Luang Prabang Tribal Cooking Class with Khmu Guide

Gather wild forest plants and cook traditional Laotian dishes over an open fire

A five-hour cooking class in Luang Prabang's primary forest where you forage edible plants with a native Khmu guide, then cook traditional Laotian dishes using bamboo, stone and forest materials. Private transportation is included. The guide speaks English or French. Children from age 3 are welcome.

The experience

Five hours takes you from pickup through the forest and back. A ten-minute walk into Laos's primary forest leads to an open-air carbet where you'll work with your Khmu guide to identify and pick the plants that become lunch. The guide teaches which plants the tribes have cooked with for generations, and you gather them as you go. Bamboo is the backbone of what you'll make, not just the food, but the tools.

At the carbet, you cook over stone and bamboo using the same methods the forest communities use. You'll prepare Khao Pad Lao, a meat and spice rice, and learn how to work with what the forest provides instead of a stove. Part of the class is making your own eating chopsticks and a drinking glass from bamboo. Both come home with you. Bottled water and snacks are provided throughout, and lunch is the food you've cooked.

A guide fluent in English or French walks you through each step, and the group stays small. Private transportation picks you up and returns you to your hotel, so the whole five hours is built into one morning or afternoon without arranging a separate ride.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• bottled water and snacks throughout the morning or afternoon.
• lunch (the dishes you cook).
• all tools and utensils for the cooking class.
• bamboo chopsticks and drinking glass you make, to take home.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (11 to 80 years) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Infant seats availableNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Laos Experience Tours

Is this one for you?Five hours means you can fit this into a morning or afternoon without losing the rest of your day in Luang Prabang. If you want to see the night market or visit temples on the same day, book this early and you'll be back by midday, or book it in the afternoon and finish by early evening.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What plants will I forage and cook with in the Luang Prabang forest?

The Khmu guide teaches you to identify edible plants that grow in the primary forest and are used in traditional Laotian cooking. You pick them during the walk to the carbet and use them to prepare dishes like Khao Pad Lao, a meat and spice rice that is central to Laotian meals.

What do I get to take home from the class?

You make your own eating chopsticks and drinking glass from bamboo during the class and keep both as souvenirs. You also eat the lunch you've cooked together.

Is transportation included, and where does pickup happen?

Private transportation is included in the class price. Pickup happens at your hotel in Luang Prabang, and the driver returns you there after the five hours are complete.