Things to Do in Laos: Backpacking Guide, Budget and Itinerary

Updated May 2024

Backpacking Laos was easily one of the highlights of my whole Southeast Asia trip. I had a one week itinerary for Laos, which traversed from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, then Vang Vieng to Vientiane.

There are loads of things to do in Laos, so I’ve put together a budget travel guide for a Laos backpacking route that showcases the best places to visit in Laos.

Disclaimers: This post was written based on a trip taken in late 2016, therefore pricing has changed, but most of the information is still relevant, helpful, and up to date.

Laos Backpacking Route and Itineraries

One Week Itinerary

I had a one week itinerary for Laos, including travel days. I flew into Luang Prabang, spending two nights in the city, then I travelled by bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, spending three days there, I took another bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane and had two days in the capital.

Two Week Itinerary

Despite squeezing a lot into my one week itinerary for Laos, I still left feeling like I didn’t have enough time to see all the best places to visit in Laos. So, I recommend a two week itinerary for Laos if you have a little more time to spare than I did.

I would advise three to four days in Luang Prabang (it’s beautiful and I wrote about how I fell in love with it in 24 Hours in Luang Prabang), be careful with Vang Vieng and your time there (read on for more details), take a boat up the Mekong to Huay Xi, and enjoy a few days in the capital, Vientiane.

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Laos Backpacking Guide

Travel Visa for Laos

Most passports need a visa for Laos and you can get it on arrival or in advance. You will need a passport-sized photo (you can be smiling in it) or you can pay US$1 for one at the airport. For my UK Passport, I paid US$35 plus a US$1 processing fee in US dollars, though others coming from Thailand paid in Thai baht.

Travel Insurance

I bought the Explorer plan (worldwide) with World Nomads because they are the best and also the only company I can find that will cover me once I’m already abroad, which I always am seeing as I live outside of the UK. For two and a half months this cost me £176.23 (US$215). There is also a cheaper basic version available, but the Explorer plan covers a lot more.

We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

Vaccinations for Laos

Before I travelled, I had vaccinations against diphtheria, polio, tetanus, hepatitis A and typhoid, all of which were recommended for Laos as well as other places I was visiting on my Southeast Asia trip. There are no high-risk malarial zones in Laos, so no malaria tablets are needed, though stock up on bug spray because you will get bitten!

Flights To and From Laos

For finding the best deals on flights, I recommend Skyscanner, as I find it’s more flexible to use (filter by destination, by month or simply choose ‘everywhere’ to find the cheapest options) and it gets me the cheapest flight for the cheapest price every time.

What to Pack for Laos

These are my must-haves for backpacking in Laos and in general for my two months in Southeast Asia:

• Clothes you don’t mind ruining and sweating in.
• More swimwear than underwear.
• Lots of high-factor sun cream and aftersun.
• A good mosquito spray with DEET and tiger balm (toothpaste also helps soothe bites).
• A scarf and warm jumper (for bus air con).
• A first aid kit (including something that can disinfect).
• Two multi-way travel adapters (no, one is not enough).
• Long trousers and something to cover your shoulders for more conservative countries.
• A backpack you can lift and doesn’t just open from the top.
• Padlocks (at least two).

Recommended Read: I’ve committed to making my bathroom and travel toiletry bag zero waste and plastic free. Plus, many zero waste toiletries come in solid form, so they’re perfect for your backpack or hand luggage, as well as better for the planet and for you.

To understand Laos on a deeper level, I recommend these insightful books about Laos.

Is Laos Safe?

Laos may be one of the safest places I have ever travelled to. Especially in Luang Prabang, I felt very safe on the streets at night, but as a solo female traveler I am always extra careful. I hold my bag very close or use a backpack with a lock, as I was warned that bag-snatching is known to happen in Vientiane and that there are some pickpockets around too.

My trusty Lonely Planet warned me about potential hostel theft in Vang Vieng, which implicates staff more than burglars, so I always kept my belongings locked and out of sight, even in the room at my guesthouse.

Also, it’s worth noting that Laos is a much more conservative country than other places in Southeast Asia. So, for both guys and girls, it’s a good idea to cover up your knees, carry a sarong just in case and something that covers your shoulders, as entrance to most tourist attractions requires this.

