Luang Prabang Travel Forum

Hi guys,

I'm flying in to LP from Vientiane.

1. Are 1.5 days in LP enough to see all the main attractions including the Falls & The Caves?

2. From Vang Vieng, what are the bus frequencies back to Vientiane?

3. Is half a day enough for V V?

4. What time do buses leave LP for V V?

5. Connecting times for other bus services from V V to Vientiane please?

Thanks for your help.

Darshan

Hi,
I'd stay at least 2 nights in Luan Prabang, not for the things you can see but for the great armospheare of that little town.
I keep remembering Laos as a slow country, so trying to rush there is useless for me.
Van Vieh is small and there is not much to see and as far as I remember you have daily bus services to Vientiane.
Corra

Thx Corra,

I was wondering if u knew the bus timings & frequencies for every day??

Thanks

d

Sorry no, I left in the morning and got the ticket in my guest house.
Corra

hi again, D,
this time, I think you only need 1 day max in Vientiane, and the rest in LP. I didn't go to Vang Vieng....but LP is so lovely, but above poster is correct...it's really slow. You can just hire a boat to take you to the cave...it takes a few hours...Basically, I found that it took a few days to get used to the very, very laid back pace..and once I did, I didn't want to leave....(I'll be back there too in March!)

your trip is going to be great!

ciao, Ellen

Your itinerary seems to be a very rush one.

I would suggest you spend all the time you have for Laos in Luang Prabang.

In any case, 1/2 day in Vang Vieng is too short. You can skip it.

There are many guesthouses and travel agencies in LP that you can buy your private bus tickets to VV. For public transport, take a tuk-tuk out to the bus station and for mini-vans, you can either buy from the agencies or go to the booth which is along the river.

Many felt that Vientianne is just a transit town and not very interesting. I found my stay in Vientianne very interesting. I guess it was because I rented a motorcycle and explored the places very conveniently. There are lots of good food and the best Laos coffee which I tried is in Vientianne.

If you really do not have much time, just spend it in Lunag Prabang and its surroundings.

Have fun in Laos.

Bee :)

Your questions are best answered as follows:

1. Take your time in Laos.
2. Take your time in Laos. (3 times a day, all before 2 PM)
3. Take your time in Laos.
4. Take your time in Laos. (2 in the morning, one in the evening that gets to VV at 3 AM, if it doesn't break down)
5. Take your time in Laos. (see #2)

The bus from LP to VV takes 8 hours, if you're lucky. Your questions lead me to believe that you are contemplating a 2.5 to three day tour of Laos. You can do it, but you'll spend as much time on cramped buses on mountain switchback roads, and recovering from cramped buses on mountain switchback roads, as you will in your destination.
If I didn't have much time in Laos, I would spend as much of it as possible in Luang Prabang. It's got more charm and more to see than Vientiane and all of the outdoor activities you can do in Vang Vieng, you can do right outside of LP, with the exception of tubing drunk and stoned down a river with an organized group (You could probably do that independently in LP though). If you have a dying need to catch every episode of "Friends", park yourself in VV. "So no one told you that it was gonna be this way..."