Laos Guide: Crossing from Thailand

First off, there are a few ways of getting into Laos. You can enter from the west through Thailand, South from Cambodia (a little more difficult) and east through Vietnam. We chose to come through the northern Thailand border and take the Mekong River into Luang Prabang via the slow-boat. It cost around 165,000 baht (double check) and it took about two days. The river trip was great, it was a fun way to spend two days and apart from a few tourists who had too much to drink, it was a great way to bond with the people around you and get some reading in. The total journey took about 13 hours, and it depends on the driver and the conditions of the river, but split over two days it was not bad.

QUICK TIP: SHOP FOR SNACKS THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Day 1

It started off being picked up by our tour guide in the early morning at around 6 AM, and the four of us packed into a AC minivan toward the Thai border. The drive was quick and we passed through beautiful rice fields and the towns starting their morning work days at the markets. The fog over the rice fields soon turned into fog all around and we found ourselves crossing a bridge over to exit Thailand. We had paid for the transport package that dropped us at the border and then picked us up to take us through the middle of the two border crossings. There’s a few minutes of what feels like no mans land and after crossing the Friendship Bridge you end up at the Laotian border. There you are dropped off to fill out paperwork, give the officials your passport photo and pay the fee. On a quick side note, Canadians seem to have done something wrong and they are asked to pay the highest fee of $42 USD at the border which is more than any other country). Look up how much you have to pay ahead of time so you have it all ready to go. It was completely painless and once you got your passport back, we went straight to the ATM to get a few dollars out before heading to the boat docks. I would recommend getting money here instead of changing money on the Thai side of the border. It’s a better rate to pull money here and you can convert your baht whenever you reach Luang Prabang or Vientiane and find a conversion rate you’re happy with.

QUICK TIP: GET OUT LAOS KIP FROM THE ATM ON THE LAOS SIDE OF THE BORDER. SAVE YOUR CONVERTING FOR A CITY IN LAOS.

Once we got back on a bus (a new one from the one you departed with on the Thai border), we headed for the tour company head office and waited there for another bus filled with people to join us. I purchased a new SIM card here for 50,000 Kip and got 1.5 GB of data to start off. I’ve now found that Vietnam is the best phone plan in all of Asia, but I can’t really complain with an $8 CAD phone plan at this point.

We finally got on the bus at 12 PM and took off down the Mekong. A warning to those that aren’t looking for a party boat experience, try and sit farthest away from the little shop on the boat selling water, snacks and BEER. Surprisingly there are a few people that want to spend the 6 hour trip drinking as much as they can and passing out, which we did not know and got to experience firsthand sitting at the back. A guy fell on K and almost pushed me out the side of the boat, but apart from that, the 5.5 hours went quite quickly.

QUICK TIP: SEAT YOURSELF TOWARDS THE MIDDLE, MONKS WILL BE SEATED AT THE VERY FRONT ALONG WITH BAGS AND LOCALS, AND YOU DON’T WANT TO BE TOO FAR FROM THE BATHROOM IN THE BACK.

After the end of Day 1, you stop in Laos in Pakbeng where you stay at one of the very few places to stay there. You can pay your tour guide to stay in their linked hotel (and end up spending a bit more), or find your own accommodation. There isn’t much in the town, and the one road features maybe three restaurants and one bar. We ended up taking the convenient route and going with the tour provided lodgings, which likely cost a bit more, but in our minds we had enough to worry about, lodging was one thing we were okay not thinking about.

After an early morning, we hit the hay pretty early, but you can definitely head out to the one bar that is close to the pier called the Happy Bar. Pakbeng itself is very expensive, so don’t expect cheap food or drinks here. Save yourself some money and have an early sleep before taking off for Day 2.

Day 2

Started bright and early again with breakfast at the hotel and then a quick walk to the pier. There is a van that can come pick you up, however it’s so close that sometimes it makes more sense to just walk yourself. We ended up walking before the caravan and found that the boat was almost full. I’m glad we got there early to get the only 4 spots left together, which was unfortunately right beside the bar.

QUICK TIP: GET THERE EARLIER.

The second day passed in the same way, but we were glad that we had purchased snacks the evening previous, the boat only had chips, noodles in a cup and beer. We played a few rounds of Heads Up, tried to attempt cards without a table and listened to a couple great podcasts.

Once we arrived at the pier, we realized we were quite far from the actual city of Luang Prabang, so we had to take a rather expensive Tuk-Tuk into the city costing 20,000 Kip, but took us straight to our hostel.

QUICK TIP: BOOK YOUR HOSTEL IN ADVANCE.

I’m all for rocking up and booking once you get there, but that’s what 50% of your boat is going to do too and they’re going to be searching high and low for space. Best you book something at least a couple days in advance so you’re not left walking around the town with your bags.

Got any questions about crossing the border or how to do it yourself? Ask me anything in the comments below.

Love, E