Guided walking & holiday
packages
Touring: France, Vietnam, Laos & Bhutan |
LAO - Nam Tha and the Mekong
Lao:
Tour Overview - Advice
Notes - History
and Geography - Gallery
History and Geography
Lao is a landlocked country sandwiched between Vietnam,
Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and China. This has meant
that it has for centuries been caught up in power struggles
as its more aggressive neighbours played out their strategic
games. Laotians tend to be devout, peace loving and
tolerant Buddhists and their aspirations to independence
occurred at a relatively late stage. There is a saying
to the effect that "The Vietnamese plant the rice,
the Cambodians water the rice and the Lao listen to
the rice grow!" They are indeed a most friendly
and apparently relaxed people.
Although they achieved independence as early as 1949,
they quickly got caught up in struggles involving China,
Vietnam and the US, and this resulted in truly appalling
tonnages of bombs being dropped on the country until
the ceasefire in 1973.
In 1975, the Pathet Lao established the Lao People's
Democratic Republic and this is still the ruling Communist
government today.
Approximately 70% of its total area (236,800 square
kilometres) comprises mountain and plateau areas. The
Mekong River (one of the longest rivers in the world)
forms a natural border with Thailand for much of its
length. It flows through almost 1,900 kilometres of
the territory of Laos and is extremely important as
an artery for moving goods around. Equally important
is the role of the Mekong and its tributaries as a vital
source of fish, the mainstay of the Lao diet. In addition,
its fertile floodplains form the country's primary agricultural
zones.
Population
It was estimated that, in 1999, the population of Laos
was 4.8 million. Around 85% of the population are farmers
and live in rural areas. The great majority of Lao are
Buddhist.
Climate
Laos has a warm and tropical climate with two seasons:
the rainy season, from the beginning of May to the end
of September, and the dry season from October to April.
The average temperature is around 29 degrees centigrade
in the lowlands and 25 degrees in the highlands. Generally,
tourists are recommended to visit Laos during the months
of November to March because these are cooler months
and rainfall is lower than at other times. The monsoon
season arrives from May onwards and lasts through to
November, with the heaviest rainfall recorded in the
southern peaks of the Annamite mountains.
Supporting sustainable Eco-tourism
Unlike its neighbours, Lao's small population, rugged
hills, and decades of economic isolation, has provided
a legacy of vast tracks of natural landscape. Significant
bio-diversity regions have been identified, and numerous
agencies have assisted Lao to develop sustainable tourism
projects designed to enhance the value of protected
regions as well as provide economic value to residents.
We are working in conjunction with agencies
dedicated to enhancing the positive relationship and
integrity of Lao's fragile protected bio regions and
this program contributes directly to this aim.
Print
Friendly Page: Lao History and Geography
DATES AND COSTS
16 February – 3 March, 2008
$4393 per person, twin share, from Australia return or
$3343 joining in Lao
|
