Laos

Huay Xai - in the north, on the Mekong and the border with Thailand. This is the starting point of the 2 day/1 night Mekong boat ride to Luang Prabang.
Luang Namtha - capital of the north, known for its trekking.
Luang Prabang - a UNESCO World Heritage City. It is the ancient Lao capital and known for its numerous temples and devoted citizens.
Pakbeng - halfway point on the overnight slow boat between Huay Xai & Luang Prabang
Pakse – a major city in the south, and the gateway to the Wat Phu ruins and the "four thousand islands" (Si Phan Don)
Plain of Jars – Hundreds of megalithic stone jars, large enough for a man to crouch in.
Savannakhet - in the south, on the Mekong, connected by bridge to Mukdahan, Thailand
Tha Khaek - south of Vientiane on the banks of the Mekong, Tha Khaek is a popular base for exploring the Phou Hin Boun National Park including the famous Konglor Cave
Si Phan Don - the "four thousand islands" are nestled within the Mekong near the Cambodian border
Vientiane - the sleepy capital on the banks of the Mekong River

The best time to visit Laos is between November and February, when it rains the least and it’s not too hot. If you plan to visit Luang Prabang in December and January, you need to book both the accommodations and good tours at least 3 months ahead. Despite its recent tourism boom and mushrooming of new guest houses, good accommodations and good tour guides are scarce. During this busy season, some famous restaurants even get booked ahead, so make your dinner reservations at least two days ahead.

The mountain areas are general pleasant in temperature all year around. However, during the heavy rainy season (July to October), roads can be washed away. Well… you can always use boats and rivers to get around the country.

Updated: July 2008

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a very high concentration of international NGOs (non-profit organizations). The cost of travel in Laos remains low despite the recent boom in tourism.

A decent mid-range hotel room costs around $50 - $100 per night. $5 - $10 will get you a good meal.

A luxury five star hotel room starts around $100 - $150 per night. $10 - $20 will get you a gourmet meal. (In Luang Prabang, there is only one luxury hotel, the La Residence Phou Vao, which starts around $250 per night in the low season! It’s all about supply and demand, right?)

A one week private guided tour with mid-range accommodations will cost around $1000 per person (double occupancy)

A one week private guided tour with the best available accommodations will start around $2000 per person (double occupancy). Outside of Luang Prabang and Vientiane, luxury accommodation is almost non-existent.

Tips: Carry USD and Thai Baht currency. ATMs are only available in Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Lao kip (Laos’ currency) is not exchangeable outside of Laos. Make sure that you use up all your Lao kips before you leave the country.

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma (Myanmar) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. After a period as a French protectorate, it gained independence in 1949. A long civil war ended officially when the communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975 but the protesting between factions continued for several years.
Private enterprise has increased since t
he late 1990s when economic reforms including rapid business licensing were introduced. Laos is still ranked among the lowest countries in terms of economic and political freedom. The economy of Laos grew at 7.2% in 2006, 35th fastest in the world. Eighty percent of the employed practice subsistence agriculture. The country's ethnic make-up is diverse, with around 70% belonging to the largest ethnic group, the Lao.

Laos traces its history to the kingdom of Lan Xang, founded in the fourteenth century by Fa Ngum, himself descended from a long line of Lao kings, tracking back to Khoun Boulom. Lan-Xang prospered until the eighteenth century, when the kingdom was divided into three principalities, which eventually came under Siamese suzerainty. In the 19th century, Luang Prabang was incorporated into the 'Protectorate' of French Indochina, and shortly thereafter, the kingdom of Champassack and the territory of Vientiane were also added to the protectorate. The French saw Laos as a useful buffer state between the two expanding empires of France and Britain. The French remained in de facto control until 1954, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy. Under a special exemption to the Geneva Convention, a French military training mission continued to support the Royal Laos Army. In 1955, the U.S. Department of Defense created a special Programs Evaluation Office to replace French support of the Royal Lao Army against the communist Pathet Lao as part of the U.S. containment policy.

Laos was dragged into the Vietnam War, and the eastern parts of the country were invaded and occupied by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), which used Laotian territory as a staging ground and supply route for its war against the South. In response, the United States initiated a bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese, supported regular and irregular anticommunist forces in Laos and supported a South Vietnamese invasion of Laos. The result of these actions were a series of coups d'état and, ultimately, the Laotian Civil War between the Royal Laotian government and the communist Pathet Lao.

Massive aerial bombardment by the United States followed as it attempted to eliminate North Vietnamese bases in Laos in order to disrupt supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh/Trường Sơn Trail. Between 1971 and 1973 the USAF dropped more ordnance on Laos than was dropped worldwide during World War II (1939−45). In total more than 2 million tonnes of bombs were dropped (almost 1/2 a tonne per head of population at the time).
In 1975, after the fall of Saigon, the Communist Pathet Lao, backed by the Soviet Union and the North Vietnamese Army, took control of Vientiane and ended a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, an easing of foreign investment laws, and admission into ASEAN in 1997.

Despite being just one hour by air from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, life in Laos has continued in much the same way it has for hundreds of years, although things are now slowly beginning to change. In the mid-90s the government reversed its stance on tourism, and then declared 1998 "Visit Laos Year" - but despite their efforts and all Laos has to offer, monks still outnumbered tourists throughout the country. This is now rapidly changing, with tourist numbers rising every year. Indeed, Vientiane is a laid-back, yet charmingly cosmopolitan village.