Ten days, north to capital
The route most people should take on a first visit, run at a pace that leaves room in it. Enters by river, leaves by air, and never spends two consecutive days in a vehicle.
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Group size
- 2 to 8
- Starts
- Huay Xai on the Thai border
- Ends
- Vientiane
- Effort
- Easy to moderate - one optional hill day
- From
- USD 1,090 per person
The route
This is the route we sell most, and it exists because it solves the two problems every first Laos itinerary has: it enters the country at ground level rather than dropping into it, and it stops in enough places for long enough that nowhere feels like a photograph stop.
It is also deliberately unfinished. Two afternoons - one in Luang Prabang, one in Vang Vieng - have nothing in them, and we will not fill them for you unless you ask. Ten-day itineraries with something scheduled in every half day are the reason people come home from Southeast Asia needing a holiday.
If you would rather fly into Luang Prabang and skip the boat, the trip becomes eight days and the price drops by about USD 130. We will tell you we think that is a mistake, and then we will do it.
Day by day
Huay Xai to Pakbeng
Met on the Lao side of the border after immigration, then the slow boat downriver from around 11:00. Six or seven hours between forested hills, arriving at Pakbeng at dusk.
Pakbeng to Luang Prabang
The better of the two river days, with a narrower gorge and villages close to the water. We stop at the Pak Ou caves in the afternoon and dock at Luang Prabang between 16:00 and 17:30.
Luang Prabang on foot
The peninsula, four monasteries chosen because they are different from one another, the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, and a sunset you choose between the hill and a boat.
Kuang Si early, then nothing
Out at 07:30 to reach the falls before the minibuses, back for lunch, then the afternoon is yours. This is the empty half day and we mean it.
North to Nong Khiaw
The road over the pass to the Nam Ou, arriving for lunch. Afternoon on the Pha Daeng trail, an hour of steep steps to the viewpoint over the river bends.
The Nam Ou and Muang Ngoi
The Pha Tok caves where the district sheltered during the bombing, then upriver by boat to Muang Ngoi, a village with no road connection, and a flat walk inland to Ban Na through paddy and bamboo.
South to Vang Vieng
The longest driving day of the trip, about seven hours on Route 13 through Kasi with two proper stops. The karst starts again about 40 minutes before Vang Vieng.
Vang Vieng: caves, the river, and the second empty afternoon
Morning at the Tham Chang and Tham Phu Kham caves and the blue lagoon beside the second one, before the day trippers. Afternoon free - kayak, cycle the west bank villages, or sit still. Balloons go up at dawn if you want one, at your own cost.
To Vientiane
Either the expressway, which takes about an hour and a half, or the train, which takes an hour and is the better story. Afternoon in the capital: the COPE visitor centre, That Luang, and Wat Si Saket with its ten thousand Buddha images.
Vientiane and departure
The morning market, the riverfront, and Buddha Park 25 km downstream if the flight is late enough. Transfer to Wattay airport whenever you need.
Prices
| Group size | Simple | Standard | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | USD 1,590 | USD 2,050 | USD 3,150 |
| 3 - 4 | USD 1,250 | USD 1,650 | USD 2,620 |
| 5 - 6 | USD 1,090 | USD 1,470 | USD 2,380 |
| 7 - 8 | USD 1,020 | USD 1,380 | USD 2,250 |
What is included
What the price includes
- Nine nights with breakfast in the standard you choose
- Two days on the Mekong slow boat with reserved seats
- Private vehicle and driver on every road day
- Licensed English-speaking guide throughout
- All river transport on the Nam Ou
- Eight lunches and two dinners
- All entrance fees, including Kuang Si, Pak Ou, the Vang Vieng caves and COPE
What it does not include
- International and domestic flights
- The Laos visa fee
- Travel insurance
- The Vientiane train fare if you choose the train, around USD 20
- Hot-air balloon at Vang Vieng, around USD 100 per person
- Most dinners, drinks and tips
Pictures
Who this trip does not suit
- Anyone who wants to see the south as well. Ten days does not reach Pakse without wrecking the pace - that is what the fifteen-day route is for.
- Travellers who cannot sit still for two long river days at the start. If that is you, fly into Luang Prabang and take the eight-day version.
- People who want every hour scheduled. Two afternoons are empty on purpose and we will not apologise for them.
- Visitors in March and April who mind haze. This route is northern for its first seven days and those are the two worst months for it.
- Anyone travelling with someone who cannot manage 350 metres of ascent on day five, unless we replace that afternoon, which we are happy to do.
Questions travellers ask most
Can we run this in reverse, Vientiane to the Thai border?
Yes, at the same price. Upriver takes about an hour longer on each of the two boat days, and you finish at Huay Xai for the crossing to Chiang Khong and on to Chiang Rai.
Most people prefer it in the direction shown because arriving in Luang Prabang by river on day two is the best moment of the trip and it works better early.
Should we take the train or the road to Vientiane?
The train is faster and more comfortable, and the stations are a long way from both town centres, so the time saved is smaller than it looks. Tickets have to be bought a few days ahead and sell out in high season.
We book either. If the train is full we use the expressway, which is genuinely quick since it opened.
Is Vang Vieng still a party town?
Not in the way it was a decade ago. The river bars were closed after a series of deaths and the town has repositioned around climbing, caving, kayaking and balloons.
There is still a nightlife strip and you can avoid it entirely. The landscape was always the reason to come and it has not changed.
What if we only have a week?
Drop the slow boat and fly into Luang Prabang, which turns this into eight days, or drop Vang Vieng and Vientiane and take the northern trek instead.
What we would not do is run all six stops in seven days. That is four transfer days out of seven and the trip stops being worth taking.
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Tell us what you want out of Laos
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