Laos
Where do we even start about how much we love Laos? Overall your experience in Laos should leave you feeling very grateful for the life you live at home. For us, Laos has been our favourite country so far, perhaps, because we had not idea how amazing it was going to be.
The country is full of beautiful people, after all that has happened to this country during the 'secret war', they shouldn't even be civil to westerners, yet everywhere you go, you will encounter someone who will give you a wave and an amazing smile, really, it should wear the title of 'the land of smiles' (sorry Thailand). Along with the abundance of friendly locals, Laos is chock a block with waterfalls, rice patties, butterflies, and country side that will bring a smile to your face. |
IMPORTANT LINKS
Newly Nomads blog on our 16 day trip to Laos Here you'll not only find our daily blog, but also places to stay, eat and visit.
Jaide Photography's website, go here to view Justin's awesome snaps of our time in Laos. *All prices on this page are of AUD and are current from October 2014* |
the budget
Laos is pretty damn cheap, even for SE Asia standards, but this depends on where you are staying. Prices vary a lot throughout the towns. Vientiane is surprising cheap, along with Vang Vieng and Phonsavan (although food prices are raised here), for these towns, we were easily living off $50 a day, including a motorbike and accommodation. Luang Prabang was the most expensive town we visited, here we lived off $60 a day (however, this was because we wanted to hire a motorbike, take this out, and $50 should get you by). You can view our planning guide here.
* Food/Drink: $15-$20 a day
This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. All over Laos (especially Vang Vieng) you should be able to find sandwich carts or restaurants, each sandwich is about $2 and is packed with salad and your choice of meat, this is what we had for breakfast mostly every day. Lunch and dinner were usually some sort of local rice or noodle meal.
* Accommodation: $8-$14
Laos has some great accommodation for budget travellers but still offers you clean and good quality rooms, however price varies depending on which province you are in, see more on accommodation below.
* Transportation: $7-$16
For us, this was the cost of a motor bike, more information can be found below.
* Other: $10-$15 a day. This one is mainly for entrance fees, pretty much all sites are at least 10,000kip entrance fee, however some are more expensive, this price will depend greatly on how many you want to visit in one day. Also it should cover your petrol needs.
* Food/Drink: $15-$20 a day
This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. All over Laos (especially Vang Vieng) you should be able to find sandwich carts or restaurants, each sandwich is about $2 and is packed with salad and your choice of meat, this is what we had for breakfast mostly every day. Lunch and dinner were usually some sort of local rice or noodle meal.
* Accommodation: $8-$14
Laos has some great accommodation for budget travellers but still offers you clean and good quality rooms, however price varies depending on which province you are in, see more on accommodation below.
* Transportation: $7-$16
For us, this was the cost of a motor bike, more information can be found below.
* Other: $10-$15 a day. This one is mainly for entrance fees, pretty much all sites are at least 10,000kip entrance fee, however some are more expensive, this price will depend greatly on how many you want to visit in one day. Also it should cover your petrol needs.
food/drinks
As much as we love Laos, their food isn't as amazing as their neighbouring countries, they do make up for this however with amazing sandwiches. How can a sandwich be amazing you may ask? Well think of a baguette, with cheese, lettuce, tomato, chicken, bacon and sweet chilli sauce, then double the amount of filling you're picturing. Sandwich carts or restaurants are pretty much everywhere in Laos (well, everywhere we have been). You can usually pick up one of these bad boys for $1.50-$3.00 (depending on your toppings) and they're super filling.
This would be our breakfast most (okay, every) day in Laos, teamed up with a delicious $1.50-$2 smoothie, our breakfast would end up being one of our biggest meals, and usually meant we didnt need lunch most days (yes, the sandwiches are that big). For lunch or dinner in a restaurant your meal can cost you $3-$10 depending on what you're after/what sort of restaurant you go to. Try to stick to the local restaurants, they are always the best. The portions are normally quite big, meaning we could easily share. |
Unfortunately, there are not many local food carts, well not as many as we had expected. Meaning in most towns, if you are wanting a local meal, you'll more than likely find yourself sitting in a restaurant.
