Top Tips for Your Next Laos Tour in 2023
Our best Laos tour post is here!
When we planned our trip around the world we knew that we would start in SouthEast Asia, however travelling to Laos was not included on our travel list simply because the country was still closed due to COVID restrictions and it didn’t look like it was going to open anytime soon. Laos tour post
Fortunately, we were able to visit this incredible country and our backpacking trip to Laos was something amazing.
Travelling to Laos made us remember that we have to slow down if we want to enjoy our trip even more. Especially after a two month trip in Thailand, which was great but sometimes much more chaotic.
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Laos has its own pace, everything goes slow and people don´t rush anywhere. It is a contrast to life in Europe and not only for this reason Laos will surely remain in our hearts forever.
Our tip: When we travel we always make sure to have travel insurance. Our personal recommendation is Truetraveller as they have great support and health coverage around the world. And don’t worry if you forget about it, you can purchase the insurance during your trip!
1. Security – Laos tour
Is it safe to travel to Laos in 2023?
Laos is one of the safest countries in all of Southeast Asia, probably the safest, and we think so because Lao people are super laid-back.
As in most places around the world, also in Laos, the micro crime rate is quite low and scarce in areas with high tourist concentrations.
The only possible ´danger´ thing we’ve heard in Laos are stories about scooter thefts in the Thakhek area and its famous loop.
We just want to clarify that with a lock and parking in visible and safe places, we didn’t have any surprises during our four-day tour in the Thakhek Loop. Also, we have not personally known anyone who has experienced this problem.
Even so, in the various online reviews (Google) of the scooter rental companies, you could find some people mentioning that their scooter had been stolen so just keep it in mind on your next trip to Laos.
Another thing we should mention and advise you to keep in mind when you travel to Laos, it is not advisable to venture out on your own on paths in the wilderness or untrodden areas. We are mentioning this because Laos has sadly the primacy of being the nation that has been most bombed in the world in the famous Secret War.
Although many years have passed since the end of that senseless war, thousands of bombs remained unexploded throughout the country, and year after year they continue to kill or injure many people to this day.
If you like trekking as we do, don’t worry, in Laos, you will have many possibilities, as long as you hire an expert guide who knows the area and the safe paths.
If you are interested in this topic, open this link to find out more about the Secret War.
Grab our Travel Checklist and Let the adventure begin!
2. Visa – Laos tour
As we mentioned before, we did not plan to visit this country, because at the beginning of our trip Laos was closed to all types of travelers. Instead, in May-June 2022 the country opened its doors to tourism again and in October 2022 with the Green Pass, we were able to enter without problems.
If we are not mistaken, currently Covid-19 in Laos has been declared an endemic disease, therefore entry into the country is allowed to all travelers without restrictions.
Even so, current times have taught us that things change very quickly and given that each country has its agreements and regulations, we recommend that you visit the official website of the immigration office, where you can also request your visa online. link here
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3. Vaccinations – Laos tour
Until the date of publication of this post, the only mandatory vaccination to travel to Laos is yellow fever, but not always. The yellow fever vaccine is mandatory for people who live or have stepped foot in the previous 12 months, in a country where this disease is considered endemic.
The health authorities recommend several type vaccines, typhus, rabies, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever and Japanese encephalitis.
We recommend that you take malaria pills on your trip to Laos.
The COVID vaccine is no longer mandatory to enter Laos, at least until the moment we write this post. In this specific case, and given that things can change very quickly, we advise you to get information from government websites. For example, in Italy, the Viaggiare sicuri site of the farnesina is often used, with up-to-date and detailed information on emergencies, catastrophes, and much more.
4. Money and Exchange – Laos tour
The currency used throughout Laos is the KIP (LAK) and the current exchange rate is
1$ = 17282 LAK or 1 Euro = 18 252 LAK. If you want to know the exact change on the date of your arrival, we recommend this Xe.com converter, we use it practically every day on our trips.
Changing money in Laos is not difficult, especially in the cities and at border crossings, because in addition to exchange shops, all hotels can change your money in exchange for a small commission. Our advice is not to change all your money at border crossings or the airport, simply because the exchange rate is always higher there.
