4-day itenerary in Laos (solo traveler)

Here is my itenerary for my trip to Laos early next year. Feel free to comment on it.

day 1(AM): hanoi to luang prabang

a. mt. phousi

b. golden city temple

c. royal palace museum

d. wat pa phon forest temple

e. tad sae waterfall

(the order is not final yet. feel free to suggest)

day 2(PM): visit remaining sites and travel by land to phonsavan

a. plain of jars

(Are there other attractions within the area that I can visit after the plain of jars?)

day 3(AM): fly from xieng khouang to vientiene

a. pha tat luang

b. wat si saket

c. patuxai monument

d. Black Stupa (that dam)

e. ho pra keo

f. buddha park

day 4(AM): visit remaining vientiene sites and fly to bangkok

Is my itenarary too tight or can I still squeeze some more sites?

I haven%26#39;t arranged any accomodations yet. Is it easy to get a hotel once I get there or is it advisable to reserve accomodations beforehand? I am willing to stay to any hotel as long as it has a decent enough bed and bathroom.

4-day itenerary in Laos (solo traveler)

You are not going to see the Plain of Jars. All your time on day 2 will be travelling. 4 days is not enough. Spend 2 in Luang Prabang and fly to Vientiane for the other 2, much as the P.O.J is worth visiting.

4-day itenerary in Laos (solo traveler)

I agree with that. If you want to include Plain of jars think you should be looking at a 6 day trip - otherwise you will spend most of your time just travelling. With just 4 days would stick to Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Here%26#39;s my modified itenerary. I will be skipping plain of jars (but is it really worth skipping? hehe)

day 1 and 2:

a. fly from hanoi to luang prabang

b. mt. phousi

c. golden city temple

d. royal palace museum

e. wat pa phon forest temple

f. tad sae waterfall

day 3:

a. fly from luang prabang to vientiane

b. pha tat luang

c. wat si saket

d. patuxai monument

e. Black Stupa (that dam)

f. ho pra keo

g. buddha park

day 4: visit remaining vientiane sites and fly to bangkok

Is it advisable to travel by land from luang prabang to vientiane?

would recommend flying considering the short time you are here. The drive is a nice one mind you but takes approx 8-9 hours. There is now a night bus that makes this trip but then you miss out on the scenery.

are there other airlines that fly around laos aside from laos airlines?

lao airlines laos airlines and laos aviation are one and the same airline company right?

I think your revised itinerary is ok. As I said, the P.O.J is worth seeing, but you really don%26#39;t have enough time.

Lao Aviation no longer exists; it is now called Laos Airlines. They are the only airline for internal flights. Vietnam Airlines Thai Air and Air Asia fly here as well, but not internally.

If you are posting this because you are worried about Laos Air, don%26#39;t be. I have flown them more than 30 times. I would rather fly with them than Qantas.

Btw the drive from Luang Prabang to vientiane has some excellent scenery, but is not a pleasant drive as the road is very windy in parts. I know a number of people who have lost their lunch. You get a good view from the plane as it does not fly that high - short flight.

Thanks Rufuscat for all your help. I decided to add another day on my Laos trip (I will just schedule my phiphi island trip some other time) and here it is:

day 1:

-fly from hanoi to luang prabang

-visit sites in luang prabang

day 2:

-visit more luang prabang sites

-take the night bus to vang vieng (6-8 hrs?)

day 3:

-go tubing

-try other outdoor activities

day 4:

-early morning travel to vientiane (3-5 hrs?)

-explore vientiane

day 5:

-visit more sites in vientiane

-take the bus from vientiane, cross the friendship bridge to udon thani

-fly to bangkok from udon thani

I%26#39;ve decided to travel by land to save money. I%26#39;m already used to 8-10 rough road trips. Used to do this in the phils.

What do you guys think of my new travel plan? :)

Day 5 looks a bit crowded. You will need to work out your times really carefully on this. Not sure of the Vte - Udon bus timetable.

Your revised itinerary with the added day is much more do-able. but as the above poster suze mentioned, pay particular attention to the last, fifth day, especially if you%26#39;re trying to catch a flight from Udon Thani to Bangkok.

You might find it easier just to take the overnight VIP bus from Vientiane to Bangkok which leaves central Vientiane (one pickup point is in front of Nam Phu Fountain but you should reserve a seat for the bus from a Lao travel agency or hotel/guesthouse at least a day before, leaves around 5:30-6pm)and arrives in Bangkok around 6AM.

You could %26#39;cover%26#39; all the destinations you%26#39;ve listed for Vientiane in 1 day, even inclduing %26#39;buddha park%26#39; by public bus but the park segement will take up the better part of a half day because of slow public transport roundtrip. The Patuxai, That Dam, vats Sisakat and Prae Keow aren%26#39;t that far apart.

Takes about 4 hours between VTE and Vang Vieng but there%26#39;s a fair amount of road construction just south of Vang Vieng recently.