When reading a guidebook, keep in mind that things in Laos are changing increadibly fast with new hotels and busstations being built, so your guidebook (and after a while also this site) will not be correct anymore on some things.

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Arranging a visa in Europe takes a lot of time. You have to send your passport to the embassy, and they will then send all the information to Laos and wait for the return. After the right documents have returned, it takes one more week.

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The national airline for domestic flights is Lao Aviation. Vientiane is their homebase. Their safety record is terrible (have a look at www.airsafe.com for details), and they mostly use Chinese planes (YUN 12 & 7) and some helicopters. Here are some examples of destinations, but be aware that prices and schedules change quickly. Schedules Day Departure Arrival Flight

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Vientiane doesn't look like a capital, but more like a provincial town. Streets are only partly paved, so in dry season it can get very dusty, after rain it can become pretty muddy.

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In this beautiful town, there were only 3 to 4 guesthouses in 1998; In 2000, there are 23 guesthouses, and the number is still rising. It's main attraction is its beautiful setting next to the Nam Song river and the surrounding Karst mountains. There are also a lot of tunnels and caves.

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This beautiful city has recently become part of the UNESCO World heritage. It's famous for its beautiful Buddhist temples, French architecture, ethnic population (Hmong-Mien-Thai) and river-mountain surroundings. Most people stay here longer then planned. LP has the right atmosphere.

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In this section you'll find info on: Nong Khiaw, Luang, Nam Tha & Udomxai , Muang Sing

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This is a nice village to stop your journey along on the way to the NW region. The surrounding forest is good for hiking. From LP to Pakmon (crossroad) it's a relatively good road, but then you come on road nr; 1 which is in some places very bad.We were there at late monsoon, and some places where simply washed away. Nong Khiaw is a good night stop for an alternative route to Phonsavan (Plane of Jars).

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If you're coming from Nong Khiaw or Luang Prabang, you'll probably end up in one of these villages on your way to Muang Sing or further north to Phongsali. The road to these villages is very bad.

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Muang Sing is a pleasant village not far from the Chinese border with many traditional people in and around the village: Akha, Hmong, Thai Dam, Lii... Muang Sing is also a good place to do hiking trips to those villages. You can go on a trekking from 1 to 7 days. In this area, there's a lot of opium production.

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