Cook 5 Lao dishes in Ban Nasang village with locals

Cook five dishes, then feast with the family in their home

A cooking class in Ban Nasang village where you shop at a local market, prepare five traditional Lao dishes with a native host, and share the meal with villagers during a Baci blessing ceremony. The class runs 3.5 hours and includes pickup from your hotel. A live English-speaking guide leads the whole experience.

The experience

You start at a fresh food market where you pick the ingredients for the five dishes you'll cook that afternoon. Your host, a villager from Ban Nasang, walks you through the selection and explains what makes each ingredient matter to Lao cooking. Then you head to their home kitchen, where you learn to prepare each dish from scratch: the techniques, the timing, the balance of flavors that define the food people eat here every day.

Once everything is cooked, the meal becomes a Baci ceremony, a traditional blessing where you sit down with the family and eat together in the way locals do. During the feast, you'll hear a Hmong khen performance. Someone playing the bamboo musical instrument that's part of village life. The whole thing is built around eating what your hands made, not watching a demonstration or tasting samples someone else prepared.

A live English-speaking guide is with you the whole time, and pickup from your hotel is included. The market visit, the cooking, the ceremony and the meal all fit inside the afternoon.

What’s included

• Market visit to choose ingredients.
• instruction in preparing five traditional Lao dishes.
• the meal you cook.
• participation in a Baci blessing ceremony with the family.
• Hmong khen musical performance.
• hotel pickup and return.
• live English-speaking guide throughout.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 16:00

AgesAdult (18 to 49 years) · Senior (50 to 70 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by The Bamboo Experience

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, so you follow the instruction and the ceremony comfortably even if you don't speak Lao. The class works for solo travelers, couples and small groups who want to cook and eat with a real family rather than in a cooking school.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

13 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What five dishes do I learn to cook in the class?

The reference material does not name the specific five dishes, only that they are typical Lao home-cooked food prepared during the class. Your host will choose them based on the market ingredients available that day.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No prior cooking experience is required. The class is built for first-timers. Your native host teaches you the techniques and walks you through each step in your home kitchen in Ban Nasang.

What is the Baci ceremony, and do I participate in it?

Baci is a traditional Lao blessing ceremony. You participate fully. You sit with the family, eat the meal you've cooked together, and take part in the ritual as the locals do.

Is transportation from my hotel included?

Yes, pickup from your hotel is included. The guide meets you, takes you to the market, then to the home in Ban Nasang, and returns you afterward.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs 3.5 hours from start to finish, covering the market visit, cooking, the Baci ceremony and the meal together.