Let me tell you what not to pack when going on a backpacking trip. Packing your backpack for a trip is different for everybody. Some take weeks to plan and use lists to make sure they don’t forget anything. Others, like me, start the evening before. We all have one thing in common though: we over pack. Heavily too. To make matters worse, there are some travel items that everybody seems to be recommending while they are really not that great. Or even useful. You pack them, drag them around your whole trip and unpack them back home. Never really used them at all. So in a probably futile attempt to rid the world of these overrated and useless travel products, and to give myself a nice opportunity for a rant, here are the 5 most overrated travel items for backpacking.
Laos in one week? Is that even possible? Well no, not really. I know, great way to start an article about seeing Laos in one week. The truth is that Laos is a rough and underdeveloped country which means low pace travel is ideal. But if you don’t have the time, because you are combing this trip with a visit to Thailand or Vietnam, this itinerary is perfect to see all the highlights of this often overlooked Southeast Asian country. ‘A glimpse of Laos’ or ‘Highlights of Laos’ might have been a more suiting title. Ah well, let’s just get on with it.
Unesco made a good call by adding Luang Prabang to its world heritage list in 1995. This picturesque town on the Mekong is incredibly beautiful, the prettiest one in Laos. Sticking around here for a couple of days makes sense. The tasty bakeries and night market, great sights and laid-back atmosphere all beg you to stay ‘just one more night’. My advice? Give into temptation and take the time to truly get under Luang Prabang’s skin. I’ll give you the tips needed to do so.
Vang Vieng is Laos’ adrenaline-mecca. After it’s infamous tubing got heavily restricted in 2012 (too many backpackers drowned or smashed into rocks under the influence of alcohol or drugs) it is desperately trying to re-invent itself as an adventure and outdoor-sports destination. With limited success. Vang Vieng is still largely a party place with lots of bars and raunchy hostels. But with its beautiful surroundings, superb rock-climbing, zip-lining and kayaking options it is setting the table for any adrenaline junkie. So whether you are looking to party, for an adventure, or both, get yourself down to Vang Vieng. It will treat you right.
Vientiane is, with roughly 700.000 inhabitants one of the smallest capitals in South-East Asia. Although Chinese investments are spurring a lot of development, this sleepy town has yet to awaken from its slumber. With little interesting temples, sights, and nightlife Vientiane might not sound all that appealing. It is because of its close connection to the Thai border and its international airport, that Vientiane is rarely excluded in any Lao itinerary. So what should you do when you find yourself in Vientiane and want to avoid total and utter boredom? I did the research and came up with a plan.
Often dubbed as the most beautiful waterfalls in Laos, the Kuang Si waterfalls can’t be missed. You can get there by organized tour, tuk-tuk or scooter bike but since it is only 30 kilometers out of Luang Prabang I – being true to my Dutch origin – decided to cycle. The ride is spectacular, the exercise healthy and it is the cheapest alternative out there. So give me one good reason why you shouldn’t man up and start peddling!
This itinerary combines a visit to the waterfalls with a visit to a moon bear sanctuary (which is literally 400 meters from the waterfalls) and a visit to the Laos Buffalo Dairy farm. Cycling the 60km round-trip is interesting for both beginners and more advanced cyclists. If you have a shitty stamina and never work out two climbs will probably have you gasping for air, but they are certainly doable! An expert cyclist would probably dub this one as easy/beginner level.
budget
Minimum of 70.000Kip. 50.000Kip for the rental of a decent (front-wheel suspension) mountain bike. Entrance to the falls is 20.000Kip. Bring extra money for food and water on the way, and add another 50.000Kip if you want to visit the Laos Buffalo Dairy farm on the way back (including 2 scoops of delicious homemade organic buffalo milk ice-cream). It is wise to bring another 50.000Kip for a possible tuk-tuk ride back if you really don’t feel like cycling anymore or if your material breaks down.
time
Approx 4.5 hours of cycling roundtrip. It took me a little over 2 hours to get there and 1.5 hours to get back (during the cooler hours of the day). I am in decent shape but cycled together with two travelers that were less fit. Calculate in enough time to relax, walk around, hike and swim at the waterfalls (a couple of hours). All in all, this is a day-trip. If you leave around 10 AM (as we did) you will get back at around 5.30 PM in Luang Prabang with plenty of time for stops and a couple of hours at the waterfalls. Consider getting up earlier to have a cooler ride. We were very sweaty and sticky when the sun came in at full strength after 11 AM.
what to bring
– Money
– Sunglasses & sunscreen
– closed shoes
– swimming outfit & towel (there are changing rooms at the falls)
– a bottle of water (more can be bought along the way and at the falls)
– sugary snacks to fuel yourself during the ride
– possibly insect-repellant in the rainy season, I didn’t find it necessary in the dry season.