There are no fast food chains in Laos, not even McDonalds (i know, whatttt?) so, you can forget about that. Beer at a restaurant will cost you $1.80 for a long neck, however you can pick them up for a fraction cheaper at the convenient stores. Soft drinks are $1 a can at restaurants and only .50 cents at shops (in some towns, Pepsi dominates the soft drink scene and coca-cola products can be scarce). Spirit prices vary from province to province and depends greatly on what spirit you choose, word to the wise, if you try the alcohol shakes in Luang Prabang, don't expect to feel your face (or anything for that matter) after 5 sips. You can find more information on Laos food and drinks, as well as a list of places we ate at on our Laos Blog page. |
accomodationVientiane Wonderlands Guesthouse 2 - $11 a night. Tucked away on an alley off the main street Wonderlands saved us from a tremendously hot day and placed us in a clean room with a huge king bed, air con and most importantly, a shower (it had a hot dial, but that day all we wanted was cold.) Vang Vieng- Vieng Vilay- $10 a night. Located on the main intersection of town this place is just perfect. The owner is a crack up, she runs a hairdressers salon as well as a tourist desk to book your next trip/any adventure in Vang Vieng. Across the road you have a bike shop and at night the street is lined with 5 sandwich and pancake shops. On top of its prime position, it has huge rooms with really cold air-conditioning, hot water and super comfortable beds (ours had a king and a single in the room.) Phonsavan- Nice Guest House- $9 a night. Great hotel, really friendly staff. The rooms are big enough and have a good hot water system and air con. The down stairs cafe has delicious food & a great vibe. |
Luang Probang– T.T Second House– $15 a night. Really clean rooms, sort of Balinese style, pretty nice for the price. In a good location, a close walk to the night market/sandwich stores. WiFi is only downstairs and was a little slow. You can find more information on Laos' accommodation and on our blog page of Laos. |
transport
Bus/Mini Van: Impossible to avoid these when you're in this beautiful country. We're not going to lie, they can be a little rough. The roads in Laos are bumpy, bumpy and bumpier again, most of them are dirt roads. Its not likely that you'll do more than 1 trip without a slight issue (our mini van had a flat tyre - but of course, no jack) but hey, you're on holidays & you're in a bloody brilliant part of the world, so just sit back and try to relax.
These bus trips are really cheap, no more than $15. |
Motorbikes:
Pricing varies on what town you're in: Vientiane: $7 for a semi automatic. Vang Vieng: $9 (although he started at $15) for a semi automatic, there are cheaper around but just be careful. Phonsavan: $12 a day for a semi automatic and you had to return them by 6pm (not many places to ride to after dark anyhow) Luang Prabang: $16 a day for a semi automatic, way more expensive, but worth it when there is 2 people on one bike. Laos is an amazing country to motorbike around. Once you get out of the towns you will come across some of the most beautiful scenery with even more spectacular people. Grab a map and some helmets and hit the roads, find a little piece of heaven, there are plenty of them in Laos. |
helpful infoTip#1 - Vang Vieng is worth a whole lot more than tubing. The surrounding areas here are mind blowing.
Tip#2 - Laos is a poor country, expect children to run up to you and beg for money. You will often hear "photo?" however you are expected to give them a small amount of money (totally worth it). Tip#3 - A lot of the bus trips we did took you straight into town, no need to book accommodation really (unless it is an exceptionally busy period). Tip#4 - Meet as many Lao people as you can. They are amazing, caring and SUPER friendly. They will make your trip so much better then it will already be. visa & departure taxVisa on arrival. You will need 1 passport photo and $35 US Dollars for a 30 day visa. Some people have had some issues with corruption at boarder crossings (demanding extra money/if you pay in Baht you pay a lot higher price) however our experience was pleasant.
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moneyHad some issues with ATM's not accepting our Australian MasterCard in Phonsavan, really not sure why. Always try to get money out before you are completely broke (unlike us) this way, if your card fails (like us) you will have money to get by until you figure out why. A money changer in Luang Prabang wouldn't exchange Kip for US Dollars, however keep walking, there are plenty around that will.
tippingNot necessary but is appreciated.
Money denominationsNote denominations:
100,000 kip 50,000 kip 20,000 kip 10,000 kip 5,000 kip 2,000 kip 1,000 kip 500 kip There are no coins in Laos. |