Pakse Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus & sǎwngthǎew

Pakse has several bus and sǎwngthǎew ­terminals.

Dao heung market (morning market)

Buses and sǎwngthǎew leave the sǎwngthǎew farm at the edge of the Dao Heung Market for Champasak (US$1.30, one to two hours) and for Ban Saphai (US$0.50, about 40 minutes) regularly between about 6.30am and 3pm.

^ Back to top

Boat

Like so many others, the public boat from Pakse to Champasak and Don Khong has more-or-less stopped, unable to compete with soaring fuel prices and sǎwngthǎew that do the trip in half the time for less money. At the time of writing occasional boats still ran as far as Champasak, but it was impos­sible to know whether it would go until it actually pulled out from the riverbank near the confluence of the Se Don and the Mekong.

If you don’t have endless time to wait for one of these occasional boats and you have the money it’s possible to rent a boat, though they don’t really have the charm of boats packed with locals, farm animals, snakes, bags of rice and monks sitting on the roof. With some language skills you could charter a boat at the aforementioned confluence of the rivers. Alternatively, ask Mr Boun My (020-5631008; Th 11), who can be found nearby at the first barbecue pork stall opposite the Mekong as the road bends left. He rents boats to Champasak (US$50, one hour), to Um Tomo (US$60, 90 minutes) and Don Khong (US$140, four to five hours). These prices are for six people or less and rise with the number of passengers –for example, 25 people (the maximum) to Champasak costs US$80 for the boat.

^ Back to top

Air

Lao Airlines flies between Pakse and Vientiane daily (US$95 one way, 70 minutes). There are also two flights per week to Luang Prabang (US$135, one hour 40 minutes), though these might not run all year.

International flights go to Phnom Penh (US$95, one way, 70 minutes) twice per week and three times per week to Siem Reap (US$85, 45 minutes), though these flights can be cancelled if there’s no demand, and in the low season this is often the case. To be sure, check at the Pakse Lao Airlines office (212252; Th 11; 8-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri) the day before. Bangkok Airways and its subsidiary Siem Reap Airways should be flying a couple of services per week between Pakse and Bangkok (about US$100) and Pakse and Siem Reap by the time you read this.

The airport is 3km northwest of town and has a BCEL exchange office. A jumbo should cost about US$1.

^ Back to top