– Preparation –
So apart from the pearls of wisdom that you are probably used to receive from your parents (don’t drink too much, get a decent night of sleep), I would mainly recommend on not departing too late. The day-trip is perfect if you head out early to cycle to the waterfalls in the cooler morning hours and get back a few hours before the sun gets down. Cycling through the heath of the day and cycling back when it’s dark, however – less enjoyable.
Rent a bicycle
Mountain bikes can be rented all around town. I got mine in a little place just across of the public primary school on the northern-side of Phou Si Mountain but in all honesty, there are probably better places around. We went there because we were looking for 3 multi-gear mountain bikes and most places only own 2 decent ones. The best is to just find a rental place close to your accommodation.
Navigation
The route is super easy to find. Use google maps (download an offline map of the area) or maps.me and start cycling in the right decision. Before you’ve left town you will see signs pointing you in the right direction. From that moment on its pretty straightforward.
– The ride –
The way up
road conditions are generally like thisroadside view
The cycle starts with a few kilometers of reasonably flat terrain. The roads are paved but filled with potholes, enough of them for me to advise you to rent a mountain bike instead of a road bike. After about 4 kilometers you’ll start to feel the incline building up and suddenly a big hill dooms up in front of you. Switch your gears and let the sweat flow freely! This is immediately the hardest part of the whole ride. The incline is pretty steep but short – only 2 or 3 kilometers. When we approached the first hill we decided to all take the climb at our own pace. After a few minutes, when your legs start to ache you notice that suddenly the 2 meters in front of you are way more interesting than the beautiful landscape. This part is all about clenching your jaw, focusing on the road and inching up in the lowest gear until you reach the top. One of my travel companions decided a few meters before we reached the top that he wanted to turn around and head back into town. Little did he know that this climb was really all there was to it.
I wish I would have known, so I could have convinced him to continue because once you reach the top the fun begins. The decline is less steep and stretches a bit longer. For a couple of kilometers you fly down the road at high speed while breathtaking landscapes roll out in front of your eyes. What follows is about 10 kilometers of going up and down. The inclines are short enough to use your previously build-up speed at the last decline to get to the top. As the road creeps closer to the Mekong River the landscape changes from lush forest to farmlands and rice-paddies.
After a while, you have to make a turn left (clearly signaled). This is where you have to start preparing for your final climb. A longer but less steep incline follows for about 4 KM’s right up to the base of the waterfalls. You have to park your bike on the right at a ‘secured’ parking lot. There are lots of shops and restaurants around to have a quick bite before you head up to the waterfalls. You first get to the moon bear sanctuary and then to the actual falls.
The way back
farmland viewsMore lake viewsThe roadside icecream stall of Laos Buffalo Dairy farm
The way back follows the exact same route as the way up (but now with different views – there is No Road Back 😛 – ) but it involves more downhill than uphill and thus requires less effort. You start with the 4 KM decline, turn right and follow the signs to Luang Prabang. After a few kilometers, you’ll see Laos Buffalo Diary farm on your right. A small organic farm where they make dairy and delicious buffalo ice-cream. The buffaloes are well taken care of and this makes for an excellent stop on the way back (the ice-cream included in the entrance tickets is a welcome bonus, and to be honest for me probably the main reason for the visit). There is an option to also participate feeding and take a guided (instead of self-guided) tour for an additional 50.000 Kip but I do not feel this worth the extra 5 bucks.
– The waterfalls –
The waterfalls themselves are gorgeous. Even by anticipating on awesome falls, you will not be disappointed. Granted, you do not have all the pools all to yourself but if you manage to find the entrance to the ‘secret pools’ – which are really not that secret – you’ll find yourself almost alone at an incredibly pretty swimming hole.
Moon bear Sanctuary
Rescued moon bears in the sanctuary
Once you have paid the 20.000 Kip to enter the park you first pass through a moon-bear sanctuary. Here they save moon bear from being killed for their bile to be used in traditional Chinese medicine. I’ve heard many people speak highly of this sanctuary but in all honesty, the bears are still not treated correctly. The cages they are being held in are quite small and the bears all look bored and unhappy. I see no real reason why they didn’t extend the perimeters of their cages except for that it would be harder for visitors to spot them. Obviously, this is a difficult subject since the bears are actually being threatened and the only way to raise public awareness is by actually showing visitors how majestic they are but the visit left a bittersweet taste in my mouth that didn’t wash away easily.
