Laos

Laos, officially known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia. A mountainous and landlocked country, Laos shares borders with Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar and China to the north.

Thailand promotes itself as amazing, Vietnam can well be described as bustling, Cambodia’s Khmer temples are awe-inspiring… but the adjective that was most often applied to Laos is forgotten. This is changing fast however, with tourism being the biggest growth sector in Laos with ever rising visitor numbers under its new tourism slogan ‘Simply beautiful’.

Visitors who are drawn by the laid-back lifestyle and the opportunity to watch the sunsets on the Mekong will simply explain the attraction by revealing that the true meaning of “Lao PDR” is Lao – Please Don’t Rush.

Travelers on a tight budget should be aware that prices here can be several times that of neighboring Thailand. The equivalent distance of that 140 baht economy bus ride Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai will cost 60000 kip (300 baht) from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha. 500 grams of boiled rice you might get for 15 baht in the Thai market will cost 5000 kip (25 baht) in Laos. 1.5lt bottled water (13-15 baht 7-11) also 5000 kip. The list goes on. But you can drown your sorrows for slightly less in Lao.

Climate

Laos has three distinct seasons:

• The hot season is from March to May, when temperatures can soar as high as 40°C.
• The slightly cooler wet season is from May to October, when temperatures are around 30°C, tropical downpours are frequent (especially July-August), and, in some years, the Mekong will flood.
• The dry season from November to March, which has low rainfall and temperatures as low as 15°C (or even to zero in the mountains at night), is “high season” (when the most tourists are in the country). However, towards the end of the dry season, the northern parts of Laos — basically everything north of Luang Prabang — can become very hazy due to farmers burning fields and fires in the forests.

How to get to Laos

The international airports at Vientiane and Luang Prabang are served by national carrier Lao Airlines and a few others, including AirAsia from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways (Luang Prabang only) and Vietnam Airlines. Some seats on flights of Vietnam Airlines are reserved for Lao Airlines (code-sharing / better price). Pakse is the third international airport, with flights to/from Siem Reap (Vientiane – Pakse – Siem Reap by Lao Airlines) and from/to Ho Chi Minh City.

A cheap option for getting to Vientiane is to fly to Udon Thani in Thailand with discount airlines Nok Air or Air Asia and connect to Nong Khai and the Friendship Bridge via shuttle service directly from the airport (40 minutes); from here Vientiane is just 17km away. There are regular buses between Vientiane and Udon Thani town taking around 2.5 hours. From Vientiane they cost 22,000 Kip (or 24,000 on “peak” days).

If you’re coming from Chiang Mai, please note that there are no ATM or money changing facilities at the international departure terminal of the airport. If you’re planning to get a visa on arrival in Laos, make sure you get enough US dollars “‘in town’” before you leave for the airport. Thai baht are also accepted, but at very inflated rates.