23 January 2024
Luang Prabang to Vientiane: My top 5 unforgettable activities in Laos.
In this post, I’ll be reflecting on the week I spent in Laos in October 2023. I flew from Bangkok (BKK) to Vientiane (VTE) on the 30th September. I went straight to Vientiane Railway Station looking to head north to Luang Prabang – a gamble as I hadn’t looked as to when or even if there were any trains running! My planned route was 2 nights in Luang Prabang, 3 nights in Vang Vieng and 2 nights in Vientiane. The wet season in Laos is forecast as May-October, however whilst there I encountered no rainfall at all!
One piece of advice I have for travelling around Laos… check your luggage! I was completely unaware that the railway stations would have such strict security. A week into my travels around SE Asia I had to give up a bottle of dry shampoo, 2 bottles of deodorant, my only bug spray and 2 bottles of suncream – £30 gone in the blink of an eye. So yes, don’t be like me and make sure you remove any aerosols you have in your luggage (hand or checked) before you go. Though I will say, the actual trains between the three locations I visited were incredibly efficient.
1. My top spot on this list of top 5 unforgettable activities to do in Laos has to be the Hot Air Balloon in Vang Vieng. Not only were the views of this flight incredible (watch the TikTok here), but it is also the cheapest hot air balloon flight in the world! This experience cost 2 million LAK (Laotian Kip) or £75 for a 40 minute flight. It definitely goes down as one of the best experiences of my life and was super stress-free and easy to arrange which made the whole thing even better. We chose to do the sunrise flight… slightly risky the morning after a day of boozing – we’ll get to that later. But my lord was it worth the wake up.
2. That brings me on to spot number 2 on my list of top 5 unforgettable activities – Tipsy Tubing. Now you may have heard of this taking place in locations like Pai, Thailand, but not many know about it in Vang Vieng. Tipsy Tubing is quite literally how it sounds… you get tipsy whilst sitting in a tube floating down a river. This activity was honestly hilarious and like no bar crawl I’d ever done before. Whilst floating downstream, you are thrown ropes to grab onto, then pulled into local riverside bars for a couple of drinks before getting back in and carrying on! You can also BYOB which is nice journey juice whilst floating! We arranged it through our hostel, costing us 40,000 LAK each (£1.60), including transport to the river and back. The whole experience lasted around 4 hours… I think.
3. Number 3 on this list is once again in Vang Vieng, the Nam Xay Viewpoint. Despite what my Instagram may have seen of me climbing this mountain, I assure you it’s worth it. I will be honest, this trek is not for the faint-hearted. It is rather challenging towards the top, where it is more rocky, but overall it should only take between 45 minutes to an hour. Also, if you’re scared of heights like myself, I will warn you that coming down is worse than going up. The entry fee to this viewpoint is only 20,000 LAK (£0.75) and is definitely worth it. I would certainly suggest getting there in the morning before it becomes hotter and busier.
4. In 4th place is the Kuang Si Waterfalls in Luang Prabang. These falls were incredibly stunning and the water was lovely and fresh. It’s not surprising this place is known as the turquoise waterfall. We spent around 2 and a half hours at the falls, stopping for lunch at the top. In the lower pools leading to the waterfall at the top, you can swim in the crystal clear waters. It cost us around 20,000 LAK per person (£0.75). I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Luang Prabang.
5. Lastly, the Lagoons of Vang Vieng take 5th on this list of unforgettable activities in Laos. There are a total of 6 natural spring lagoons in Vang Vieng, though we only visited lagoons 1, 2 and 3. They are all within 40 minutes of the city centre and were great to swim in, resulting in a refreshing day out. The total for this trip set us back roughly 130,000 LAK (£5), which included transport and entry to the lagoons.
Undoubtedly, Vang Vieng was my favourite place to visit in Laos, from it’s amazing activities to its stunning scenery. Though I’m sure there are many hidden gems that I missed out on, and hopefully will one day return to see.
Check out my other blogs here!