Waterfalls
The first poolsThe hike around the fallstaking the boat to the sourceview from the boat
When you walk onward you arrive at the bottom pool of the waterfall where immediately the light blue color invites you to dip in. The lowest 4 pools are all accessible to swim in and even have changing rooms next to it.
You can hike all around the waterfall and go up to the source. Near the source, you can take a small boat to get to the actual source in a bottomless boat (the fish swim right in between your feed) for 10.000 Kip. The boat is a bit of a scam as it only takes you about 30 meters further than the path does. And the source is not a particularly interesting place to be as you can’t really see anything bubbling up. It does, however, provide a different perspective on the place and a relaxed 15-minute boat-ride which for 10.000 Kip might be worth the money spend. Walking all the way around the waterfall takes you about half an hour (with time spend making photos).
The secret pools
To get to the secret pools you have to head back down a bit until you see a path without a sign next to it heading down from the upper-most accessible pool. Walk for about 5 minutes until you find yourself at a beautiful pool with rocks to jump off from and with deep areas to swim in. But even if you don’t find the secret pools, the Kuang Si waterfalls are gorgeous – so you better not skip it!
Undoubtedly the most adventurous way to travel from Thailand to Laos is by taking the slowboat. For two days you’ll be bobbing around at the mercy of the mighty Mekong river that meanders through the whole of Laos. It’s gonna be chaos, It’s not gonna be uncomfortable and it is definitely not speedy. But the spectacular scenery and social vibes on the vessel make it all the more worthwhile. If you are looking for adventure, there is no better way of crossing the border than by taking the slow boat.
In addition to your normal luggage, You need a portrait picture for your Laos-VISA, your Thai departure card and a warm vest/jacket to wear on the morning of the second day. Make sure you have it on you when you get on the boat. I forgot to get mine out of my big backpack (that get’s stored in the hull of the boat) and had to curl up like a little baby on my bench. Shivering under my paper-thin sarong, my fellow travelers who – of course – had not forgotten to put on a jacket happily mocked me and felt snug and comfortable.
Costs
The whole trip costs about 1600 Baht if you book it upfront, a little less if you do it individually. Add 30/35 USD for your VISA + 50-100k kip for a night at a guesthouse in Pak Beng. They are all shitty but hey, the classic Asian ‘shower-right-above-the-toilet bathroom’, is a must-try experience on its own. Bring a couple of dollars/baht extra for random nonsense charges like ‘overtime charge’ or ‘excess luggage charge’ at the border.
You can get the USD needed for your Laos VISA in bigger banks in both Chiang Mai as well as Chiang Rai. Alternatively, you can also just exchange your Thai money at the border (at various points). Take into account a 200-300 baht fee for the exchange (they will not tell you this is a fee but simply give you a shitty exchange-rate).
Duration
Two days, depending on your point of departure. The bus leaving at 6:00 AM in Chiang Rai will have you arriving in Luang Prabang around 4:00 PM.
If you leave from Chiang Mai there are some operators that offer a very early rise, stop-by at the white temple in Chiang Rai and still getting on the slow boat to Luang Prabang on the same day. Most operators divide the trip from Chiang Mai up into 3 days, with your first night spend at the border-town Chiang Khong.
Route
If you depart from Pai you will first take the bus to (the outskirts of) Chiang Mai before you drive on to Chiang Rai. From Chiang Mai also pass to Chiang Rai. The prices below are for crossing the border independently without a package deal.
Chiang Rai – Chiang Khong: 2-3 hours (bus – 70 baht)
Chiang Khong (Thailand) – Huay Yai (Laos): 10 minutes (bus crossing the bridge – 20 baht)
Huay Yai border – slow boat pier: 30 minutes (tuk-tuk – around 50K kip)
Huay Yai pier – Pak Beng: 6 hours (slow boat – 1000 baht at the pier/1300 baht at the border)
Pak Beng – Luang Prabang pier: 7 hours (slow boat)
Luang Prabang pier – Luang Prabang center: 10 minutes (tuk-tuk – 20K kip not included in a package deal)
– Crossing the border –
Think twice before you decide you want to cross the border and take the slow boat independently. It will hardly save you any money, is a lot more hassle and will most probably cost you an extra day. This is because it will be a challenge to be at the pier at 11:45 AM when the daily slow boat departs for Pak Beng. If you are traveling with anything breakable or valuable, either keep it on you in your hand luggage or wrap it well in your big bag. Your backpack is going to be tossed around a lot in the coming days in a not too delicate way.
