Mukdahan To Savanakhet Options

[Najinsky]

Does anyone know the time of the last bus from Mukdahan to Savanakhet?

 

I’ll need to make a Laos Visa when I get to the Laos side of the bridge. Will the bus wait? If not is there other transport available to get from the bridge into Savanakhet town?

 

Is the bus the only option? Are there other ways to cross the bridge?

 

I found the Savanakhet to Mukdahan timetable and the last bus leaves 7PM, so guessing from that I expect the last bus from Mukdahan would be around 6:15PM.

 

I did find a link to the timetable on another post from ubonjoe but that link is dead (404)

 

[Denim]

If you have to apply for a Lao Visa the bus almost certainly won't wait for you.

 

There are touts offering rides into town just beyond Lao immigration. They will want a few hundred baht. About 200 baht if I remember.

 

You might be able to hitch a ride over the bridge with a car or pick up crossing over. I have done this and paid 50 baht to the pick up driver as did 3 others who jumped in.

 

To do this you will need to get to the bridge then wait just before Thai immigration for a ride.Don't get your exit stamp until you have found your ride. They will wait while you get this providing there is not a long queue.

[BritTim]

In Savannakhet, you cannot rely on getting a Lao visa on arrival after about 6:00 pm. Unlike in Vientiane, the visa on arrival desk often closes long before the border closes. I do not believe Thai immigration will stamp you out if they know you will be unable to get a visa on the Lao side of the bridge.

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, Najinsky said:

I did find a link to the timetable on another post from ubonjoe but that link is dead (404)

They redid their website. Here is a good link. http://home.transport.co.th/index.php/th/time-table-english/item/443-ตารางเดินรถโดยสารระหว่างประเทศ-international-route.html  The last bus from Mukdahan to Savanakhet is is shown as 7pm.

As said there is a good chance you will not be able to cross the bridge after 6 pm since that is when the Lao visa on arrival office officially closes but if they are busy they stay open.

If arriving late it is best to plan on staying in Mukdahan and then take the first bus to Savannakhet at 7:30 am. The Lao VOA office opens at 8am.

[Caldera]

Or get the visa for Laos in advance, at the Lao embassy in Bangkok or at a Lao consulate, if that's feasible. Then you can cross the bridge anytime it's open without having to worry about the VOA.

[Najinsky]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

I’m in Laos now.

 

I’m here to make a new Visa for Thailand, at the Thai Consulate in Savanakhet.

 

My concern was that I had to drive my PCX about 300km to get to Mukdahan and with roadworks and rain it was hard to pin down what time I would arrive, so it was good to know the options.

 

Staying in Mukdahan overnight and catching the early 7:30 bus was plan B but seemed to have 2 potential downsides:

 

First, that’s the most recommended option, so possibly the busiest, maybe no space on the bus and/or long waiting times at Thai immigration and Lao VOA.

 

Another poster here said they got to the VOA office on the Laos side for 8am but there was no-one working the office until 11am. So if they are busy or late opening, there’s a risk of not making the Thai Embassy by 11am when it closes.

 

Hence getting into Laos before the bridge closed was preferable.

 

As Caldera wrote, for anyone planning something similar, getting the Laos visa in advance would best play because it then takes a lot of variables out of the equation.

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by Najinsky

[Najinsky]

On 9/11/2018 at 9:40 PM, Denim said:

If you have to apply for a Lao Visa the bus almost certainly won't wait for you.

 

There are touts offering rides into town just beyond Lao immigration. They will want a few hundred baht. About 200 baht if I remember.

 

 

The bus did wait a while, but not quite long enough. It took about 20 minutes to process the VOA. Not sure why it was so long, I was the only person applying.

 

Litterally, the bus pulled out of its parking bay, and as it left, the VOA office opened the window and gave me my passport back complete with entry stamp.

 

If I were feeding my inner cynic I’d say they likely waited until the bus left so I’d have to use the tuk-tuks. Maybe I’ve been here too long, lol.

 

It was 200 baht.

[Najinsky]

On 9/12/2018 at 8:14 AM, ubonjoe said:

They redid their website. Here is a good link. http://home.transport.co.th/index.php/th/time-table-english/item/443-ตารางเดินรถโดยสารระหว่างประเทศ-international-route.html  The last bus from Mukdahan to Savanakhet is is shown as 7pm.

 

Thanks for the updated link.

 

I’ll be passing through Ubon on the return leg. If you frequent one of the farang bars there, let me know which and I’ll buy you a drink to say thanks for the help you give to the forum. It’s appreciated.

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, Najinsky said:

The bus did wait a while, but not quite long enough. It took about 20 minutes to process the VOA. Not sure why it was so long, I was the only person applying.

Litterally, the bus pulled out of its parking bay, and as it left, the VOA office opened the window and gave me my passport back complete with entry stamp.

If I were feeding my inner cynic I’d say they likely waited until the bus left so I’d have to use the tuk-tuks. Maybe I’ve been here too long, lol.

It was 200 baht.

  The buses are quite regular (every 30 minutes or so) and the tickets remain valid if you miss the bus that you are on .

So, just wait for the next bus 

[Najinsky]

6 hours ago, sanemax said:

  The buses are quite regular (every 30 minutes or so) and the tickets remain valid if you miss the bus that you are on .

So, just wait for the next bus 

I had to surrender my ticket when I rejoined the bus after clearing Thai departure. Was that supposed to happen?

[sanemax]

11 minutes ago, Najinsky said:

I had to surrender my ticket when I rejoined the bus after clearing Thai departure. Was that supposed to happen?

Probably, they dont seem to strict in checking bus tickets there , there is no scams there

[SimonD]

Having done this trip before, I photographed my bus ticket before surrendering it just in case my second journey was questioned.

 

Bus driver couldn't have been less interested.