AboutAl Slagle Expertise I can answer questions specifically about Vientiane and Vang Vien, Laos. It is a fascinating country and a hidden gem of Southeast Asia!
Experience I have backpacked from Thailand to the capital of Laos. From there I made my way up toward Luang Prabang by motorbike via the town of Vang Vien.
I am going to Laos for some 10 days as part of my trip around South East Asia. I am arriving to Luang Prabang and after staying there for 2 days I am leaving it for Vientiane.
As there are no trains in Laos, what is the best mode of transport of covering this distance time efficiently if I would chose not to fly. Are ferries available and how much do they cost and how long do they take? What about buses?
After staying in Vientiane for few days I also be going to Pakse. What is the best way to get there?
Looking forward to your answer.
Regards,
G
Answer Hello G,
I apologize for the delay in my response. It has been a busy week! Kudos to you for planning 10 days in Laos because it will be time well spent!
I don't blame you for not wanting to fly. I haven't flown Lao Aviation myself but my good friend tried it and said it was pretty dodgy. To get from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, you can either take a river ferry, bus, or taxi. The standard river ferry is extremely slow and will take you a few days to get there. I read that there is a speedboat option that costs about US$10 and takes 11 hours. Buses are really cheap and might be the best option. It costs about US$5 and the trip is about 10-11 hours all the way to Vientiane. The buses will be carrying a lot of locals with fresh produce and sometimes live animals like chickens so just be ready for that. If you can find a taxi (aka name the right price), you might be able to hire someone to take you all the way there which would be the fastest, most comfortable way, but of course the most expensive. I went from Vientiane to Vang Vieng by taxi with two friends and we each paid a few hundred Thai baht if I remember correctly. If you have time, I would recommend breaking up that trip with a short stay in Vang Vieng as you can hang out there for a day or two, check out some caves, go tubing on the river, or rent motorbikes and check out the local area.
The options to Pakse are fairly limited. You could fly (Lao Aviation, US$95) or take a bus (US$3, 13-14 hours). I guess if you tried, you might be able to hire a taxi to the next town and keep doing that all the way to Pakse, but again it depends on how much you want to spend, how comfortable you want to be, and how much time you want to spend getting down there.
Anyway, I hope this helps out. I haven't been to Pakse so to find out more, you could try other forums on Fodors.com, Lonelyplanet.com, and Yahoo Answers. Good luck and have a great trip!