If you booked a package deal you’ll get picked up at the crack of down from your accommodation in Chiang Rai in a mini-bus. As I only slept for about 5 hours I was looking forward to a bit of a snooze in the bus to the border but alas. Not only was the vehicle packed and were the seats Asian-sized, the chairs lacked headrests which meant no sleeping for me.
the minivan from Chiang Rai to the border
You’ll get to the border in about 2-3 hours depending on traffic (I had no delay). Here you get off the bus and go through customs – leaving Thailand. Make sure you got your departure card!. When you’ve passed through customs – there is no real check on anything – you have to take a shuttle to cross the Thai-Lao friendship bridge. Crossing the river means crossing the border. Yay! You are now in Laos! After a short ride, you arrive at the customs where you get your VISA. You have to fill out a form and head over to office nr. 1 where you hand over your form, photo and the dollars for the VISA, which you get back at office nr. 2. With your VISA on hand, you hop on a tuk-tuk to the pier. Make sure your tuk-tuk is actually going to the pier and not the bus terminal. I had to switch tuk-tuks a couple of times since there was some confusion before we left.
Twenty or maybe thirty minutes later you’ll be dropped off at a shop close to the pier where your ‘tour-guide’ (this would be the first and last moment I actually saw my tour-guide, nor did I knew or was expecting that there would be one in the first place) tells you to stock up on supplies and book accommodation for Pak Beng. He’ll tell you the boat will arrive late in Pak Beng and that you should really book now. Kindly decline both buying food and booking accommodation – you’ll get a way better deal when you arrive in Pak Beng. Food and drinks can be purchased at the pier as well. Beer and snack are available on the boat as well, albeit at inflated prices. Prices at the boat are similar to what they charge you at the office-shop however so I really see no reason why you should stock up there. I – of course – fell into this little scam. I bought a couple of beers and the most disappointing sandwich in Laos and was drinking my luke-warm canned beer for the same price as crisp and cold bottled beer purchased at the boat itself.
the ‘tour-office’ close to the pier
– The slow boat to Luang Prabang –
Day one
When you arrive at the pier you’ll see the boat docked and most probably it is already packed. I hopped on believing I got the last seats – but then there arrived another bus. And another one. and a few more. And some minibusses. And a couple of tuk-tuks. Even though the boat was already packed they kept on loading more and more people on. Chaos started to break out in some families. Sweating parents – crying kids. The expression on the faces of people lined up to get onto an already packed boat – priceless. The expression on the faces of the boat-workers ensured me that this is the norm. So do not stress out and just enjoy the show.
the pierfilling up the boat
Do make sure you are not one of the last 30-50 people to get on the boat. The last seats are in the engine room and your ride will be dreadful. The sound of the engine will have your head spinning for days and the petrol-fumes will make you feel nauseous – and probably aren’t that healthy either.
When the boat departs instantly the whole ride gets more enjoyable. All seats in the boat are just loose bus-seats that can be turned around to form little get-togethers. People play cards, chat with each other and take in the spectacular scenery.
The dreaded engine room
Pak Beng
At around 5:30 PM you’ll arrive in Pak Beng, where you can immediately arrange for accommodation at the pier. Expect shitty fan-rooms with gecko’s on the walls and cockroaches in the bathroom. If you want something more luxurious – opt for the eco-friendly the Sanctuary Pak Beng Lodge with beautiful and clean rooms and a killer view overlooking the Mekong River from its restaurant.
After dinner, all travelers that are looking for some social interaction gather at either Happy Bar or the Hive Bar, where drinks are served and tunes are pumped well over midnight.
Sundown in Pak Beng
Day two
The next morning the boat to Luang Prabang leaves at around 09:00 AM. Most people – especially those who spent their first day in the engine room – will arrive early and the boat will most probably fill up before 08:30 AM. Luckily this time everybody is divided up over 3 boats that are both more comfortable and more spacious. I have no clue why these boats aren’t used for the first lap but I can image it is because shallower water does not allow for the big boat to go to Luang Prabang. Obviously the smaller, more comfortable boats are more costly for the operators. Either way, this part of the trip is more relax and enjoyable. In my experience, people are also a bit less social most probably because they are no longer cramped together with 10 people in one square meter.
At around 04:00 PM you arrive at the Luang Prabang tourist pier where you have to get off and take a tuk-tuk into town. Here, everybody cues up to buy a ticket (20K kip) into town.
If you gather a large enough group you do not need to buy a ticket and can just arrange for a tuk-tuk to take you to your accommodation straight away – saving you time, hassle, and if you are a good barterer probably a bit of money as well.
