Luang Prabang

Well, lots have people have just done the trip today.

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<hr>Was bus/road OK etc?<hr></blockquote>
Well, the bus was rather tired when it got here after such a long trip.

The road has been feeling the heat, that and some family problems have left the road feeling under the weather & not its normal joking self.

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<hr>is it possible to get from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai?<hr></blockquote>
Yes
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<hr> Any suggestions of routes via land or air would be welcome as we're having trouble finding out and running low on time.<hr></blockquote>
The Laos Navy offers a shuttle service to the Thai Boarder.

Nic

Good one Nic : (

Buses between Vientiane and Luang Prabang take roughly 10 hours. The first half of the ride is relatively flat and semi-boring, passing through mostly farmland on a sealed decent-quality road. After you pass Vang Vieng (where many people stop to break the journey for a day or two - caution this is where Mr. Nicky lives) the road gets more hilly and climbs up to the pass at Phou Khoun (1400 meters) with fairly stunning scenery. Then it zigzags down and then you're in Luang Prabang (usually grateful to get out of the bus). There has been controversy over the safety of this road between Vang Vieng and Phou Knoun, as in the past several years there has been "some" incidence of shooting and/or robbery from vehicles passing through, related to an ongoing clash between local soldiers and Hmong hilltribe rebels. Please take this with a large grain of salt - it is not that big of a deal (unless you're so terribly unlucky as to be one of the extremely few people to even witness any of the above activity). Sometimes local buses have a soldier on board to assist with safety, but don't let this phaze you too much - it's just a precaution. If you travel in a private van for tourists your chances of being stopped are approximately zero. The road itself is very windy north of Vang Vieng, but it is sealed (paved) and of resonably good quality. The only thing I fear on these roads are the bus drivers themselves - they sometimes go too fast. If you don't care too much about the scenery along the way, I would suggest flying to LP (takes an hour and is pain-free).

Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai, you have three general options: Fly (Laos Airlines 3 times/week, 1hr) or take a "slow boat" (2 days to the border) or go by bus/road (also takes 2 days to the border) via Udomsai and Luang Namtha. From the border there are usually tourist minivans going to Chiang Mai (6hrs) or take a public bus.

Above is correct, the first part of the journey to Vang Vieng is fairly uneventful. Catch a local bus if you can, their usually fairly empty for the first hour or two so you can stretch out, until the bus starts filling up with locals. It stops in most of the villages. From Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang is very, very winding. Probably not so bad for some people, but I was almost carsick. Sit on the left hand side of the bus so you don't have to stare out the window to certain death when you're screaming around corners with no railings. The route seems pretty safe, we weren't stopped or anything and business appears to be as normal. If you're short on time, the slow boat is not the best option. Fly from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai. Keep in mind the boat from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai is upriver, so add an extra 2 hours each leg. Long trip. Too bad you're short on time, LP is a great place to spend some time.

If you're taking the VIP or xtra VIP bus, book a seat early so that you don't end at the back of the bus [the xtra VIP has a toilet at the rear].

You may find answers to some of your questions in the "Thailand & Laos" and "Indochina" sections of Our Travel Journals: www.evcal.org</a><BR>

Many thanks to everyone for all their help. Much appreciated as always.
I guess I'll give Vang Vieng a miss then. If it's where Nicky lives then there's obviously not much to do there.

Oh and while we're being pedantic Nic you've spelt 'experience' wrong on your website.

Jiwa

Few! 1 less scared of 5 year old events tourist in VV.