The cooler, drier period is late October to February, hot and dry from March and April with the rainy season lasting from May to Sept/Oct. We avoid the the wettest month of Sept and hottest months of March and April but other periods are all fine. Nov to Feb is the high season but there are many advantages to visiting in the quieter rainy, or 'green' season.

For more detailed info you can refer to our Best Time to Visit Laos post.

Also known as the 'green season', during May to August the tourist traffic is down to a trickle and airline prices much cheaper. Landscapes will be lush and green, rivers and waterfalls at their most spectacular and the fauna more active and plentiful. Showers tend to be short and sharp and often at night so worst case sees us sheltering in a coffee shop for 30 minutes or so.

We'd say our small group tours are ideal for single travellers. Small, fully-escorted groups, with family-style communal meals, go towards making you feel like you are travelling more with a group of friends than a typical tour group. There are no single-person supplements although if you don’t want to share then ask about single-room supplements.

We are happy to include your return flights from the UK to Laos. There are currently no direct flights but a wide range of options via Bangkok are available using airlines such as Thai, Emirates and Qatar. Our 'with flight' prices on the website are approximate due to price fluctuations, but we'll do our best to find the best prices and routes for you.

At present, no inoculations are obigatory for Laos although polio, hepaititus A, typhoid and tetanus are all recommended. If you are thinking of taking any antimalarials we strongly recommend you consult a specialist.

A useful resource for travel health info is the Travel Health Pro site.

According to the latest WHO information the highest risk of malaria is in the mountainous, jungle areas of the southeast bordering Vietnam. Vientiane is noted as zero or very low risk while Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng also low risk. They also note that nationwide malaria rates have fallen spectacularly from some 1/2 million in 1997 to just over 2000 in 2023.

Note that while tipping is always discretionary, local staff certainly appreciate a gesture for all their hard work and efforts. It's hard to give a precise guideline as tips will depend upon both the size of your and the length of your tour but additional information and suggestions can be found on the relevant tour pages.

You will be asked to pay a 10% confirmation deposit upon booking your tour with the balance due no less than 60 days prior to the departure date. There are no surcharges for card payments and all major cards are accepted.

As much as possible we select small, boutique-style hotels and in general accommodation falls into the 3* category with a/c and ensuite bathrooms. Note that in remoter areas such as the far northeast, our choice is correspondingly more restricted.

On our Laos tours approximately half the meals will be included and half 'free'. Our emphasis is on authentic local cuisine and inclusive meals will be eaten local-style in restaurants selected by our experienced guides while non-inclusive meals allow you to do your own thing and avoid any risk of getting 'riced-out'.

While the fish and meat-orientated Lao cuisine doesn't offer quite the same range for vegetarians as say Thailand or Malaysia there will be plenty of options available and our experienced guides will be on hand to advise and recommend.

Lao people are very easy-going and the culture very tolerant however it is still very conservative in rural areas so public signs of affection - of any orientation - may be perceived as embarrassing by local people.