Luang Prabang to Xishaungbanna via bus. Anyone?

[jobin]

24 hrs on the bus so hope it's a bus with beds. Anyone here take this journey? I don't think i can travel across Myanmar but Laos in OK. I can get to LB easily so that's no problem

Welcome ideas and trip reports.

[Jeremy50]

Beds? I really don't think so, even in Europe beds in buses are rare. It sounds like a sit up all night deal, and pray that they don't allow smoking.

[jobin]

Plenty of bed buses in China for o'nite travel. Y not other places?

[anotheruser]

Overnight buses with beds are quite common in Laos. Not sure about where you are going but they are certainly not out of the ordinary.

[Sydebolle]

You do not want to do this. The road from Luang Prabang to Oudomxay is under renovation and the bus drivers of Laos and China are driving like maniacs. Take the plane if you can.

[cruisemonkey]

That sounds like the bus ride from Hell to me. Twenty-four hours could easily turn into seventy-two... or more when the monsoon really hits.

[jobsworth]

sounds like fun. i always wanted to visit north laos.

vientiane - vang vien - luang prabang - phongsali.

20 years ago they would not allow foreigners to do this because of attacks by hmong.

a friend of mine did it in a truck. they were shot at long range with ak47.

10 years ago i tried to do the journey with an isaan lady who could understand lao.

the tourist mini bus to vang vien was $7. the government bus was $1.

the mini bus driver was a maniac and so we disembarked and continued by tuk tuk.

vang vien is a backpackers mecca with air america runway and river for swimming.

the government bus to luang prabang was ok but all the hotels were full of thais who had flown from bangkok

on package tours for 4000 THB.

so that was the end of it. never have been to phongsali. did not return down the river for 2 days to thailand.

took all the busses back to nong kai in thailand.

2 weeks later one of the busses was shot up by hmong tribesman and all the passengers were killed.

i hope that you make it to north laos. it is certainly an adventure.

Edited May 9, 2016 by jobsworth

[Tomtomtom69]

In spite of the bad roads between Luang Prabang and Udomxai (the road from Udomxai to the border at Boten although very narrow, is in good condition - unless it has since gone into disrepair?) there is no way it would take 24 hours to travel from Luang Prabang to Jinghong. From Luang Prabang to Kunming, yes. But Jinghong should be more like 10-12ish, including the border crossing? Keep in mind, Chinese buses have a tendency towards making looonnnngg ass stops, like for hours on end at least one point in the journey, so it's not as if you would be spending hours and hours only on the bus.

There is also a Lao airlines flight between Luang Prabang and Jinghong (xishuangbanna) twice weekly. Flight time takes about an hour on a Chinese made or ATR turboprop. Check their website. Could be a rather expensive flight though.

Another option would be to hire a car with driver to take you to Boten (maybe you could even find a van to share with other travelers) then find another car to take you to Jinghong. Much faster, less waiting, more comfortable but obviously more expensive.

[Tomtomtom69]

sounds like fun. i always wanted to visit north laos.

vientiane - vang vien - luang prabang - phongsali.

20 years ago they would not allow foreigners to do this because of attacks by hmong.

a friend of mine did it in a truck. they were shot at long range with ak47.

10 years ago i tried to do the journey with an isaan lady who could understand lao.

the tourist mini bus to vang vien was $7. the government bus was $1.

the mini bus driver was a maniac and so we disembarked and continued by tuk tuk.

vang vien is a backpackers mecca with air america runway and river for swimming.

the government bus to luang prabang was ok but all the hotels were full of thais who had flown from bangkok

on package tours for 4000 THB.

so that was the end of it. never have been to phongsali. did not return down the river for 2 days to thailand.

took all the busses back to nong kai in thailand.

2 weeks later one of the busses was shot up by hmong tribesman and all the passengers were killed.

i hope that you make it to north laos. it is certainly an adventure.

The Hmong have restarted their attacks in parts of central Laos, including attacks on a Chinese bus travelling from Kunming to Vientiane north of Kasi in March. However, all the attacks are limited to southern parts of rural Luang Prabang province and parts of Vientiane province north of Kasi and south of the Phou Khoun intersection, and the new road between Kasi and Muang Nan. Also, numerous instances of attacks and banditry in little visited Saisomboon province.

​So far no travel restrictions for foreigners (except for some vague restrictions in parts of Saisomboon); the attacks having occurred mostly at night and most of the targets and victims have been Chinese.

Road north of Luang Prabang is safe, but as already mentioned in a state of disrepair.

[siam2007]

Beds? I really don't think so, even in Europe beds in buses are rare. It sounds like a sit up all night deal, and pray that they don't allow smoking.

why "EVEN" in Europe ? European long haul buses are a miserable crap compared to the nice options we have here in Asia.

Traveled PP - Siem Reap in a VIP 18 seater with just 1 seat to both sides of the aisles - an experience like an old fashioned 1st-class seat on a 1990ies Aircraft. nothing comparable to be had in Europe