Laos is the slowest country in the region and most trips we build here are the add-on to a neighbour. These are the six shapes we start from, built around Luang Prabang and the way in and out.
Ways to travel Laos
Luang Prabang and the railway
Four nights in the old capital, the railway to Vang Vieng for a night and on to Vientiane for one: the essential week.
- 7 days
- Nov–Feb
- Railway booked
- Driver in LP
The slow boat into Laos
From Chiang Rai in Thailand, two days down the Mekong with a night at Pakbeng, arriving at Luang Prabang by water; then the railway south.
- 8–9 days
- Nov–Feb
- Join from Thailand
- Better boats booked
Laos north and south
Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw, the railway to Vientiane, a flight to Pakse for Wat Phou, the Bolaven plateau and the Four Thousand Islands.
- 12 days
- Nov–Feb
- Two flights
- The whole country
Cambodia and Laos
Angkor and Phnom Penh, then Luang Prabang and the Mekong: the two quietest countries in the region in ten gentle days.
- 10 days
- Nov–Feb
- Slow travel
- Older travellers
The Indochina loop
Bangkok, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon and Angkor in three weeks: the classic long trip with Laos in its place.
- 21 days
- Nov–Feb
- Four countries
- One-hour flights
Unhurried Laos
Luang Prabang for five nights with a driver and a sunset boat, the railway to Vientiane for two, and nothing else.
- 8 days
- Nov–Feb
- No early starts but one
- The alms round, once
These are the shapes we build trips around, not fixed departures. Every itinerary is quoted individually in Australian dollars with international flights, internal flights, drivers, accommodation and guides on one booking. Tell us your dates and we will send a draft.
How a Laos itinerary is built
Laos is built around Luang Prabang — three nights minimum, four if the leave allows — and the way in and out. The railway has changed the country: Vientiane to Luang Prabang in two hours through the karst, Vang Vieng in the middle, tickets booked ahead because they sell out. The slow boat from the Thai border is the other way in, two days on the Mekong with a night at Pakbeng, for the party with the time and the taste for it. The north (Nong Khiaw, the Nam Ou) and the south (Pakse, Wat Phou, the Four Thousand Islands) are each a flight or a day’s road and each adds three or four nights. Most Laos trips we build are the add-on to Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia; on its own it is the gentlest week in the region. A car and driver in Luang Prabang, a guide for the temples and the treks, and the alms round done properly on the first morning. The Laos travel guide has the practical layer.
When to go
November to February is cool, dry and clear and the time to go; October and March are the shoulders. April is the hottest month and the burning season, when the north’s valleys fill with smoke and the air quality is poor; we do not route Laos then. May to September is the wet season: green, humid, afternoon storms, the rivers high (the slow boat is at its best and the Nam Ou boats run), and a fraction of the visitors. Pi Mai, the Lao New Year in mid-April, is the water festival; the Luang Prabang boat races in August–September and the That Luang festival in Vientiane in November are worth knowing. The best time to visit Asia page has the calendar.
What every itinerary includes
- Return airfare from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, open-jaw where the route allows; other cities via those three
- Every internal flight, train, boat and transfer, ticketed
- Accommodation chosen by district and by what the night is for, bed configuration confirmed in writing
- A private driver where the country runs on drivers, and licensed guides where a guide changes the day
- Entry and visa checks for every traveller, a pre-departure pack and a day-by-day document
- A quote in Australian dollars, Australian consumer-law protection, and a Cooee contact in Brisbane
Pricing
Quoted per departure in Australian dollars with everything above included. We do not publish from-prices for international itineraries because the season and the accommodation tier move the total by thousands; the country guide and the South-East Asia guide set out the underlying daily numbers.
How to book
Choose a shape above or tell us what you want. Send your dates, departure city and the party through the enquiry form or on 0409 661 342; we check the season against the route, confirm the beds that matter, and send an itinerary and a quote within two working days. A deposit holds it under our booking conditions; travel insurance is required.
Still choosing?
Tours convert; things to do informs. The step before this one is the things-to-do page.