If you need money immediately when you arrive in Laos (ex. transport), change just enough to get to your accommodation and look for a better change in the nearest city.
If you do not carry cash like us, maybe because you are traveling long-term or for any other reason, in Laos you can withdraw money at any ATM with your international card.
Remember to notify your bank that you will be abroad and that you will use the card, this way you will prevent them from blocking your card for security reasons and running out of money.
Keep in mind that all banks charge you a commission of 20,000 LAK (Oct-Dec 22) and that the maximum you can withdraw, depending on the bank, ranges from 1,500,000 to 2,500,000 ($87 -145).
Given that the commissions are decisively high compared to the amount of money you can withdraw.
Here are our three tips for withdrawing money in Laos:
1) Withdraw as much as possible as the ATM allows you to amortize the commission.
2) Use the BCEL bank, according to our experience it is the only bank that allows you to withdraw 2,500,000 at once, while other banks have a maximum of 2,000,000 LAK.
3) Travel with more than one card, and possibly get one that has good commissions and exchange rates.
We use Wise cards on our trips and we have always been super satisfied with this online banking. It turns out to be online banking with an incredibly good exchange rate and low fees, perfect for all the countries we’ve had the pleasure of visiting so far, including Laos.
In Laos, the card is only accepted by some restaurants, hotels, and medium-high-end businesses, generally with a commission that goes from 3% to 7%, even so, we advise you to always have cash on hand to buy and do almost everything in this country, since in most places only national cards are accepted.
Our Tip: Wise is a great card when you are traveling to a country with a different currency than yours. We use this online bank during our trips and we never had problems, even in remote places around the world.
5. Internet and SIM Cards – Laos tour
Probably the only thing that is fast in Laos is the internet, since it travels with 5G, as long as we don’t count the new Chinese-Laotian train. Before entering this country, we were afraid of not being able to work online, because the news and information on this subject were not updated. In the end, we found ourselves in a country that has internet practically in any “populated” place and with a speed between middle-fast and fast so it was enough for any online work,
We can easily say that in a month and a half of traveling in Laos we didn’t have any problems with the internet. We did online meetings, downloaded and prepared a lot of videos, including at places like 4000 islands, which were quite isolated :-).
Well, yes, once in the capital city we couldn’t use the internet due to a blackout but it was a problem with electricity and not the internet.
SIM cards in Laos are easily accessible and you can buy them at any phone store in the country for a good price. The best company, according to the locals, is Unitel, and we can confirm that it works well. Unitel is usually more expensive than other companies that have better offers but it has better coverage. For example, we only used Unitel for the last few days in Don Det (4000 islands) because it was cheaper for us to buy a new number for a few days than to top up our previous card for the whole month.
Before Unitel, we used the Tplus company sim card for more than a month, which at that time seemed the best value for money. If we remember correctly, we paid 70,000 LAK per month with 80 GIGA available.
Tip:
If you constantly need internet, before buying the card remember to check if the company you choose allows you to connect your phone via Hot spot with your PC. Not all companies have this type of option in Southeast Asia.
The Tplus company was enabled to connect our PCs (via hot spot) with our smartphones.
Recently, on our trip to Southeast Asia, we discovered that there are electronic cards (data and calls) available. Practically with the use of an App, you can get a number, data, and calls without having a physical sim card in your phone.
At the moment they are only compatible with some latest generation smartphones (iPhone, Samsung, and others). In this list of smartphones, our expensive (just because we love you) Chinese mobiles do not fit, and for now, they are not compatible, although we hope only for now 😉 ).
That is why we have not had the opportunity to test this card in person. Despite this, e-SIM seems to us to be a great invention and will be a total revolution when it comes to moving from one country to another.
6. Transportation – Laos tour
If you are in a hurry and you have only a few days available, visiting Laos will be difficult for you, because the transportation system in general follows the pace of the country. By that, we mean that the transportation system is very slow (except speed trains) and in a few days you probably won’t have enough time to visit all the places on your travel list.
Organizing a trip to Laos in advance will be much more difficult for you and keep in mind that you will have fewer transport options compared to neighboring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. We had no problems using Lao transportation (apart from a small issue with the train in Luang Pranang that we will tell you about in the TRAIN section).
