Mission Laos: Chiang Mai to Vang Vieng

 
Who would have thought it would be so hard to get from Northern Thailand into Northern Laos? With my Thai Visa about to run out, I had to get on a bus and make my way to Laos asap, but of the 3 options, none are particularly fun.

Option 1) Fly

There are flights to Vientiane and Luangprabang direct from Chiang Mai, but they only leave 3 times a week, they are over $100, and if your going to Vang Vieng you still need the 6hr bus ride after it.

Option 2) Hiang Khong Border & Meekong Slow/Fast Boat

To get from Chiang Mai to the border town, you need to take a bus, but it (purposely?) gets you there too late for the crossing and forces you to spend a night in the town, then starting a 2-3 day SLOW boat down the meekong! This is a huge time killer, expensive, and I simply have to be IN laos the next day.

There is also a Fast boat but I’ve heard terrible reports on it, being crammed onto a small boat for over 6hrs straight, hugging your legs because of lack of space and hoping not to die. Seriously. There are a number of casualties each year on these boats because they are light and fast and hit tree logs etc. Not Fun. Again, you will then need the 6hr bus to Vang Vieng.

3) Nong Khai Border
You can take a train for the first leg, but I started with a night bus. I had to leave a day earlier than Rob and Tommy because of my visa and so was doing this trip solo.

First is the 12hr Bus ride to Udon Thani. From here, you change to another bus and take it to the border town of Nong Khai, about 1hr. Here you will get harrassed by Tuk Tuk drivers before your even off the bus, offering to take you accross the border. The ride is expensive and they will probably try to scam you with the visa too, so ignore them and get the International Bus from the station. Its 55 Baht and takes about 30min, and they’ll take you to the bus station in Vientiane, but if you don’t have your Laos visa already sorted they won’t wait for you on the other side of the crossing. It’s still worth it.

Get out at the border and into the Visa que. You’ll need $30-40 USD depending on where your from, time of day, who you get, the colour of your eyes, what shoes your wearing…

Once thats all sorted (it will take a little while) you can exit into Laos and get either a local bus to the bus station (about 5000 kip) or share a Tuk Tuk (10-20,000 each). Finally you can get your last transport to Vang Vieng. The ride takes about 6hrs and through some pretty crazy roads. It’s mountains all the way so you’ll feel like an astronaught in training, with no straight roads in sight, up, down, left, right, weaving through and around the mountains. The locals will get instantly sick, making you that much closer to throwing up yourself!

The local bus costs 15,000 Kip annd you get what you pay for, no air-con and a crowded bus you’ll be sharing with every man and his goat. for 45,000 you can share a large air-con bus, and for 50,000 if your lucky you’ll get a VIP Mini Bus. This is worth it, trust me. The large buses will go just as fast, but with bigger G force so you’ll be sliding all over your seat. You’ll still feel it on a minibus, but not to the same extent, and again if your lucky the aircon will actually work.

By the time I got off the bus, it had taken just over 20hrs since I left Chiang Mai. I stepped off and it took everything I had not to throw up into the bushes!

And if you want to go all the way up to Luang Prabang this way, just repeat that last bus trip as its a similar 6hrs North

Tubing in the Vang Vieng »« Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai