The beauty of Laos
Laos is the fourth step of our beautiful adventure. It’s a country you have to discover because it is full of authenticity. We have been stunned by the countryside’s beauty, the incredible number of minorities living in Laos and the omnipresent ochre colour of the land everywhere in the country. We’ve been completely charmed by the « Sabaïdee » from the many children we met, the global welcome and the good mood of Lao people.
You can find in this article, some general information about Laos, what we did and enjoyed the most, how to travel in the country, some ideas of local food and our budget for this trip. We share also with you our good addresses and some advices to help you discover this nice country. We spend one month in Laos, from mid-December to mid-January. We travelled only by public transport in the country.
The country is still in development, it brings good and bad sides. The tourism is developing but the mass tourism doesn’t exist yet. It’s pleasant and easy to leave the beaten paths to isolate oneself and share with local populations. First the communication is complicated all over the country because few people speak English. So, it will be the right time to improve your body language. Of course, the tourism is increasing and it is a good thing for Lao people and as far as the economy is concerned.
Additionally, one major difficulty in Laos are the journeys through the country which can be really exhausting. Beside the main road which is often under civil works, the secondary roads are in a really bad condition. There is still lots of unpaved roads and so really dusty. This makes the travels in bus or mini-van sometime long and uncomfortable, so better be prepared and accept it!
Personally, even if we were a bit shaken on unpaved roads, we enjoyed the landscaping and Lao real life. We prefer this than watch the Chinese government builds huge highways in the country which destroys forests and forces some community to be relocated. For more information about how to travel in the country you can refer to the “transport” section below. You can also find our detailed itinerary « here ». It contains all the cities visited. For each city we put a small description, some advices, few pictures and our daily journal. If you click on the “travel lines” you can find some other information about the price, the time it takes and the transport way used.
The landscapes are magnificent, such impressive and really different from each others. They are mostly still wild and construction free. Unfortunately, more and more fields are sold and managed by Chinese government which brings the destruction of the nature.
We loved discover the Lao culture and watch their habits and way of life, which are sometimes rudimentary. We passed through villages and observed people going to the only water point of the village to shower, do the laundry. Watch them do their cooking outside their house on small fire.
We also learned about the very hard and sad history of the country, as during the Vietnam war the American did bomb some Laos region for nearly ten years. Laos is the most bombed country in the world and the population is still suffering today.
Laos has a lot to offer, amazing landscapes, history, culture… To continue to help you organize your future trip, here are our crushes in North’s Laos:
1. Phongsali : It is the most northerly city of the country; it is perched in the middle of mountains. To reach the town, it takes 6 hours of bus on curve roads from Oudomxai. It is a long trip but it’s worth it. The region isn’t very touristic which is surprising because it is full of breathtaking landscapes! It is a great place to do solo trekking around the Lao mountains and meet the local minorities. The museum is a good starting point to have knowledge about the several minorities and their culture.
2. Muang Ngoi et Nong Khiaw : both villages are near from each other, just parted from one boat hour. To respond to the tourism demand Muang Ngoi and Nong Khiaw have been arranged with lots of restaurants and guesthouses. But despite these developments, both have kept their authenticity. They are the perfect places to enjoyed wonderful hiking in the nature and appreciate the beauty around you. We advise you to stay at least few days in each town to have time to impregnate and benefit from the peaceful atmosphere, shut from the rest of the world.
3. Phonsavan : this North-East region of the country is often forgotten by the tourists who are here for short time. And yet this part of the country is rich of history. We loved discover the Jars plain and its mysteries, and learn a bit more about the tragic bombardments suffered by Lao people. We also had the opportunity to enjoy nice walks in the countryside. As often in Laos, we were immersed into the local ambiance, as we love it so much!
5. Luang Prabang : this city on the river bank of the Mekong, is classified at the UNESCO patrimony. It is undoubtedly ones of the most touristic place in Laos, but this don’t withdraw any of the charm of this beautiful city. If you already visit the Vietnam you could compare Luang Prabang to Hoi An for the Vietnam. It was a real pleasure to go around the town, with its colonial architecture and the many temples to discover. The countryside also is really interesting with lots of waterfalls and other things to do. All of it make of Luang Prabang a must to do in Laos.
We are looking forward to come back in Laos to discover the south part of the country! We hope that this post gave you the envy to visit Laos and learn more about its culture and people. Feel free to put a comment and let us know what you think about it or just to ask some question.
For more information you can check our itinerary and a detailed guide that we created, about all the cities where we've been in Laos.
