Small group tours to Laos

Vientiane We’ve run through our favourite see and dos in  Vientiane before so this post is more of an overall description and brief rundown on the history of the laid-back Lao capital.(1) Although of course growing, it is still by some distance the smallest of the various Southeast Asian capitals with an estimated 215,000 inhabiting the downtown area, increasing to…

The quaint riverside town with its old French period architecture and ancient temples gives its name to this South Lao Province

Kuang Si Waterfall The picturesque waterfalls, turquoise cascades and limestone-edged ponds of Kuang Si, nestled amid forest some 30 kilometres southwest of Luang Prabang, are an understandably popular destination with both locals and foreign visitors. Though not far from town, it did used to be a bit of an arduous trip along either muddy or dusty, but always bumpy, trails…

Lao money | Which currencies would I be using on a tour of Laos and how much should I take?

Wat Phu Wat Phu and associated vestiges, situated in the vicinity of Champassak Town in southern Laos, comprise the ancient Hindu temple itself, an eclectic collection of outlying sanctuaries and the remains of at least two significant-sized ancient settlements. Much of what we see today at Wat Phu dates to the 11th century and the reign of King Suryavarman I,…

Highlights of Southern Laos The picturesque World Heritage town of Luang Prabang in northern Laos is justifiably renowned, as are the spectacular, karst formations of scenic Vang Vieng. The strategically placed, riverside capital Vientiane also, inevitably, sees a regular flow of visitors but many of the other wonderful sites Laos has to offer remain consistently off-the-beaten-track. Our brief rundown of some…

The Plain of Jars The World Heritage Plain of Jars, situated in remote northeastern Laos, is a seriously off-the-beaten-track destination although, fortuitously, visits are facilitated by Xieng Khouang Airport which serves the adjacent town of Phonsavan and provides daily connections to the capital Vientiane. At present, the far-flung provincial capital has just three road connections. Route 7 leads west to…

Luang Prabang The picturesque town of Luang Prabang is justifiably one of the highlights of the small, landlocked Southeast Asian nation of Laos. The historic, ancient northern capital, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list back in 2013, comes with a stunning location – nestled amid mountains on the banks of the Mekong – and houses a mixture of ancient Buddhist…

Best things to see and do in Vientiane The relatively small capital of relatively small Laos slips under the radar in comparison to larger and more high-profile Southeast Asian capitals such as Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and even Phnom Penh but, while it is very much a low-key and laid-back kind of city, (so much the better), there are certainly…

When’s the best time to visit Laos? Probably the most frequently asked question in respect to this part of Southeast Asia is ‘when’s the best time to visit Laos’. In our opinion, there’s no simple answer so read on for a brief overview of Laos weather and a few of the pros and cons of travel at different times of…

Lao or Laos Lao or Laos, what’s that little country called again? Visitors frequently get confused between Cambodian and Khmer, aren’t always sure whether they should be saying Burma or Myanmar and we’ve also even heard people referring to the inhabitants of Thailand as Thailandese. However, the small, land-locked and mountainous country of Lao or Laos probably comes out on…

Lao E-visa A new online, Lao E-Visa system is now in place and valid for entry at the following immigration points: Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Luang Prabang International Airport, Pakse International Airport and land crossings at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Vientiane and the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge II, Savannakhet. (Note it is not available at the Friendship Bridge IV, which connects…