Backpacking budget for Laos

Laos Money

Laos kip is soft currency so you can’t get it outside of Laos. However, there were ATMs in all the places I went to and they worked fine with my UK Visa debit card.

I’ve listed all prices in this Laos backpacking guide in Laos kip and US dollars. At the time of my visit to Laos (October to November 2016), the exchange rate was roughly 8,000K to US$1, and you should be aware that my haggling skills are bloody awful.

Accommodation in Laos

Hostels in Laos are really cheap, at around US$6-7 per night (see below for recommendations of where I stayed). I booked in advance through Booking.com because I hate turning up in a city and going door to door, but you can get a slightly cheaper rate if you do that.

Laos Budget

My bus journeys between Luang Prabang and Vientiane are listed below, costing $6-12 depending on the route. Street food is a bargain at under US$2, whereas meals cafes and budget restaurants are around US$5-7.

Many popular things to do in Laos are also budget-friendly, such as the Kuang Si waterfalls (US$2), Phu Si for sunset (US$2) and temples in Vientiane (US$0.5). More expensive activities include kayaking, caving etc. in Vang Vieng, which ranges between US$12-19.

Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Laos is a long, thin country, so most backpackers create a Laos travel itinerary around heading from one end to the other, usually breaking up the journey from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, or Vientiane to Luang Prabang, with a stopover in Vang Vieng.

Travelling Around Laos

I travelled from Luang Prabang to Vientiane via Vang Vieng, and it was easy to buy bus tickets from my hostels the day before travelling.

• Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng (minibus) 100,000K (US$12.3) The route is beautifully scenic and I was happy just to look out of the window and listen to music. I found the journey to be smooth, but one passenger was very sick, so I guess it depends on your motion sickness tolerance. Some Canadian travellers I met told me the road was too dangerous so they weren’t going to Vang Vieng, but nothing on my journey gave me this impression and there are many buses that go every day. The driving was slow, and at one point we all had to get out of the minibus so that the vehicle could go over a bump in the road, but that was fine. The bus terminus in Vang Vieng is a five-minute walk into the centre of town, and it was easy to find my hostel from the drop-off point.
• Vang Vieng to Vientiane (minivan) 50,000K (US$6.15), leaving at 9am from my hostel and arriving at the bus terminus in Vientiane around 1.30pm. The bus terminus was conveniently right next to my hostel, so I didn’t have to pay for a tuk-tuk transfer!

What to do in Luang Prabang

Where to stay in Luang Prabang

US$7 per night at DownTown Backpacker’s Hostel (two nights). It was clean, with good facilities and a great location. The WIFI wasn’t great and there were fans instead of air-con, but this seems to be a general rule for backpacking Laos. The hostel has a great atmosphere for meeting other backpackers.

What to eat in Luang Prabang

Most backpackers feast at the buffet-style, vegetarian street food places next to the Handicraft Night Market. Fill up a bowl for a fixed price of 15,000K (US$1.9), and the vendor heats up the contents in a wok for you.

Best Snack: Coconut pancakes from the night market! Stallholders rustle up these sweet doughy domes in front of you and they taste absolutely delicious. They are a steal at only 5,000K (US$0.5) for a bag.

Best Café: Due to Laos’ former French colonial status, café culture is huge, though like much of Luang Prabang, it only really caters to tourists and expats. I loved Indigo Café for its delicious sweet Laos iced coffee (25,000K – US$3), but the crown has to go to L’Étranger Books & Tea, where I had a light dinner of chips and dip, plus a coconut shake, followed by a viewing at their nightly film screenings (7pm).

Transport around Luang Prabang

I booked a transfer from Luang Prabang airport through my hostel (50,000K 10 minutes into town), but there is also a signposted 50,000K taxi stand just outside of the arrivals gate. Everywhere was walkable within the city centre.

Best Places to Visit in Luang Prabang

Other than Kuang Si falls and the multitude of gorgeous temples around town, I loved simply walking along the Mekong River, visiting the Palace Museum and climbing Phu Si for sunset (sweaty, extremely busy, and costs 20,000K – US$2). The atmospheric Handicraft Night Market is also gorgeous.