Mainly we had no problems because we did not have any prepaid plans so we just adjusted our timetable on the spot. Until now we are not sure if the slow transport was a momentary thing because the country reopened its doors to tourism and they were organizing everything, or because that is how the transport system works in Laos. We are sure of one thing on your next trip to Laos, you will “probably” know when your trip starts however, you will never know when you will arrive at your final destination:
Here is the list the most common means of transportation in Laos:
TAXI
We didn’t use taxis much, in fact we probably used taxis only twice and exclusively in the capital, Vientiane. At the time we visited Laos, there was only one App called “Loka”, which was quite useful, but it didn’t tell you how much your ride would cost so you might be surprised at the end. If you want to take a taxi, use the app, or negotiate the price for the ride before jumping into the car.
By the way, since we are sure you will visit the Laotian capital, we recommend you take a look at this post of the 5 reasons why you should visit Vientiane on your next trip.
TUK TUK
The Tuk Tuk is the means of transport that you will probably use the most for short rides (ex: bus station-hotel). We recommend always negotiating the price with the driver first because the drivers usually shoot astronomical figures at you.
In any case, we are always talking about figures ranging from 1 to 5 dollars, so if you don’t get a discount, don’t get mad, you won’t be ruined by a tuk-tuk trip.
We can tell you one thing so that you are more prepared. On our trip we noticed that in the North of the country it was much more difficult to negotiate lower prices than in the South, we do not know why, but we think that this information can be useful for you.
PLANE
We have not used this means of transportation on our trip to Laos. We know that Vientiane is well-connected with all the neighboring countries and if we are not mistaken it is also the only international airport in the country. There are medium-high priced internal flights (always compared to buses and minivans that do the same route) offered by two/three local companies. If you are interested, the most famous company is Lao airlines.
TRAIN
A modern and fast monster built by the Chinese for pure economic interest. It seems like a nightmare, instead, we are talking about the new train that crosses half the country, from the border with China to the capital Vientiane (border with Thailand).
We have not used the train simply because they did not let us leave with a kitchen knife in our backpack (remember that Simone is a Chef and he always carries a knife and other cooking utensils). We cannot comment on the route and its speed, but it’s reservation system has several basic problems:
1) until now it is not possible to book online
2) if you are a foreigner you can only buy the ticket at the station (or pay a Laotian or your hotel to buy it for you)
3) you can buy the ticket only two days in advance, which creates problems when organizing your trip
4) they have a metal detector just before the entrance of the station (the ticket office is in another separate space) and it is like an airport control, however, if you have dangerous materials with you, they do not give you the possibility to put them in the luggage space and this leaves you with two options, to skip the train or leave your dangerous belongings there
5) they are not very friendly and it seems that even if you are in Laotian territory, the rules are dictated by the Chinese, (ex: the train and station are the only places in Laos where the mask is still mandatory)
BUS
Although buses are one of the most used means of transport in the country, they are still quite old and slow. Remember that the VIP bus is not exactly what you expect and you should be happy if the bus has working air conditioning. The sleeping bus is quite an experience (and not for everyone it can be positive 🙂 and if you travel alone you can end up sharing a not-very-big bed with a stranger, you have just been warned.
MINIVAN
Surely the most used means of transport in the country. In Laos, the seats are not very comfortable, being smaller and made for Asians, but as in the neighboring country, it is still one of the cheapest options and sometimes the only one. In general, they have pre-established times, however until the minivan is not full, they do not usually start the journey. Get ready because the driver will stop to collect everything during the journey, packages, people, and sometimes animals will be your travel companions. We think that once in a minivan with a capacity for 15 people we ended up with more than 20 people and we no longer knew where they were going to put the next passenger found on the road.
BOAT
Laos is the only country in Southeast Asia that does not have access to the sea, but this does not mean that you will not use any boat on your trip there. Laos is full of navigable rivers, in fact, the Mekong, one of the largest rivers in the world, crosses the entire country from north to south and in 2022 it is “partially” navigable. We could not do the two-day trip on the Mekong river due to the lack of tourism and boats, however, the trip from the north of Laos (border with Thailand) to Luang Pranang is something that you should not miss, and that it still remain on our list of things to do before we die :-).
