Getting to and around northern Laos
Coming from Bangkok, or from far away:
Fly to Bangkok and then you have several options:
Get either a dirt-cheap domestic flight, or the comfortable, inexpensive train, from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Then follow the directions from northern Thailand below.
Fly to Luang Prabang and follow the directions from Luang Prabang below.
Warning: Bangkok has two airports, BKK (the main intercontinental airport) and DMK (short haul only). If you change planes in Bangkok, be careful not to accidentally schedule a change of airports as well, unless you’re staying in Bangkok overnight
Coming from northern Thailand (Chaing Mai, Chaing Rai, Pai etc.):
Get a bus to Chiang Khong. Tell the bus driver that you want to go to Laos, and they will drop you at the junction just before you reach Chiang Khong town. Shared tuk tuks will be waiting there to take you to the border for a fixed price of 50 baht (price as of February 2024). You will usually pay that to your bus driver, not to the tuk-tuk driver directly. After exiting Thailand, an international bus (cost 25 baht, cash only) will drive you across the river to the Lao border post in Huay Xay. Visa on arrival is available here, cost US$40 or 1,500 baht in CASH ONLY - dollar banknotes must be crisp with no tears or markings, dated 2009 or newer. After entering Laos, tuk-tuks will be waiting to take you into Huay Xai — cost is usually around 70,000 kip, although they will also accept baht.
From there, your options are:
(1) Enjoy the local area. Do the wonderful Gibbon Experience if you were lucky enough to get a place on it, more info here . And/or take a bus up to Luang Namtha for the best trekking in all of Laos. More info here
(2) Take the 2-day slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, more info here. This can be a very relaxing way to see village life, if the boat isn’t horribly overcrowded. (To avoid crowding, you may prefer to pay more for the comfort of the Shompoo Cruise). But the boat is not a good way to see jungle — the jungle along the Mekong has been almost completely destroyed and replaced with rubber plantations. For jungle, go to Luang Namtha (see point above).
(3) Take the one-day 8-hour speedboat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. These boats are fast, small, loud and uncomfortable. They’re no good for photographers because you have to sit completely still. And if the driver hits a rock or sand bar (which is highly unlikely because they know the river very well, but possible), you’ll be injured with no access to health care. But people with a need for speed usually love it.
(3) Take a 4-hour express shuttle bus from Huay Xai to Na Toey (sometimes spelled Natuey) and then the train as far south as you want to go. This is a great 1-day option to get netween Luang Prabang and Huay Xai if you get the 4-hour shuttle bus. If you accidentally board the slow bus (an easy mistake to make if you don’t speak Lao), it will take you 10 hours to reach Na Toey.
(5) Take a bus to Luang Namtha for trekking (see point 1 above) and then another bus to Nong Khiaw for stunning scenery), more info here
Coming from Vietnam:
Many border crossings with Vietnam (for example, the one between Dien Bien Phu and Muang Khua) DO NOT offer either eVisa or Visa on Arrival. So if coming from Vietnam by bus, you probably need to get your Lao visa in person at the Lao consulate in Hanoi. (But if you fly from Hanoi to Luang Prabang or Vientiane, you can use either eVisa or Visa on Arrival in the airports). The most common bus route is via Dien Bien Phu and the Tay Trang / Pang Hok border crossing, to Muang Khua. From Muang Khua you can get either a bus or boat to continue anywhere in the region.
Coming from Luang Prabang:
If you are going to Nong Khiaw (for stunning karst scenery), to Muang Ngoi (for a roadless village in an idyllic setting) and/or to Muang Khua (en route to northern Vietnam), take a 4-hour bus to Nong Khiaw, spend 1-2 days there and then continue north on the Ou River by boat.
If headed to Luang Namtha to trek amongst the Hill tribes, you have three options. The fastest is to take the train to Nateuy (sometimes spelled Na Toey), and then it’s a short bus ride to Luang Namtha. The most scenic (if you have time) is to take a 4-hour bus to Nong Khiaw first, spend a few days there and in Muang Ngoi, and then take an all-day bus to Luang Namtha. The most relaxing is to take the Slow Boat to Huay Xay and then an express shuttle bus.
If you are going to Huay Xay (either to go to northern Thailand, or for the Gibbon Experience), you’re probably planning to take the 2-day Mekong Slow boat, which is is discussed in detail here. That’s relaxing, but you may want to consider other options:
Fast option #1: Take the train to Na Toey (sometimes spelled “Nateuy”), and you’ll find shuttle buses waiting at the station to take you to Huay Xay in 4-5 hours (which is very fast by Lao standards). These buses can also drop you off in Luang Namtha. If you need to get from LP to Huay Xay in one day, this is the best option.
Fast Option #2: The Mekong speedboats. These are small, very loud and fast boats that only take a few passengers each. You have to sit completely still, so this is no good for photographers. And in the highly unlikely event that your very experienced pilot hits a rock or sand bar, you’re likely to be badly hurt with no access to health care. But people who love speed love these boats.
The most scenic option: There is a daily bus going LP - Nong Lhiaw - Luang Namtha - Huay Xay. It takes about 13 hours non-stop and I don’t recommend that, but that’s a stunningly beautiful route if you can stop along the way to spend a few days in Nong Khiaw and/or Luang Namtha.
If headed to Phongsali in the very remote, ethnically Chinese far north, take the night bus from Luang Prabang departing around 4 PM, or the train to Muang Xay / Oudomxay and then the all-day bus departing early morning.
Coming from Vientiane:
There are non-stop flights from Vientiane to many cities in northern Laos. But the planes are small and subject to cancellation in bad weather. Alternatively (and this is also best from Vang Vieng) take the train to Luang Prabang or Muang Xay / Oudomxay and then a bus.
Coming from southern Laos:
Comfortable, inexpensive night buses depart Pakse in the evening, stop in Thakhek around 2:00 AM, and arrive in Vientiane around 08:00 or 09:00 AM. Then you can take take a train to Luang Prabang or Muang Xay / Oudomxay and continue further by bus.
Travel within the region of northern Laos:
Between Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi, the only option is riverboat and it runs once per day, taking a little over one hour and very easy to do. Between Muang Ngoi and Muang Khua, the only option is riverboat, and it runs most days but not always. Between Nong Khiaw and Muang Khua, you can either take that same boat (definitely my preference) or a long, uncomfortable bus ride. Note that when travelling by boat to or from Muang Khua, you and your luggage will have to change boats several times to get around the Chinese dams.
When travelling between almost any other towns of interest to a tourist, you’ll find a bus at least once per day.
The train between Luang Prabang and the Chinese border runs several times per day, stopping in Muang Xay / Oudomxay and Na Toey (sometimes spelled “Nateuy”), and crosses the border at Boten.
All of northern Laos is quite mountainous, so road transport is much slower here than in southern Laos or the rest of Indochina. By contrast, the new high-speed train is fast, but don’t expect to see much scenery while riding it – because of the mountains, you’ll be in tunnels most of the time.
