Laos Trip Plan

Hi, my husband and I are looking at the following plan for travelling through Laos be will be coming from Thailand and then travelling into Cambodia after. We are looking at spending about three weeks doing this trip.

5) Chiang Khong -%26gt; Huay Xai (riverside town)

6) Huay Xai -%26gt; Pakbeng (riverside town, half-way point to Luang Prabang)

7) Pakbeng -%26gt; Luang Prabang (temples, riverside town, scenic)

8) Luang Prabang -%26gt; Vang Vieng (scenic, backpacker scene)

9) Vang Vieng -%26gt; Vientiane (capital city, temples, riverside city)

10) Vientiane -%26gt; Tha Khaek (riverside town, caves, scenic)

11) Tha Khaek -%26gt; Savannakhet (riverside town, national parks, colonial architecture)

12) Savannakhet -%26gt; Pakse (riverside town, daytrips)

13) Pakse -%26gt; Champasak (ruins)

14) Champasak -%26gt; Four Thousand Islands - Don Khong, Don Dhet %26amp; Don Khon (scenic, waterfalls, backpacker scene)

15) Four Thousand Islands -%26gt; Kratie (riverside town, dolphins)

Are there any places you would recommend missing? Is there anywhere we should go that we have missed? What minimum times do we need at the main places?

This trip is planned for July/August which I know is the wet season. Is this going to cause us problems because of the weather?

How do you recommend we travel between these places? I know there are some boats and buses.

Thanks for all your help, any advice will be helpful.

Laos Trip Plan

Yes well I would give Vang Vieng a miss and fly to Vientiane from Luang Prabang, but thats me. I don%26#39;t like the druggy hippy scene in VV, even though the Karst landscapes are beautiful.

I notice you are not going to the Plain of Jars. Thats a shame, this is worth seeing.

3 days in LP, a couple in Vientiane, 2 in the Plain of Jars and 2 in Champasak should see you through those places. Be aware that travelling in Laos always takes longer than you think.

Laos Trip Plan

That trip would take 5 weeks, unless you are flying from LP-VTE, VTE-Pakse, etc. Overland takes time, my dears.

Agree with Rufus that the Plain of Jars should not be missed. Try to spend 2-3 days there and see the old town and surrounding villages, Tham Piew Cave, etc...

Where do we need to stay to see the plain of jars? what is there to do here that is going to take 2-3 days?

The town is called Phonsavan, in Xieng Khuang province. There are several sites of enormous stone ';jars';, of unexplained origin. My homepage has some pictures of them.

www.gakineko.org

Hi,

My husband and I just returned from Laos and we loved it! You%26#39;ll have a blast. But, I do think your itinerary is a little ambitious. You only have 3 weeks, and you can pretty much consider any day you%26#39;re en route to somewhere else no good for much else. Someone else noted that travel takes longer than you think, and it absolutely does. And, it%26#39;s not pleasant - AC is rare, even if they say they%26#39;ll have it!

I agree with the other reply to skip Vang Vieng and fly from LP to Vientiane. My husband and I like to party, but VV was a little over the top for us and there was not really any culture, or anything to do but drink beer or do adventure sports. It took nearly 8 hours by bus to get there from LP (a pretty treacherous drive), and 5 hours to get from VV to Vientaine. I really recommend flying any time it%26#39;s possible, if you can afford it. Otherwise, you%26#39;re wasting your precious time!

Regarding the Plain of Jars, I would not recommend using some of your precious travel time going there and back, unless you%26#39;re really into archeology or history. You spend hours riding a bus to see it (again, NOT pleasant), and it%26#39;s not really en route to anywhere else - the Jars are your destination...hours and hours just to see the Jars? I don%26#39;t understand.

Honestly, if I were you, I would choose at the most 5-6 places (Luang Prabang and 4,000 Islands are must-do%26#39;s; also, have you heard of the Gibbons Experience? It%26#39;s supposed to be great) for your 3 weeks in Laos. Otherwise, you%26#39;re just going to be sitting on a bus or a boat the whole time!

Best of luck!

Thanks for your ideas, I will look into flights.

What%26#39;s the Gibbons experience?

Thanks

Eh? Hours drive to the Plain of Jars? I don%26#39;t think so and I live here. The Plain of Jars is a 35 minute flight from Vientiane. Lao Airlines have some excellent deals to there including accommodation.

I personally think this is one of the most interesting archeological sites in Laos. Depends whether you are interested in that sort of thing though.

I met a group who was on their way back from a 10-hour bus trip from the Plain of Jars to Vientiane - I guess maybe that%26#39;s not normal!

The Gibbons Experience is north of Luang Prabang and you can look it up online. I have friends who stayed there and lived in treehouses with ziplines, and got to interact with the wildlife - it%26#39;s a big wildlife preserve in the forest. They loved it but said that it books up quickly so if you%26#39;re interested, you should check it out soon!

Waste o%26#39; bloody time to bus ANYTHING more than 8 hours if flights are available! Fly to Phonsavan!!!!

I think that if I fly for every leg of my trip that is going to be 8 hours it%26#39;s going to end up being a very expensive trip from the price of flights I have seen.

Are there cheap flights that I have missed? Where would I find these?

Thanks

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