| cluana10:16 UTC29 Oct 2007 | Hi!
I know some other fellow traveller has [posted a similar question but...here's the deal:
I am short on time and will be hiking/trekking in northern Laos for a couple of days. The hike will end in LNT and my next stop is going to LP.
What is the easiest and fastest way to get from LNT to LP?
-I was thinking: LNT afternoon bus to Nong Khiaw (overnight) then boat to LP next day. Is this reasonable? Hiow long would a trip like this take?
Please help. I am so confused going back and forth through websites trying to figure out this info.
Thanks so much in advance.
Cheers,
Mila
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| octa810:59 UTC29 Oct 2007 | Just take the direct bus from LNT to LP; Alternately, you can take a bus to Udomxai, then get a bus from Udomxai to LP.
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| hanuman11:11 UTC29 Oct 2007 | It's faster to take the early morning bus from Luang Namtha to Oudomxai [departs around 8am] and then transfer at Oudomxai to a shared minivan or VIP bus heading to Luang Prabang. The Namtha to Prabang bus is a local bus and takes much longer than the split method I've detailed above.
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| nyc_girl_11511:11 UTC29 Oct 2007 | Mila,
Travelling in Laos requires patience -- so don't expect anything to be fast and easy. Just relax and go with the flow. If you're in a rush, don't bother...
LNT to LP: there is a direct bus that departs at 9ish every day. Get there early (before 8:00) to secure a seat. It will arrive in LP around 7ish. Bring water, fruit, snacks to share, and a warm smile. For a full description on my journey on the bus two days ago, look at this thread: click here
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| cluana08:17 UTC30 Oct 2007 | Thanks everyone!
Ive decided to go trekking in Luang Nam tha. from there I was planning on taking the bus to Nong Khiaw and then spend the night there and take the boat in the morning to LP.
Does anyone know how long is the bus to nong Khiaw from LNT? Do i need to transfer? Are there night buses?
Ah..so many questions....Thanks all so much!
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| nyc_girl_11508:34 UTC30 Oct 2007 | From LMT to Non Khiaw, you have a couple options:
- Take the UdomXai bus. It leaves about 8:00 am-ish. Once in UdomXai, transfer to a pick-up/tuk-tuk. You'll probably have to wait till there's enough passengers on teh tuk-tuk/pick-up
- Take the Vientanne or Luang Prabang bus. They leave about 9am ish. They all (including the above tuk-tuk/pick-up) stop at the same crossroads for dinner (about 3 hours north of Luang Prabang). You can get off at this crossroads and flag down a passing pick-up/tuk-tuk. Again, you'll probably have to wait till one available comes your way.
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| hanuman13:37 UTC30 Oct 2007 | <blockquote>Quote
<hr>They all (including the above tuk-tuk/pick-up) stop at the same crossroads for dinner (about 3 hours north of Luang Prabang). <hr></blockquote>
For clarification purposes, I assume NYC Girl is referring to the junction town of Pak Mong. Not all buses or songthaews will necessarily stop at the songthaew/bus station just southwest of Pak Mong but NYC is correct that if you miss the small bus or songthaew headed directly to Nong Khiaw that you can take the Pak Mong transport and then transfer there to another songthaew headed to Nong Khiaw. I'm not sure if the songhtaews operate at night, though.
cluana--also, there may be an evening/night bus from Oudomxai headed towards Sam Neua but it does not run everyday.
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| nyc_girl_11510:13 UTC31 Oct 2007 | Thanks Hanuman for the clarification. I was referring to Pak Mong, but didn't have my guidebook/map handy at the time I was typing. Cheers!
We didn't actually stop at the bus station in Pak Mong. It was a crossroads (T-shaped) that was lined with restaurants, roadside vendors/grills, and a guesthouse. Our bus, and 2 other buses, and a few songthaew all stopped at this crossing for dinner at the same time.
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