SCOOTER
Unlike neighboring countries that tend to have lower prices, motorcycle rental in Laos is decisively more expensive, always considering other prices. One day rent (24h) won´t be less than 140,000-160,000 LAK ($8-10)
The scooter, in various parts of the country, is not only useful but essential, because there are several attractions such as the Thakhek loop that could not be done without this means of transport.
Tips for motorcycle rental:
- To rent a motorcycle in Laos, nobody really asks you if you have a driver license, however, we recommend having an international driving license (plus license from your home country) to avoid any problems.
- Remember that to drive a motorcycle in Laos you must have an international license stamped with the letter A for motorcycles, letter B in Laos (as in Thailand) is only for cars.
- If the police stop you, they will most likely give you a fine of 5-10 dollars and you are good to go. The problem is not the fine really, there will be an issue if you are going to have an accident and you don’t have an international driver license. This will practically be the same as if you were driving without having a license at all, and the fault will be 99.999% yours.
- Another thing that we advise you is not to give your passport as a guarantee for renting a motorcycle. Although in Laos the motorcycle rental companies seem more serious and honest than in neighboring countries, you never know. If the owner of the store is dishonest, he could retain your document for fabricated damage or organized theft, and ask you for money in exchange for your passport, and we don ‘t think that you want to get into that situation.
- Remember, there is nothing more important in your trip than your passport, it is your only way out in case of problems in the country you are visiting.
7. Accommodation – Laos tour
The prices in Laos are very varied and depend a lot on whether the locality is popular or not. In general, the prices are going up a lot (as in the rest of the world), even so, you can find quite cheap prices and for sure much cheaper than in your country of origin. In November/December 2022, a room for two with air conditioning costs on average less than 20 EUR/$, and a bed in a hostel in a shared room between 5-10 Euros/dollar.
Almost all accommodation reservation companies work in Laos, despite that not all accommodations in 2022-2023 use this type of application. We generally use Booking.com,, for convenience, and also because we have discounts.
We also sporadically use Airbnb when we need apartments to work longer like our stay in Vientiane. As I was saying, not all accommodations use this type of app or resources, and sometimes we had to look for the accommodation on Google and contact them directly.
8. Food – Laos tour
If you know us a bit and follow us on social networks, you know that we travel indefinitely, we visit many places and we eat a lot. In Laos, we ate quite well and at very affordable prices. The food is very similar to Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Unlike Thai food, we have noticed that in Laos the food is definitely less sweet.
Due to the many years of French colonization, another peculiarity of this country is that it has a good assortment of pastries and bread such as baguettes or croissants, which are usually homemade for a good price.
Variety at the Capital is more
If you visit places that are a little more popular it will not be difficult to find western food such as pasta, pizza, or hamburgers of modest quality. In fact, Vientiane happens to be a fine dining destination with a wide variety of delicious food.
Street food in Laos exists, it is quite rich and affordable, but it is not comparable in quantity, and often in quality, to the food that you can find in neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
During our Laos tour, we didn’t have any stomach problems due to bad food or ice, and we ate and drank everywhere. We don’t want to give it as advice to eat anywhere, because every human being is different, but in general, the country is pretty clean as far as it goes. Although Laos is not a place focused on foreign tourists, they use a lot of ice to keep the food in good condition and to be able to offer it in good condition.
9. Insurance – Laos tour
In our opinion, the only useful mandatory thing you had to have while traveling during the COVID emergency was travel insurance. Now that many countries no longer require it as mandatory, many people decide not to invest in it and make a serious mistake. We do not travel anywhere without travel insurance, it is a basic and essential thing that you can not ignore. We assure you that in case of health problems (and not) during your trips it will get you out of trouble and save you a lot of money.
Our insurance is True Travelers, we strongly recommend it, because it is super organized and with good conditions and probably one of the few insurance companies that you can take out while traveling, so it is perfect for travelers and digital nomads like us.
10. Cultures and Habits – Laos tour
The first word that comes to mind when we think of Laotian people is reserved. Reserved yes, but with a big heart, because once you meet them they are very kind people who help you without thinking twice.
Almost 70% of the population are Buddhists and quite devout. The other percentage is divided by other religions and beliefs, we think that more than 50 different ethnic groups live in the country (especially in the north of the country) that have their own rules and probably divinities.
