Book tours direct with Laos company before I leave Australia

We are arriving in Vientiane on 29th July and flying out of Chiang Mai on August 9. I am dealing with 2 companies in Oz for tours (Wendy Wu and Adventure World) but the prices coming back are high. I know when we went to Cambodia last year I booked thru Adventure World but the provider in Cambodia was a local company, Diethelm travel, which did our private tour and was fantastic. I am considering trying to book the Laos tour myself but want it mostly sorted before I arrive due to our short time frame. Thanks to this great site I have a good idea of what I%26#39;d like to see and do and places to stay. My question is can anyone recommend a company in Laos that I could deal directly with and ensure my money does actually get to the country I am visiting and not get eaten up by an unnecessary middleman.

And, while Pakse and the surrounding area sounds stunning to visit, I am discovering it is very costly to include - have to fly in and out. Should I try to include or would our resources be better channeled in another direction? Looking at 2 days Vientiane, 2 Pakse, 5 Luang Prabang.

Any views would be greatly appreciated.

Book tours direct with Laos company before I leave Australia

When you arrive, just walk along the main road perpendicular to the riverside (Th Setthathirat) and you will see a number of travel agencies. Things can be booked in a matter of minutes, especailly if you already have some idea of what you want to see %26amp; do, and it will save you a fair amount of money.

If I were you, I would skip Pakse. I love that city, but there really isn%26#39;t much to do there and it is usually the gateway for travel in the south, which you obviously do not have time for. If possible, you might want to fly up to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars. Or you could opt to stay a couple of nights in Vang Vieng (you can go there by bus from Vientaine, only 3 1/2 hours) which has some very cool rock formations and is good for casual cycling and exploring caves. From Vang Vieng you could bus it up to Luang Prabang and after that, fly back to Vientiane.