17 best tips for traveling and visiting Laos (our experience)

Travel to a country like Laos. It is undoubtedly a magical experience, but…you are well informed What do you need to know before going to this Asian enclave?

If you are programming some vacation to get to know this exotic country, possibly combining the trip to Laos and Cambodia, it is important that you have all the essential information to be able to enjoy it.

That's why we leave you some helpful tips What should you know before travel tourism Laos. .

1.- Where is Laos?

Laos. is a country of Southeast Asia landlocked, which is surrounded by five countries on the border with China to the north, Myanmar To the northeast, Thailand y Cambodia to the south, and Vietnam to West.

It is located between the mountains of the mountain range of Annamite, which serves as a separation with Vietnam, and with the mekong river to the south, acting as a natural border with the other four countries.

In the northern part it is a mountainous country, and the further south Laos begins to become a plains territory.

2.- Do you need a visa to travel to Laos?

To enter Laos you will need a passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of entry.

Already at the airport of entry you will need to process a visa to stay in the country, which will cost you an approximate price of 30 to 32 euros.

And very important!! it is necessary to carry of passport type photos Well, they will ask you for them at the entrance control.

3.- Hire insurance to travel for tourism to Laos

This may be the most important tip you should keep in mind when traveling to Southeast Asia: do not travel without take out travel insurance for those days.

It can be very expensive if you have a medical problem in the country, since you would have to pay the entire cost of the treatment, and many times we are not aware of the very high costs involved.

We never think that anything could happen to us, but in the event that it happens and we do not have insurance, we could have a serious problem.

In this countries medicine is private and not too good, so it is essential to have a travel insurance that covers you in case you need treatment or a transfer to another country to be treated there.

When you hire a travel insurance, you have to look at several aspects that are really key to being well covered.

It is important to check if it includes cancellation insurance, in case you have to cancel the trip for whatever reason; On the other hand, the amount covered by the insurance, in addition to clauses such as compensation for flight delay or loss.

There are many insurances that can be contracted, but I will tell you that we travel with IATI, a company that specializes in this type of travel and has become a good reference among those of us who are frequent travelers.

Because also these insurance IATI They include maintenance costs for family members in the event of an accident, since if for any reason you have to be admitted to a hospital, it is essential that they take care of the companion's expenses.

Insurance for a week is very cheap, it is almost a gift, compared to what it can cost you to have an accident.

4.- What religion do they have in Laos?

The majority of the population of Laos is buddhist, more than 60%.

But also other religions such as the cult animist phii, officially prohibited, the hinduist, and to a lesser extent by the reminiscences of the French colonies, the Christianity.

When entering the temples It is necessary to cover your shoulders, so if you wear them in the air, you will have to cover yourself with a sarong.

You must also always take off your shoes when entering the temples, so it is ideal to wear flip-flops; You must also wear pants below the knees.

5.- Where to change currency in Laos?

To exchange currency there are several exchange stations around the city.

The currency exchange rate is 1 euro, it is almost 9400 kips, but at each stall you have a sign with the changes. There is not much difference between them.

There are also many ATMs where you can withdraw money, the symbol is ATM, and they will charge you a commission of around 2 euros.

6.- Hire excursions from Luang Prabang

From Luang Prabang you can do various excursions or activities, how to visit Kuang Si Falls, make a mekong river cruise, or give a elephant ride; There are several locations in the cities that offer them.

Prices vary depending on the excursion you want to hire, with prices ranging from 5 euros for transportation, or 20 euros for a simple boat ride, to higher prices for private excursions with guide in Spanish.

It must be taken into account that the prices in Laos They are generally quite affordable compared to other countries.

There are many excursions or visits that are not in the city, so the biggest problem is usually transportation.

If you don't want to complicate things by renting a motorcycle, we advise you Book the excursions before traveling to Laos and you avoid problems locating the premises or understanding English.

In fact you can even hire multi-day tours in which they will pick you up from your own hotel with an air-conditioned car or minibus.

If you just want guided day tours, excursions or transportation, several of them with a guide in Spanish, hiring them before traveling allows you to ensure their availability.

7.- How to get around by transportation in Laos

If you do not want to drive on your trip to Laos, the excursions you can hire include a driver.

But if what you want is to move at your leisure, the best thing you can do is rent a motorcycle or car, but you have to know that you need several things.

El international driving license It's fundamental; If not, they will not let you rent a vehicle.

In order to have Internet on your mobile and to be able to use the map, it is advisable to buy one SIM card , which they sell you at the airport itself.

