Chiang Mai To Laos / Phohm Penh By Road

[theblether]

I was toying with over-landing from CM into Laos and down to Phnom Penh, looking to do a 5 day trip and I'll fly back in, so the 5 days will be used for one way travel so to speak. I sit doable in 5 days? How would you do it?

I'm in favour of using buses that give me a relatively good chance of surviving the journey though ( sorry jbrain ), so recommended bus companies would be great. I'm not usually in favour of road travel but I think I would like to see a bit of the countryside for a wee change, rather than just fly over it, so daytime travel preferred.

If it's too much I'll quite happily wander around Laos for a few days then fly back in from Luang Prabang.

[hellodolly]

I think you would probably have to go through VietNam.

Not for sure on that.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think you would probably have to go through VietNam.

Not for sure on that.

If you're note sure, there is no requirement to post.

Anyway it's probably easiest to enter Cambodia via Pakse. Via a travel agent there you can get a ticket to Stung Treng in Cambodia, or probably all the way to Phnom Penh, too.

How you get to Pakse is up to you; you could enter Laos from Nong Khai to Vientiane and then go through Laos, or Mukdahan to Savannakhet, or cross from Ubon (Chong Mek) direct to Pakse.

Check out Travelfish.org

[Rotweiler]

Direct (so-of) bus from Chiang Mai top Luang Prabang is the simplist way. Detailed info at http://www.louangprabang.net/content.asp?id=725&lang_user=eng

Just make sure your visa is in order since to use the bus, you must already have a Lao Visa.

(info valid as of 3 months ago.... I assume it's still valid now)

[mogoso]

There are a few places in Chiang Mai that book an excursion to Luang Prabang. (maybe 1800 baht) 1st day drive to Chang Klong (I think) You see a few things Crystal (or White) temple, hot spring, eat lunch at a cashew place. Be sure to buy some cashews to munch for the next couple of days. The hotel you stay in is crappy so leave the tour once getting to the hotel. Wander west a bit come to a much better place that used to be private home of an ex Prime Minister lovely place maybe 600 baht per night. Get up real early go to the crap hotel (or you can stay in crap hotel included in tour price)and rejoin the tour. Now they'll want to have handled your exit visa from Thailand for a chunk of change you could have done but you can do it yourself right next to the boats they'll take you to. You'll be in no real hurry after you get to the boats. Take boat across river get a Laos visa right after you get off the boat a little ways up and to the right. Then some dude with the tour or so you think will try to have you change money, don't bother dollars or baht good in Laos You'll wait a bit and get on the Slow boat.

This is the journey all the rest has been crap. You'll go down river for two days, spend the night in Pac Ban(you gotta find and pay for)your own guesthouse, not hard) and the next in Luang Prabang. The Mekong is beautiful serene and if you like to party the back packers will show you the way. You don't want to be on the Sun side of the boat. It's an enjoyable trip but the views are river views lot of banks, rocks and mountains. Very few villages. The boat will stop for people on the banks from time to time. Luang Prabang is nice in the old Capital area. If you wanna see the sights there do a tour to the water fall and Hmong village (just want to sell you stuff) takes a few hours bargain on price and time. Airport is very close and the flight back was $150 usd

They had started to build a bridge two years ago that probably changes up the boat trip to Laos Immigration so that portion may be inaccurate now

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Direct (so-of) bus from Chiang Mai top Luang Prabang is the simplist way. Detailed info at http://www.louangprabang.net/content.asp?id=725&lang_user=eng

Right, though that makes it a longgg way to go through Laos when you start in Luang Phabang and need to get all the way to Cambodia. (Things go twice as fast / twice as easy covering ground on Thai soil.) Not to mention that Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang is already a major, MAJOR undertaking, as you need to go via Luang Namtha. (20-24 hours.. and then you're only in Luang Phabang)

I'd probably start with Chiang Mai - Khon Kaen, or maybe Chiang Mai - Ubon though that's a long bus ride too.

[isanbirder]

The trip on the Mekong via Chiang Khong is lovely (take an inflatable cushion), but it makes a long way round.

To go to Phnom Penh, I would travel by bus to Udon, then get a bus across the Mekong to Vientiane. I've not done the bus trip from Vieniane to Savannakhet, but if the next leg, to Pakse, is anything to go by, avoid Laotian buses. When I did it, the bus was packed full (but it's the only bus where they give you a life insurance certificate with your ticket), and one girl was allocated a seat which HAD BEEN REMOVED to make way for a toilet. The bus station is 10 kms from Pakse, and there's only scam transport into town. However, Pakse is a vibrant centre, much more fun than Savannakhet, which appears to have died some years ago, but hasn't found out yet.

I never worked out how to get on to Phnom Penh.