Travel advice for Laos
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Laos
- Asia
- Laos
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Laos isn’t a huge country, but getting around it can take time – especially if you veer away from the usual tourist trail. The classic route, “Between Two Capitals”, is deservedly popular with visitors wanting a quick introduction to Laos, with a good mix of cities and natural beauty, plus plenty of tourist comforts along the way. The other two itineraries suggested here require more time, but reward handsomely with sleepy temples, plunging waterfalls, hill-tribe treks and mysterious ruins.
22 days / from4799 USD
The Ultimate Southeast Asia Grand Tour
Explore the highlights of four countries in a bit over 3 weeks: Halong Bay & the Mekong Delta in Vietnam combined with the cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Proceed to Cambodia with Angkor Wat before watching the monks in Luang Prabang/Laos. Your trip ends in Thailand with elephants and Bangkok.
view tour ⤍6 days / from1550 USD
Historical Laos
One of Southeast Asia’s lesser-known countries, Laos is definitely off the beaten track, but it has retained its culture, charm and traditional village life, wild jungle and stunning countryside. Come here for tradition and mystery and a unique adventure.
view tour ⤍21 days / from4545 USD
Impressions of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
Start and end your trip in Ho Chi Minh City and visit highlights such as the Mekong Delta, Phnom Penh with the Killing Fields, Angkor Wat, the historic city of Luang Prabang in Laos before heading back to Vietnam - Hanoi, Halong Bay and Hoi An await.
view tour ⤍4 days / from720 USD
Laos Elephants & Jungle
Fascinating and rewarding, Laos is a charming and traditional destination that is very much off the beaten track. With plenty of activities to appeal to everyone, from elephants and temples to jungle and waterfalls, it’s just the place for a great family adventure.
view tour ⤍15 days / from4400 USD
A Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos Adventure
Make the most of your time in South East Asia and discover not 1 but 3 exciting countries. From Vietnam to Cambodia and Laos you will get the know the locals, visit ancient temples, relax on a cruise, get a taste of Buddhism and so much more. This itinerary will show you the wonders of Asia.
view tour ⤍11 days / from1950 USD
Indochina's Unique UNESCO Treasures
Experience Indochina's finest UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Marvel at magnificent limestone karsts at Vietnam's Halong Bay, wander the winding colonial streets of Luang Prabang, a bastion of Laotian culture, and of course, be inspired by Cambodia's stunning Angkor temple complex!
view tour ⤍If you are planning your travel to Laos yourself, use these itineraries created by our travel writers as a starting point for inspiration.
Easily covered in two or three relaxed weeks, this route takes in some of southern Laos’s most picturesque spots, with plenty of hammock time built in.
1. Savannakhet
Start in the south’s colonial gem, where sun-yellowed villas have been restored as restaurants, hotels and tour offices organizing treks into nearby jungles.
2. Pakse
This thriving Mekong city is a natural base for trips around the Bolaven Plateau, and is within easy day-tripping distance of sleepy silk-weaving villages.
3. Tad Lo
A chilled backpacker community is growing up near the base of these falls, which slosh splendidly over rounded rocks and swimming holes.
4. Tad Fan and Tad Yuang
After touring the Bolaven Plateau’s coffee plantations, take a dip at Tad Yuang, a picture-perfect dual cascade. The much taller Tad Fan, surrounded by dense jungle, is just a kilometre away.
5. Champasak
Dusty orange light lends a magical feel to mornings and evenings in this town on the Mekong’s west bank, once the capital of a bustling kingdom.
6. Wat Phou
A Khmer ruin to rival many of the temples at Angkor, Wat Phou occupies a prime location beneath pristine forests.
7. Si Phan Don
On its final push through Laos, the Mekong splits into a web of serene tropical islets, inviting island-hopping tourists to kick back with a glass or two of lào-láo.
Travelling through the mountainous north can be tough, with cooler temperatures and cramped bus rides that make even the locals feel queasy. Allow yourself around two weeks for this route.
1. Vieng Xai
Monuments are all that remain of plans to make this chilly communist backwater the new Lao capital after the Pathet Lao successfully hid out in its caves.
2. Sam Neua
It’s not big on sights, but Sam Neua is a good base for textile enthusiasts. The region’s designs are some of the most sophisticated in all of Laos.
3. Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars
Cluster munitions dropped during the Second Indochina War still litter the Plain of Jars, famed for its mysterious stone urns.
4. Nong Khiaw
Surrounded by karst mountains, Nong Khiaw makes an ideal base for trekking, cycling and kayaking trips.
5. The Nam Ou
Take a scenic boat ride along this lazy river, parts of which are still edged by impenetrable jungle.
6. Phongsali
Let the crisp air of this small, high-altitude town soothe the soul before setting out on a trek to local hill-tribe villages.
7. Nam Ha NBCA
Biking and hiking trips through this protected area are best organized in Luang Namtha, a relaxed centre that’s home to the north’s best-value accommodation.
This route is well trodden, with good road and river connections, and could easily be covered in ten days. Allow an extra week if you want to spend time exploring the countryside around Vang Vieng.
1. Houayxai
Once a staging post for Chinese merchants, this little border town is now best known as the launching point for slow boat rides to Luang Prabang.
2. Luang Prabang
A mountain kingdom for more than a millennium, Laos’s former capital has blossomed into a world-class tourist destination, yet retains its exotic charm.
3. Vang Vieng
Set among epic karsts, the notorious backpacker capital is slowly shaking off its bad reputation and emerging as an outdoor playground for active travellers.
4. Ang Nam Ngum
Fresh fish and boat rides draw Lao families to this vast, island-speckled reservoir, created with the damming of the Nam Ngum river.
5. Vientiane
The engine room of modern Laos is a fast-growing Asian city, but traces of French rule are still seen everywhere, from wide boulevards to street-side baguette stands.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Laos
written by Andy Turner
updated 26.04.2021