The roads are not well marked and can be chaotic despite being a small town.

And something that seems obvious is knowing how to drive a motorcycle if you are going to rent it, and I say this because there are many motorcycles on the streets and apparently there are no traffic rules, so it is advisable to have driving skills.

Also, when renting it you have to see if it is type scooter automatic gears or if it is a motorcycle with gears and a foot brake.

You wouldn't be the first to not realize when picking it up and end up having an accident.

On our trip through Southeast Asia we have seen many Western tourists with injuries from motorcycle falls.

Despite this chaos of driving in LaosIt must be said that everyone drives very slowly through the country, which will make it easier for you to adapt.

8.- Is it safe to travel to Laos?

Laos. a very very safe country, there is no problem with carrying cameras in plain sight, or walking at night.

Despite that, pickpockets exist in all cities in the world, but in our case during the trip to laos At no time did we have any feeling of insecurity

9.- Where to sleep in Laos

The hotels in Laos They are really cheap, so it is worth splurging and staying in one of the hotels that occupy French colonial buildings.

Here you can book a hotel for your trip to Laos.

10.- What to eat in Laos

La typical Lao food It is quite similar to that of Thailand, and most dishes include rice of various types, including the sticky one that is also used to make the characteristic rice vinegar.

Rice is the basis of the diet and is always combined with vegetables, chicken, pork and river fish.

They usually include hints of flavor with cilantro, citrus juices or tamarind, hints of mint, ginger, hot chili peppers and coconut milk.

La influencia french colonial makes bread very common, and more specifically, the baguettes.

Tap water is not drinkable, so make sure consume only bottled water.

Be careful with ice, which are usually made with tap water and can cause diarrhea.

Like the fruit juices sold in street stalls, which are mixed with unbottled water.

Fruits like pineapple and other tropical fruits are really good.

In a good restaurant you can eat for about 10 euros per person, including drinks, while in the stalls Night market You can eat for about 5 euros per person.

To give an indicative price, in the street stalls a skewer with a chicken thigh or a breast or almost anything, costs 1 euro (about 10.000 kips).

River fish costs about 20.000 kips, and a beer also one euro, that is, about 10.000 kips.

11.- What is the weather like in Laos?

Months from November to February It is when it rains the least and it is considered high season. time when more tourists travel.

During the rainy season, from July to October, roads can be closed due to flooding.

We went at the end of June and almost every day in the afternoon it rained heavily for a while, then cleared again

12.- What clothes to wear in Laos?

It is advisable to wear loose, comfortable clothing, sunglasses and a small towel in case it is very hot to dry off.

The wipe helped us a lot.

13.- Do you have to tip in Laos?

The answer is yes, but there are more or less indicative prices.

It is advisable to tip tour guides about 4-5 euros per person per day, and in restaurants it is advisable to leave 10 percent of the bill.

14.- Vaccines and medicines to travel to Laos

There is no mandatory vaccine, especially for major cities, but treatment to prevent malaria is recommended if you go to areas with little tourism.

Bring strong mosquito repellent and, of course, aspirin, ibuprofen y paracetamol.

To check exactly if you need any vaccination or special prevention, in Spain before traveling you must visit the Tropical Medicine Unit.

There you tell them in detail what trip you are going to take, what countries and areas you are going to visit, and they provide you with the recipes you need if necessary.

15.- Wifi and plugs in Laos

Usually there Wireless in most hotels and restaurants, although it does not always work well.

The plugs have a voltage of 220V, and are the usual ones in Spain, no need for adapters.

16.- Should you haggle in Laos?

Haggling is essential in all the street stalls where you buy crafts, clothes and this kind of things.

For restaurants and street food the price is fixed and there is no need to haggle. In transportation it is also necessary to negotiate, especially in the tuk-tuks.

When haggling, the ideal is not to accept the first price and negotiate one that satisfies both parties. In any case, keep in mind that it is a very cheap country, and the average salary of those who live there is about 200 or 300 euros per month.

To give an example, when we went to buy a t-shirt they almost always started by asking us for 50.000 kips, and we ended up closing the price for half or less.

17.- Is there an embassy of Spain in Laos?

The answer is no. The nearest embassy is Bangkok.

In case you need it for something, here you have the information about the Spanish embassy in the Thai capital.

Direction: Lake Radaja Office Complex, 23rd floor, suite 88-89

193 Radajapisek Road, Klongtoey, Bangkok – 10110

Consular emergency telephone number: 66818687507

Telephones from outside Thailand:662661.8284/8285/8286/8287

Fax:6626619220