There’s little to do in Luang Namtha except drop by the Luang Namtha Provincial Museum, set in a green-roofed building behind the Kaysone Monument, where you'll find displays of traditional hill tribe costumes and artifacts, a model depicting battles that took place in the area during the civil war, and a rusty collection of weaponry. The real reason to travel to Luang Namtha is generally to visit the Namtha NBCA, walk or cycle to nearby Hmong and Leten villages, take a trek in the hills, or go kayaking or rafting on the Nam Tha and Nam Ha rivers. Luang Namtha is also a launch base for passenger boat trips down the Nam Tha River to Houayxai.
The city only has electricity from 6pm to 10pm; there is quite a limited range of tourist facilities including two color photo labs, bicycle rental shops, two Lao herbal saunas, a PlaNet computer shop (awaiting electricity), two banks and a travel agency. For currency exchange, head to the BCEL service unit (daily 8.30am–3.30pm) right at the bus station, which accepts cash, traveler’s checks and Visa.