South Laos itinerary tips

Kong Loh caves and Wat Phu in Champasak.

2 weeks solely in Southern Laos is a long time,except for the purist with time to spare. There's nothing in Pakse of merit and Wat Phu/ Champasak may be worth a daytrip. The LP donates less than 60 of its 210 location pages to S. Laos.

You'll have no problem from U.Rat. as its a popular route for Thais now.
Have you considered a week in the South, then taking the nite bus to VTE and visiting Phonsavan and maybe, now, VV or taking a bus from Phonsavan up to fascinating Vieng Xai .

And #2 gives the best reason for hanging in the area. It is less affected by tourism than most any other place in SE Asia. There are areas of Laos that go totally unmentioned in LP - and they can be some of the most wonderful and exciting places to visit!

In the south, be sure to do the loop through Attapeu and Sekong. There is a tourist office no Sekong that can offer a most unusual home-stay up with the Nghe people up in the hills close to the Vietnam border - be ready to be pulled in a tractor bed for several hours.

There are no carnival rides, no tourist-herding fast-talking salepeople, no 'nightlife" catering to western wallets, no admission fees to villages or historical sites, and the only parade of young westerners seeking to be together to celebrate there westerness sem to congregate at 4000 Islands, and perhaps Tad Lo (which is certainly worth a visit if you're going by). Don't expect air-con or pizza; don't expect any single transportation link to be a sure bet. Don't expect others to cater to your tourist needs.

The region is desperately poor and full of some of the kindest, most open people you can ever meet. Yes. It does take a little patience, but so does every worthwhile relationship.

If you need efficiency and cnveneience, or if you like others to do a "song-and-dance" for you, avoid the region.

Thanks a lot all of you.
Yes, we could also go further up north, as #2 suggests but....why?
VV!?!?!?
No thanks, been there done that.....not there but in sooo many other places just the same...but was another time and another age...
#3 thanks a lot for the tips, yes this is exactly what I look for, a place with no pizza no herding turists, no souvenir shops....
I live and work in North Sri lanka and have a pretty good idea of what a non-turistic place can look like. And I like that!
Thanks a lot to all, ciao
C

I'll also mention that both Attapeu and Salavan have Lao Tourism Offices. We have hired local guides/translators from Attape and Sekong with good results. The office in Salavan was not open both times I've been through.

The provincial capitals - at meadt most of them - have these offices (Phongsali, Xam Neua, and even Muang Long!)

Yes, there is a direct bus from Ubon to Pakse, or alternatively plenty of taxi drivers available to take you to the border. This can be fairly cost-effective if you haggle and you're sharing the ride with other travelers. There is also a local bus to the border at Chong Mek.

Take US Dollars to pay the visa fee. Charges vary by nationality. You can pay in Thai baht but you'll be overcharged for the privilege ..... "official" visa prices are listed in US Dollars, and border officials aren't renowned for giving generous exchange rates ;-)

From the border, assuming you're not on the direct bus, regular minibuses depart for Pakse. The fare is about 50 baht per person. Walk away from the border area, through the roadside market, and look for the minibuses parked on the right.

Rent a motorbike in Pakse for day trips, Wat Phu is even more easily reachable than before now that a smooth new road has been built. The Bolaven Plateau and several decent waterfalls (eg. at km38 and km40 on the road to Paksong) also makes a nice day trip by motorbike.

Pakse Hotel is a good place to stay in town, and sunset views from the rooftop bar there (non-guests welcome) can't be beaten.

Two weeks would be very nice. We had a great time ( a while ago) in Pakse, Attapeu, Sekong, Tha Kek etc.

We spent just under 4 weeks in Laos in December/January, and my favourite place was Don Khong in 4000 islands - really relaxed and with the possibility of getting a glimpse of life beyond the tourist centre. Yes, the river side strip is just hotels and restaurants, but it's pretty quiet and just a short walk will take you out of tourist land. We spent 6 nights there, relaxing after visiting Luang Prabang and Muang Noi in the north, and Pakse and the Bolaven plateau in the south (if you have the money and like that kind of thing, Green Discovery do a great zip wire, staying in tree houses, abseiling kind of adventure in the forest). I loved it - it's beautiful and you can just watch life go on. We took a day trip to see the waterfalls on Don Khon, which meant going past Don Det and we were so so happy not to be staying on ethere - really really busy. But then I'm not looking for party.

Thank you all for your great tips!
I usually ansewerd with Pms to each of yuo but as it seems now not working...just a collective thanks to all, including those who might add some tips, my 3rd trip to this great country....and soooo many new things and places to discover, so many thanks will never be enough to all of you!