Gorgeous green landscapes, beautiful temples, authentic culture and an array of adventurous activities, Laos is a great country to visit whilst in South East Asia. My initial plan was to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia and I hadn’t actually planned to visit Laos. It was only after meeting lots of other backpackers in Thailand who had recommended to me to visit Laos. They had said how underrated and how much of a hidden gem it was, I thought why not?
Although Laos is a moderately large Asian country and destinations are very spread out, it is very easy to travel from place to place using public transport. Travelling from each destination can take a long time in Laos so remember to account for this although the main destinations can easily be seen in a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, I was in Laos during the COVID-19 outbreak and as a result, I was unable to travel any further than the north after going into lockdown in Vientiane. Due to this, my itinerary was significantly altered. I ended up spending a longer time in some destinations and was unable to visit others. If you have more time, I would recommend visiting the south (Don Det, 4000 islands in the Mekong Delta) and (The Khet motorbike loop) as these are supposed to be awesome.
Here is my two-week itinerary for Laos. I have given a brief overview of where I stayed, things to do and how to travel between each destination. For more information on my two favourite places- Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng check out my other blog articles 😊
How did I get to Laos?
From Chang Rai in Thailand, I took the bus into Laos. It was going to be a long journey from Chang Rai to Luang Prabang so I decided to stay just over the border in Bokeo for one night.
Contents
Bokeo (1 night)
Bokeo is a very small province with very little there. I only stopped there as I had no strict time scale and wanted to take my time. From the border, I took a shared shuttle to Bokeo, it was a short journey approximately 10 minutes. I stayed the night in a hotel, wandered around and checked out the sunset by the river, had some food and then had an early night ready to leave the next day to Luang Prabang.
Where to stay?
Things to do
- Wat Chomkao Manilat
- The Gibbon Experience
- Walk along the Mekong riverside.
Where next?
The following day I took the night bus to Luang Prabang. I was picked up at 4.30pm and taken to the bus stop ready to board the 6pm bus. The journey took between 12-13 hours and cost around 170,000 kip each which is around (£16.00) $20 dollars per person. Large backpacks are stored underneath the bus and you keep your personal belongings with you. The bus has two levels with beds on each. Beds are for two people and blankets and pillows are also provided. The bus stops once for a ‘dinner’ (in the middle of the night) and toilet break. It was a long journey but the bus was relatively comfortable. The bus is very popular with backpackers and locals and therefore after half an hour, it was full (video below is as soon as I got on). As the beds are for two people, you could be unexpectedly sleeping next to a random person for 12 hours.
Quite a funny but strange experience! If you don’t feel comfortable doing this and there is space, you can request to move.
Luang Prabang (3 days)
I arrived in Luang Prabang at 5.30 am and was dropped off in the centre of the city. Luang Prabang is a very touristy destination with plenty of bars, restaurants and lots of things to do and see, including the famous Kuang Si Waterfall. You can easily spend a good few days in Luang Prabang if you’re happy to take your time and relax but you can probably see the main sites in 3 or 4 days.
Where to stay?
- Mad monkey hostel– swimming pool, bike rental, central location.
- Downtown backpackers’ hostel.
Must do things
- Kuang Si waterfall
- Alms giving ceremony
- Mount Phousi hill
- Sunset river boat
- Night market
Read my 3 days in Luang Prabang blog for more information and to read about the best things to do whilst in Luang Prabang.
Where next?
The following day I took a shared shuttle bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. It took around 4 hours and was a very windy journey and as I am the sickliest passenger on public transport, it was not a pleasant journey. Top tip-take sickness tablets!
Vang Vieng (7 days)
Vang Vieng is my favourite place to visit in Laos. With miles and miles of beautiful landscapes and a huge range of adventurous activities on offer here, you should definitely add Vang Vieng to your itinerary. There are so many things to do here and a great night life, you could easily spend a week or more here (like I did).
Where to stay?
Must do things
- Tubing
- Rent a buggy
- Blue lagoons
- Nam Xay viewpoint
Read my blog about the 5 must-do things whilst in Vang Vieng.
Where to next?
I then travelled from Vang Vieng to Vientiane by shared shuttle. Again, the journey took around 4 hours and was not the most pleasant journey because of how many people were cramped into a very small bus. Nevertheless, it was fairly cheap (approximately $10 dollars) and a simple and easy way to get to Vientiane.
Vientiane (3 days recommend)
Due to the COVID-19 situation, I ended up going to the capital Vientiane and staying there for around 10 days whilst trying to leave the country. After several flight cancellations, I ended up having to go into lockdown in Vientiane and was therefore there for longer than expected.
In normal circumstances, I would recommend only a couple of days for Vientiane. There are some cool places to visit in the city however I would say you can see them all in a couple of days.
Where to stay?
There are a lot of cool hostels and hotels in Vientiane offering great prices and swimming pools. As we were in lockdown, I had to stay in an apartment with a kitchen to be able to cook due to the restaurants closing. Here are some of the places I stayed within my 10 days and also a couple of hostels that friends stayed in before the lockdown began.
- Samsa apartments and resort
- Vientiane luxury hotel
- Central boutique hotel
- Bed terminal hostel and Café
- Barn 1920’s hostel.
What to do?
- Patuxai victory monument
- Pha That Luang Stupa
- Night market
- Buddha park
To conclude, regardless of the fact my experience was slightly different because of the COVID-19 situation, I still had an awesome time in Laos and really enjoyed exploring the north of the country. It is a very beautiful country with amazing landscapes, temples and lots of fun and adventurous activities.
If you have any questions or recommendations about this post, please comment below.