Being very reserved, you will hardly see any Laotian scantily dressed on the street. Practically everyone, both men and women, always wears long pants, regardless of how hot it is, and we think that this custom is more out of modesty than religion.
Although the locals will not normally tell you anything if you are underdressed due to the heat (as all westerners do), as long as you can respect their culture and traditions, it will be seen better and the treatment will be different. In addition, the one who has to adapt to their habits is you and not the other way around, and this is valid not only when you visit Laos but throughout the world.
11. Other tips – Laos tour
- Laos is a fairly cheap country, perfect for any backpacker or tourist on a tight budget, in fact, only the capital Vientiane and Luang Pranang tend to be a little more expensive than other locations.
- Remember that Laos is a safe country, but also one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Whether you are a tourist or traveler, you will always be the person who has a high purchasing power. So don’t get mad if they try to rip you off or charge you a very high price, smile and haggle calmly, because that’s how it works on this side of the world.
- The weather in Laos has two seasons: the rainy season, from May to October, and the dry season, from November to April. We traveled in the country between November and December and we did not see a drop of rain during our entire stay.
- You should not contract the prices of food in restaurants and street stalls, instead, contract the price of the tuk-tuk to death, which is usually quite expensive compared to other transport.
- If you have read other articles dated older than this (pre covid) you will think that prices in Laos have skyrocketed. It seems that it is true, however, it is not exactly correct. There has been a large devaluation in the country and the local currency, the Kip, has dropped a lot in recent years, falling by almost half. That is why the prices are higher, purely because they have had to adapt to the market (In 2019 $1 was equal to 10,000 Kip, today the same dollar is changed to 18,000 Kip, and as you can see almost double).
12. General Prices – Laos tour
The prices are based on our experience of a month and a half in this country, Nov-Dec 2022, the change was $1=17,000 Kip. We remind you that due to the fluctuation of the local currency, prices could change (up or down) and that these below are only an informative basis since they are based on our approximate average.
Street food: $0.3-$3 or 5,000-50,000 kip
Restaurants Local: 4-10 $40,000 or 170,000 kip
International restaurants (pizza, burger, etc.): <$6 or <75,000 kip
Water 0.5 LT: $0.20 – 4000 kip
Water 1.5 LT: 0.40 or 7000 kip
Fruit smoothie: =>1$ or =>10000 kip
Fresh coconut: >1$ or >10000 kip
Beer: $1 or 16,000 kip
Tuk Tuk: ??? It depends on the place and how much you haggle
Buses: >10-20$ or 100,000-340,000 kip (In the north they are more expensive than in the south of the country)
Scooter 125cc: 8-10$ or 140,000-160,000
Gasoline: <$1 per lt or 17000 kip
Accommodation 2 pax/day with a/c and private bathroom: 12 – 20 $ or 190000-340000 kip
Bunk bed in a shared room: $4-8 or 70,000-140,000 kip
SIM card: 5-10$ month with 80 gig 70000 or 170000 kip
Laundry: 0.8 -1$ x kg or 15000 kip
Conclusions – Laos tour
Laos will always stay in our hearts with incredible kind people and beautiful nature. Laos is mistakenly dismissed by most backpackers and tourists, but we hope that reading this post makes you visit this amazing country. According to our humble experience, we think that Laos is still the most authentic country in Southeast Asia, maybe because until now it has not fully yielded to the ferocious monster of capitalism, which eats everything that is most traditional in exchange for frenzy and false well-being.
We owe a lot to this country and we will always be grateful. It reminded us that it is not necessary to go a thousand miles an hour to be able to live well and that traveling slowly benefits us enormously, both economically and spiritually. It gave us the right rhythm to be able to enjoy our trip, our work, and life in general, thank you very much Laos.
Our tips and recommendations end here, we hope you can use some or all of them on your next stay in the land of smiles. Remember that this entire post is based on our personal experience and our travel style. If you want to add any information or advice, do not hesitate to write them in the comments below, and we will answer you as soon as possible.
Thank you for having come this far, we hope to see you soon on this blog and our social networks, a hug from your friends, travelers, and gluttons of Fun Food Travelling.
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