They will swarm over tourists' backpacks, and money will later be found missing. Enquiries to police and village officials will not be fruitful. Island map

7. Do Not mapped

   Lenou's Library

   A great way to experience Lao village life without a tour bus. The owner started a library and children's English tutoring centre in his house a few years ago and since has been steadily expanding services with help from volunteers. Lenou sometimes organises dinners on the Num Ou river by request and generally seems to appreciate a helping hand.

8. Do Not mapped

   The Bamboo Experience

   Located in a village near rice paddy field and bamboo plantation. Not only you'll learn to cook Lao dishes using bamboo shoots as the main ingredient, but as well you'll learn what can be made out of bamboo, play with bamboo stilts, crossbow, attend a small music+dance show by a Hmong man, get a weaving lesson with a local craftsman & make your own small souvenir.

   08:30-13:30 or 16:00-20:30·336,000 kip, special rates for families & children

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Luang Prabang (CC BY-SA 4.0).