Traveling From Ubon To Pakse, Laos

[Ron]

hello fellow travellors, I'm trying to organise an outing to Pakse, Lao from Ubon, as I live not so far from there and my adult children are coming to Thailand soon, and I thought to take them to Pakse, Lao. Does anybody have any input about this trip driving to Ubon then crossing into Lao and making to Pakse? I have been in other places in Lao before and my wife can speak a little Lao language. Thanks a lot for any help!

[Farma]

Take a look at the Sakda travel website and see what attractions there are in that area.

Chong Mek is the easiest border to pass through from Ubon. Wat Phou is a definite must see along with the numerous waterfalls etc.

There are plenty of Thai registered cars driving in that area of Laos and very little traffic on the roads. Expect to pay at the checkpoints each time you enter a new umphur. Fuel is expensive so fill up in Thailand before you cross into Laos.

[Ron]

Take a look at the Sakda travel website and see what attractions there are in that area.

Chong Mek is the easiest border to pass through from Ubon. Wat Phou is a definite must see along with the numerous waterfalls etc.

There are plenty of Thai registered cars driving in that area of Laos and very little traffic on the roads. Expect to pay at the checkpoints each time you enter a new umphur. Fuel is expensive so fill up in Thailand before you cross into Laos.

Thanks for your reply, but can you elaborate a little on the situations? Is there a bridge at Chong Mek or do the place the car on the boat? Is it expensive? I have a Thai registered vehicle with number 1 insurance so I guess that goes okay in Lao also? There is nothing like a International Green Insurance Card however. Is it best to pay off at the checkpoints in Lao in Kip or Baht? A little more information would be appreciated by me.

[Farma]

I haven’t taken my car across so can’t help you on the car insurance or car import/export side of things. It was my first trip to Laos so I traveled on an organized tour mini bus to get a feel for the place.

Chong Mek is a land crossing. You can drive to most of the tourist areas on sealed roads. The visit to Wat Phou at Champasak required a small ferry trip across the river. The ferries run regularly and you show up, drive on and pay on the ferry. They are made up from a couple of steel barges with a platform on top to carry vehicles.

Our tour paid Kip at the checkpoints. All other payments were made in Thai Baht. I took Kip but found most places accepted Baht. Friends who have made motorbike tours further north tell me they don’t bother to buy Kip and only travel with Baht.

There is a money exchange at the rear of the building where you obtain your visa and import your car on the Laos side of Chong Mek. They only accepted US$ for my visa. $30 for the visa + $1 weekend overtime fee.

The souvenir places at the tourist attractions had highly inflated prices. The same items we easily found in Pakse market a lot cheaper than in Thailand. Good quality been there done that T shirts for 50Baht etc. Silk was very cheap compared to Thailand.

The tour I took is on this link. http://www.sakda.com/english/package2.php All the attractions on this tour weren’t all that far from each other, 1 hour drive at the most. They charged me 5,500 Baht for the tour from Ubon. Everything included apart from my souvenir shopping and visa.

I stayed at the Champasak Palace hotel in Pakse 1 night and Tan Fan resort another night. Tad Fan resort could be best described as a boutique resort. Nice wooden huts with basic amenities looking across to the twin waterfalls. Fan only and no TV. The palace hotel was 3 star with aircon and TV.

I hope this has helped a bit.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Farma