Visas and Bordercrossing
Visas are usually issued at the border (land-crossings and airports). At the Nong Kai / Vientiane Friendship Bridge with a valid passport and US$30 you will get a visa valid for 2 weeks. Extensions or longer visas are possible.

There is no need for an expensive visa-service supplied by some travel agents. Just go to the Thai immigration office at the border and then take the shuttle bus to the Lao immigration across the river.

Another popular entry point is Chiang Khong / Huayxai, where the same rules are applied.

Money
The official national currency is the Kip. There are still some hotels and restaurants (most at a higher price level) that charge in US Dollars or sometimes Thai Baht. More expensive services like package tours or car rental are usually paid in US Dollars. There are no coins, the biggest banknote is 5,000 Kip. You will get used to carrying a thick wallet...

Banks who change traveller's cheques are available in bigger towns, cash is more flexible in most places. It's a good idea to carry Baht and Dollars with you, especially when you enter from/leave to Thailand. Credit Cards aren't very useful except in some upscale hotels/shops in Vientiane and perhaps Luang Prabang.

Click here for a currency converter to get the latest rate.

Accommodation
To find a bed for the night is no problem. Even in the smallest village there is often a basic guesthouse. In bigger cities, as Vientiane or Luang Prabang, accommodation is available in every category. Prices range from 1,000 Kip for a dorm bed up to US$100 in one of the (few) more upscale hotels.

The typical traveller guesthouse will charge you 5,000 - 12,000 Kip for a double room with fan and shared bathroom. Many of these have appeared on the scene during the last year or so, you normally do not find them in the guidebooks. I was surprised to find many new, good guesthouses even at remote places like Muang Sing up in the north.

Transport
Laos has got a rudimentary road system with a main axis from south to north. Route 13, which I took from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, was the only surfaced road of "good quality" I've seen on my trip. It has been completed (a Swedish and a Korean project) a short time ago. All other roads I've seen were in a more deteriorated condition.

See my travelogue for details on Road 3 from Luang Namtha to Huayxai. Buses, trucks or smaller pickups usually leave early in the morning at markets. Longer distances (100-200km) are normally served once a day, cars for shorter rides leave several times when there are enough waiting (and paying) passengers. Travel is slow, it's not unusual to spend the whole day on a truck for a 100km ride. However, I could make all my way up to the Chinese border using public transport!

A (sometimes) faster and more comfortable way to travel is by boat. Mekong, Nam Ou and Nam Khan are the main river highways. On the Mekong river, there are slowboats (cargoboats), a very relaxed way to enjoy the scenery. Bring some food along! A price example: I paid 19,000 Kip for the 1½ day trip from Luang Prabang to Pakbeng. Smaller Thai speedboats do the same trip in only 3 hours, but they are less comfortable, much louder and almost twice as expensive.

Even air travel in Laos can be an adventure these days. I heard rumours saying that NGO workers were not allowed to use Lao aviation anymore because safety and maintenance is at a low level. Small Chinese (Y12) and French (ATR72) planes are used. As I heard, they still don't use radar systems.

Travel in Laos is interesting and exciting, regardless of how you do it.

Food
Excellent and everywhere, as in most South East Asian countries. Lao and Thai cuisine are similar in many ways. All kinds of vegetables, pork, chicken, duck, beef, fish are combined with rice or noodles. Lemon grass, mint, coriander, chilies, tamarind, onions, garlic create the spicy taste. Fermented fish mixtures are often used for seasoning. Most tropical fruits from durian to watermelon are available on the markets. French bread (baguette) is sold in the morning, excellent for breakfast or in combination with fresh salad.

What to drink?
Water, fresh fruit juice/shakes, tea, coffee, rice whisky and (of course) the excellent Beerlao.

Prices for food range from a few hundred Kip for market food up to 10,000 Kip or more for a meal in a restaurant. A typical foe (noodle soup) is served at foodstalls on the street for 1,000-2,000 Kip. Softdrinks are sold for about 2,000 Kip, a bottle of Beerlao costs 3,000-4,000 Kip.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Asia Insiders page.