Laos

Laos is a little slice of heaven. It's a beautiful country with wonderful people and much less frantic than some of its neighbors.

Visas

DOUBLE CHECK THIS INFO as it's of course subject to change. Make sure you have six months validity on your passport when you enter the country. Pretty standard.

You can purchase visas on arrival at International Airports (Vientiane, luang Prabang and Pakse) and land borders - e.g. Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai (Thai border close to Vientiane), Huay Xai/Xiengkhong (North Eastern Thailand, you take a small boat across the Mekong), Thakhek/Nakhonphanom (Central Laos) by ferry, Mukdahan/Savannakhet (Southern Laos), Chongmek/Vangtao, (Southern Laos).

The ONE place you can NOT get a visa on arrival is the border between Voeung Kam (Laos) and Dom Kralor (Cambodia).

If you want to get a visa in advance, Bangkok is probably the easiest place - any travel agent along Khao San Road will be able to do this for you in 24 hours, perhaps even on the same day if you take your passport early enough. If you want you could go direct to the embassy...it'll be a little cheaper, though you'll need to factor in the time/hassle potentially needed to get there. Cost will vary according to which passport you carry.

Borders

Thailand

Entering from Thailand is pretty straightforward. Most travellers use the border at Huay Xai (near Chiang Rai) for Luang Prabang or Luang Nam Tha, or the border at the Friendship bridge for Vientiane. If you are crossing at Huay Xai and wish to take the boat to Luang Prabang, you should arrive in the afternoon of the day before and buy your ticket for the following day. If you want to enter Southern Laos, Chong Mek is a pretty straightforward border crossing between Udon Ratchantani and Pakse.

Huay Xai/Xiengkhong

You need to get to Chiang Khong (about an hour from Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand). You'll be dropped at the bus station in Chiang Khong and will then need to jump on a moto/tuk tuk/songthaew to get the rest of the way to the border. You cross the border by a small boat.

Friendship Bridge close to Vientiane

Never done this border but it's a pretty popular crossing point so I'd imagine it's straightforward enough. Trains run to from BKK to Nong Khai (a tuk tuk's ride away from teh border) in about 13 hours.

Chongmek/Vangtao

For travel between Pakse (or the 4000 islands) to Ubon Ratchantani and beyond. When I did this....I took a mini-bus, then a tuk-tuk, and then walked, and then another tuk-tuk and then a taxi to get to Ubon Ratchantani train station! It took ages....but it was kinda fun, though ridiculously HOT! Apparently there is now a bus from Pakse to Ubon Ratchatani direct (from where you can continue to Bangkok) though this might only be once a day. Of course it's cheaper to do the trip on your own. Border crossing itself was fine - a bit of a walk between the Thai - Lao Immigration checkpoints and it was a little confusing but not too bad. I befriended a monk, who helped me find my way through and chatted to me the whole way :)

Others

• If you are travelling south into Cambodia the border between Voeung Kam and Dom Kralor is a hit or miss. Several of my friends have used this border but mostly heading South INTO Cambodia. This border is opening and shutting all the time so check the latest info with other travellers when you are in the region or check on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree. Anyway, if you do wish to try to use this border, you need to get a visa in advance.
• If you want to see the Irrawaddy dolphins, you should join a tour from Don Khong/Don Det in Si Phan Don (4000 islands) and you will be taken on a short boat trip into No Man's Land between the Lao/Cambodian borders. I'm not sure of how/why this works but the immigration officials let you through temporarily to look at the dolphins before you have to recross the border into Laos.
• I have no experience crossing borders from Vietnam into Laos. But I know that you DEFINITELY need a visa obtained in advance to enter Vietnam AT ALL BORDERS.
• Same goes for China. I don't know about the border crossings but you NEED A VISA in ADVANCE.
• As for Burma - I really don't know. MAYBE it's possible but I think there are problems with overland travel in remote parts of Burma - i.e. the government prohibits overland travel in many places so you may need to fly internally to get to wherever you want to go next.

Money

The official currency of the Lao PDR is the kip. You can officially also use USD and Thai Baht for many transactions. It's entirely possible to pay in combinations of all three but this can get kinda confusing for both you and whoever else is involved. When I visited there were no ATMS in the whole country though there are now!! Not a lot though, so research this before you go so it's not a problem later on. Because of the lack of ATMs and difficulties I foresaw in changing traveller's cheques, I carried all the cash I thought I would need for the 3 weeks I was going to be there. That was totally fine. I felt very safe in Laos. Besides, it wasn't a HUGE amount of money I was carrying anyway.