The Laos’ transports aren’t an easy thing. The roads are often in a very bad state. So, the journeys are long and uncomfortable (be prepared to be shaken). That’s why we advise to not plan anything for the trip days. And also, to take these “transport days” into account when you will plan your travel. Mostly all the journeys can be done by:
- Bus (sitting seats)
- Sleeping bus (often for night buses)
- Mini-bus
- Mini-van
The tickets can be bought directly in the bus stations or in agency in the cities (provided some extra charges).
BE CAREFUL: During your journeys you will be able to see local people be deposited where they want. But this is not the case for tourists. You will usually be stopped in bus station. Then, you will have to take taxi/tuk-tuk/shuttle to the city centre, or go by walk for the most motivated!
The way to join a city is mainly by road. Laos doesn’t have railway network yet and it is very rare to join a city by air service (and that is all the better!).
Nevertheless, you can reach some cities by boat. The tickets can be bought in agency or directly at the jetty. Because of many dams’ construction (by Chinese government), some boat trips are now impossible. Check with your guesthouse, agency or the tourism centre to have the right information.
Even if the food is not as diversified and rich than in Thailand where we came from, all the same we succeed to treat ourselves very well! Like always, we provide you a list of the meals and drinks we tried and enjoyed. This is a non-exhaustive list so feel free to share any other meal or drink discovered in Laos with us!
- Noodle Soup
- Suzy curry (Muang Ngoi)
- Laarp
- Mekong fish in bamboo leaf
- Fried rice
- Hot Pot
- Sticky rice in bamboo
- Pad Thai
- Papaya Salad
- Beerlao
- Rice alcohol
- Fresh coconut
- Fruit shake/juice
Here we share with you our good addresses for accommodations and restaurants. We travel as couple so the prices of the accommodations are for double room. We put the online prices but if you go directly on spot you can often negotiate the price.
Luang Namtha:
Amandra Villa (9€): wood house, comfortable and clean. Breakfast included in the price. The night-market to dine is at 3’ walk from the house
Phongsali:
Phongsaly Hotel (8€): basic room but correct. We saw few guesthouses around the city, it could be worth it to check them when you arrive onsite
Sone Lao Coffee: delicious ginger chicken
In front of « Phongsaly Hotel », small woman who make a good noodle soup
Laoper Restaurant: no menu you go directly in the kitchen to choose your meat, vegetables or tofu!
Muang Khua :
Doinouboun Guesthouse (8€): room comfortable and clean
Muang Ngoi :
Suan Phao Guesthouse (8€): small rooms but clean, with hammocks and river view terraces
Bamboo Garden: try the Suzy curry (delicious!)
Nong Khiaw :
Meexai Guesthouse (14€): big and clean rooms with terrace
Noymany Restaurant: local food, very food fish cooked in bamboo
Luang Prabang :
Phasith Guesthouse (12€): room comfortable and clean, very well situated. No breakfast but free tea, coffee and bananas
Soutikone Place House 2 (15€): rooms comfortable and clean, good breakfast
Joli Restaurant Pizza (guesthouse) (10€) : room small but clean and comfortable, very well located
Night market (to dine)
Sengtiane Hot pot & restaurant: very good place to eat a hot-pot
Tangor: French restaurant, if you miss French food it is the place to go in Luang Prabang
Vang Vieng :
Souksakhone Guesthouse (11€): rooms clean and comfortable with a terrace for all the guesthouse
Vientiane :
Champa Boutique Hotel (26€): high-class hotel with swimming pool, nice rooms, comfortable and clean. Buffet for breakfast
Saysouly Guesthouse (13€): big room, clean and comfortable
Ban Lao Beer Garden: local food, good and cheap
Nem Nueng Sihom (Vieng Sa vanh): Vietnamese food
KA-TIB-KHAO: lao food, high-class restaurant
Night market (to dine)
Phonsavan :
Sipanya Guesthouse (10€): room comfortable and clean. Tea, coffee at disposal
Covert market: for breakfast or lunch, 2’ by walk from the guesthouse
Simmaly: local food
Budget for 30 days: 7 795 600 LAK = 886€ = 443€/person
Daily average: 14.77 € /day/person
Some ranges:
- Accommodation (double room): from 60 000 LAK to 120 000 LAK (6.50€ to 13.50€)
- Meal for one: from 15 000 LAK to 50 000 LAK THB (1.5€ to 5.5€)
- Transport (bus/mini-van): from 10 000 LAK (small trip) to 150 000 LAK (1€ to 16€)
We used Unitel as operator. It seems to be the most popular. The SIM card and recharges can be bought in Unitel shop or all other shop which offer this service. Just be sure to check that everything works before to leave. These are the different offers that exist:
We didn’t find Banks without fees. The fees change from one bank to another, as the maximum amount for a withdraw. We usually used the BCEL ATMs because it was 20 000 LAK fees for a maximum withdraw of 1 500 000 LAK.