Laos Explorer

You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for each date is what you pay.

Not at the moment. The listed departures fall in the dry season, outside Laos's main festival dates. Boun Ok Phansa marks the end of Buddhist Lent in October, when Luang Prabang's temples and neighbourhoods float candlelit boats down the Mekong (Lai Heua Fai). Boun That Luang in Vientiane is in November, and Pi Mai Lao, the Lao New Year, is in April. Boun Ok Phansa and Boun That Luang follow the lunar calendar, so their dates shift each year. If we add a festival departure, the date is shown next to it.

Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some come with a friend. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 16.

The Trip Host travels with the group for all 9 days, sorts out every transfer, ticket and check-in, and is the person you go to if anything goes wrong. On activities that need them, a licensed local guide leads the visit. You can skip any activity, because nothing is compulsory. Just tell the Trip Host so nobody waits for you.

It starts at our guesthouse in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon of Day 1 and ends in Vientiane after breakfast on Day 9. We send the address when you book. Fly into Luang Prabang (LPQ), usually via Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Hanoi. For the way home, book a flight out of Vientiane (VTE) any time from late morning on Day 9, or take the overnight train back to Bangkok that evening.

November to mid-February is the best time: dry, clear and not too hot. Some smoke is possible from late January, and Luang Prabang recorded unhealthy air in January 2026. We don't run this trip from March to April, when smoke from farm burning hangs over northern Laos, or in the rainy season from about May to October, when the rivers run high.

Most passports need a visa for Laos: either a visa on arrival at Luang Prabang airport or an eVisa bought before you go from the official site, laoevisa.gov.la. You also fill in the free Lao Digital Immigration Form online in the 3 days before you arrive. Rules change, so read our Laos visa guide before you book flights.

Social hostels and small guesthouses with air-con in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane, picked for location and cleanliness. Nong Khiaw's guesthouses are simpler, without air-con, since that's what the town has. You share a twin or small dorm room with travellers of the same gender. Vegetarian, vegan and allergy needs are fine: tell us when you book. Lao food is easy to adapt, and the included lunches can be arranged around most diets. For serious allergies, carry a translation card in Lao to show at restaurants and tell the Trip Host before you travel.

A soft bag or backpack rather than a suitcase. Bring clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temples, a light fleece for cool mornings, sandals or water shoes for the kayak day, a head torch, a refillable water bottle and a waterproof phone pouch. Nong Khiaw has few ATMs, so we stop at one in Luang Prabang before the minivan leaves. Bring enough kip in small notes to cover two days of meals and spending there. For the Lao visa on arrival, bring clean, new US dollar notes and a couple of passport photos. Your passport needs at least six months' validity and two blank pages.

Yes to insurance: it's a condition of joining. It must cover medical treatment and evacuation, because serious cases in Laos are usually moved to hospitals in Thailand. Check that it covers kayaking, tubing and boat travel, and that your own government has no advice against the places on this itinerary. For vaccinations, see a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go. The UK's TravelHealthPro and the US CDC both publish up-to-date advice for Laos.

It has real risks, and it's worth knowing them before you go. Foreign travellers have died after drinking spirits suspected of being tainted in Laos, including six in Vang Vieng in November 2024, when a lab found excessive methanol in a vodka brand but the authorities later said they could not establish the cause. Buy drinks sealed and never accept free shots. "Happy" shakes and pizzas can contain opiates, and any drugs, including cannabis, can mean a long prison sentence in Laos. People have also died tubing or jumping into the river. On our kayak day we use a local operator and follow its call on the water level.

Averagely fit. There are steps up Mount Phousi, a viewpoint climb at Nong Khiaw, some easy paddling and a lot of walking in hot weather. You need to be comfortable in the water for the kayak and cave day.