Transport

Bus

The roads are often pretty awful in Laos so be prepared for some bumpy rides. Buses run all over the country though may take a lot longer than you'd expect. It's pretty easy to get a bus on the day you need to travel, though you MAY need to wait for the bus to fill up on less popular routes e.g. heading out to the Bolaven Plateau from Pakse.

Travel between Luang Prabang and Vientiane (via Vang Vieng) is pretty straight forward and several buses ply this route each day. It's not a bad road, and whilst there have been some security issues in the past, travellers take this route ALL the time with few problems. Having said that, I would NOT recommend taking the journey at night-time.

For less popular routes, there may be very few, or only one bus a day, so if possible, try to check the situation out the day before you want to go. As aforementioned, in some situations you may have to wait for the bus to fill up before you can leave the bus terminal! Patience.

Bus travel is super cheap for regular buses, and even for buses with air-con, if you insist. Generally winding down the windows is fine, unless the road is really dusty!

Apparently, if you feel like lashing out, there is a VIP bus from Vientiane to Pakse (through Savannakhat) that is apparently really bloody nice! It's about 110,000kip one way and according to my friends, super comfortable, provides you with meals and is a great way to get a bit of sleep whilst getting to your next destination.

Sawngthaew

Basically big tuk-tuks - generally used for shorter distances in rural/remote areas. They may stop/start a lot to pick up people who flag them down from anywhere on the route, so they can be slow, but they do service pretty remote places! They can be pretty uncomfortable. I remember once travelling for 3 hours in 38degree heat in an extremely overcrowded sawngthaew....the fact that I was being visually and occasionally physically molested by the sawngthaew conductor did little to amuse me, though I did meet some nice people regardless!

Lot Doi Saan

basically wooden buses. Pretty much trucks with a wooden cabin on the back with some seats thrown in. Again, not very comfortable, but they'll get you from A to B, and in some cases you won't have any other choice.

Aeroplane

Flights within Laos have a reputation for being horrible, though I took a flight on Lao Aviation between Vientiane and Pakse (with a stopover at Savannakhet) and it was fine. I booked about a week in advance at a travel agency in Luang Prabang. It was about $US70 one-way.

Boat

The slow boat trip between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang (with a stop overnight at the poxy little town of Pak Beng) is a bottom-numbing but awesome journey. It is pretty slow and not overly comfortable, though it's a very pretty journey. The boat is crowded, there are not enough life jackets (if any) and at times I wouldn't have been surprised if the boat had tipped (the Mekong is a pretty powerful river at points), but it was awesome. When you stop at Pak Beng, you should try ASAP to find accommodation as it is a tiny little town and there are few options available. Most of the options are pretty basic. I ended up bunking in with an American in a very rustic looking place for about 50c! It was basic, but fine for a night! It's good to have a sarong to use as a sheet as the guesthouse you stay at might not have one. The boat trip takes 2 days (about 7-8 hours on the boat each day).

Get on the boat early to get dibs on the best seats (and life-jackets) - not bad to use one for a cushion!

There is also a fast boat that takes about 5-6 hours total to get to Luan Prabang. I don't think it's particularly safe...though if you are brave or stupid or in a hurry or all of the aforementioned, go for it! I wouldn't.

There are also some boat options between Champasak (southern Laos) and the 4000 islands but they seem to stop and start and be dependent on water levels and god knows what else. So this MAY be an option.

Moto

In Vientiane, you can easily get around by moto-taxi, or if you are only moving about the centre, you can also bike/walk. If you want to get out to the statue park (about 25km from the centre) you should hire a motorbike or a driver to get you there. it's totally worth the effort in getting there. You COULD also cycle out there but it's crazy hot and a long way on a gearless bike!

Places

Huay Xai

Basically where you will need to spend a night if you take the slow boat to Luang Prabang. Not a lot here but not a bad place to kip for the night.

Pak Beng

The town you will stop in if you take a slow boat to Luang Prabang. Horrible place. Guesthouses for 50c abound! Drug-pushers abound too.

Luang Prabang

Gorgeous place. Wonderful temples, beautiful location, pretty relaxed vibe...at least it was 5 years ago... allow 2 days for LP and its lovely temples itself, and maybe another 2 days to check out some places in the nearby countryside. Mt Phou Si is a nice place to watch the sunset. The Khouang Sy Waterfalls are beautiful and accessible by motorbike (hire yourself or get someone to drive you) or tuk tuk. You can get to Pak Au caves (filled with Buddhas) via a pick-up truck/share taxi.

Vang Vieng

Is a beautifully located town with several pros and cons. Beautiful karst-filled landscape, chance to see a slice of rural Lao life, rock-climbing, cycling through rice fields.

Links

• Laos - Wikitravel