Barefoot monks in orange robes walk in a line at dawn as kneeling locals offer alms in Luang Prabang.

Laos

The one people wish they had given longer

Laos is the slowest of the three countries and the one travellers most often regret rushing. Two nights in Luang Prabang is a transit stop; four is a different holiday.

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Places

What Laos adds

Pace, mostly. Vietnam is loud and fast and Cambodia is hot and heavy; Laos is neither. Luang Prabang is a small town of temples and French shophouses wrapped in a bend of the Mekong, and its chief pleasure is that there is not very much to do and the town is beautiful enough that this does not matter. Beyond it, the country is mountains, rivers and very few people.

3-4 nights

Luang Prabang

Three nights, four if you can. The heart of any Laos trip.

1-2 nights

Vang Vieng

Two nights. Grown up a lot since its reputation was made.

1 night

Vientiane

One night. A pleasant capital and not the reason you came.

Wide river channel with palm-lined banks and small huts in Si Phan Don, Laos

2-3 nights

4,000 Islands

Three nights of hammocks at the bottom of the country.

A long bridge spans the muddy Mekong River near Pakse, seen through green foliage from a hillside viewpoint.

2 nights

Pakse and the Bolaven

Two nights of coffee farms and waterfalls.

Crossing

Getting there from Vietnam

Flying is the sensible answer: Hanoi to Luang Prabang is under two hours and Saigon connects through Vientiane. The land borders from Vietnam are open and they are long days on mountain roads — sixteen to twenty hours from Hanoi to Luang Prabang by bus, which is an experience rather than a transfer.

The visa detail that catches people

Laos issues an e-visa and a visa on arrival, and they are not valid at the same places. The e-visa works at a limited list of ports which has not historically included the Vietnamese land borders, where a visa on arrival is the correct route. We check the specific gate on your route before you book.

When to come

Timing

November to February is dry, cool in the mornings and the best all-round window. March and April bring heat and, in the north, agricultural burning that can leave a persistent haze — it is the one period we would steer a photographer away from. May to October is the green season, with heavy afternoon rain, full waterfalls and the Mekong high enough for the river boats to run properly.

Not for everyone

Who Laos does not suit

If you have ten days for Southeast Asia, leave Laos out. It does not reward a two-night stop, the internal distances are long and slow, and you will spend a disproportionate share of a short trip in transit. Add it when you have three weeks, or make it the whole trip.

It is also the wrong country if you want nightlife, shopping or resort beaches — there is no coast. What it has is rivers, temples, mountains and quiet, and if that list sounds thin then it honestly is not your trip.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How many nights does Laos need?

Five as a leg of a bigger trip: three in Luang Prabang and two elsewhere. Ten to twelve for the country on its own, north and south.

Is the slow boat down the Mekong worth doing?

The two-day boat from the Thai border to Luang Prabang is a genuine journey and a hard wooden seat. Worth it if you want the river; skip it if two days of sitting is not your idea of a holiday.

Can I combine Laos and Vietnam overland?

Yes, and it is a long day on a mountain road with a visa-on-arrival at the gate. We will price both the overland and the flight so you can decide whether the day is worth it.

Is Luang Prabang expensive?

More than Vietnam for hotels, about the same for food. The good small hotels there are genuinely good and fill early in the dry season.

Laos