Don’t miss: Kuang Si waterfalls (16,000K park admission – US$2), plus transport or tour costs (around 100,000K – US$12.3). I missed it and deeply regret it, but I guess that’s all the more reason to come back!

What to do in Vang Vieng

Accommodation: US$5.6 per night at Nok et Mika Guesthouse. The French-Laos couple who ran the guesthouse were lovely, but it wasn’t the nicest place that I stayed in. Their son stayed in the dorm room too, which was a little awkward.

Meals: I really struggled for cheap food in Vang Vieng that didn’t taste generic. Everywhere seemed to be catering to the drunken tubing backpacker crowd. There were bad burgers and pizzas in ‘happy bars’ that play episodes of Friends on repeat. I ate at the famed Luang Prabang Bakery a few times. But, other than the beautifully decorated cakes, it wasn’t anything to shout about.

Transport: Tuk-tuk trucks are cheap if you’re in a group, otherwise cycling is better. The town itself is small enough to walk around and any outdoor activities usually come with hostel pick-up included.

Things to do in Vang Vieng

There are plenty of tour packages and excursions to do, costing between 100,000-150,000K (US$12.3-18.5), depending on what you want to do. These include caving, zip-lining, tubing, kayaking, trips to the blue lagoon, treks and climbing, in different combinations. Day-trips often include a meal as well, and the guides are really friendly and seem to speak all languages.

Don’t Miss: Kayaking on the Nam Song. Though bikini-clad tubers frequent this stream for the watery bar crawl that you can do along it, I had much more fun kayaking the river with a guide.

What to do in Vientiane

Where to stay in Vientiane

Around US$5.6 per night. I stayed at Avalon B&B and it was exactly what you want from a hostel. Very clean, helpful and informative staff, and a perfect location next to the bus terminus.

What to eat in Vientiane

There are plenty of Laos, Asian and Western options to choose from, costing around 20,000-40,000K (US$2.5-5). There’s a night market with street food and cheap eats too. I loved the cafes, such as The Scandinavian Bakery and JoMa Bakery (40,000K or US$5 for cake, coffee and juice).

How to get around Vientiane

I walked everywhere in town and took a bus to Buddha Park. Buddha Park is outside of the city and the bus costs 6,000K (US$0.7) each way. A tuk-tuk ride to the airport took 15 minutes and cost 50,000K (US$6).

What to see in Vientiane

• Wat Si Saket and Haw Pha Kaew temples are well worth a visit. Entrance to both was 5,000K (US$0.6) and they are opposite each other.
• Then, be sure to walk up Th Lan Xang to Patuxai, which is stunning when lit up at sunset. You can also pay to go up and see the view from the top. Patuxai is known as the “vertical runway” as it was made using concrete donated by the US that was supposed to be used to build an airport!

Don’t Miss: Buddha Park (also known as Xieng Khuan), which is a bus ride out of town (no.14). Be aware that the bus stop is a little difficult to find. The park is a weird mix of art and religion, plus a great place to explore. Entrance to the park was 3,000K (US$0.4) and apparently 5,000K (US$0.6) extra for a camera, though I wasn’t charged for my phone.

Other Tips: If you want to cool off, head to one of the hotels and pay for a day pass to their pool. As I was backpacking Laos on a budget, I did the even cheaper option, which was a day pass at Vientiane Swimming Pool; a public pool with an entrance fee of 15,000K (US$1.8). This was exactly what I needed for the hottest part of the day.

Other things to do in Laos

Kuang Si Falls, near Luang Prabang

I definitely regret not spending more time in Luang Prabang. I’m especially upset about missing these picturesque waterfalls. (16,000K/US$2 park admission, plus transport or tour costs at around 100,000K/US$12.)

Huary Xi

If I’d had more time and money, I would have taken a boat up the Mekong to Huay Xi. You can book a trip with the Gibbon Experience and stay over in their jungle treetop houses.

Backpacking in Laos, the Verdict

Basically, backpacking Laos with only a one week itinerary barely gave me a taste of the country. However, it was enough to ensure that I’ll definitely be back one day for sure! My advice to anyone else backpacking Laos or wondering what things to do in Laos is this: leave much more time than you think you’ll need, as everyone I met wished they were staying longer too!

For more Laos backpacking budget and travel tips, check out my previous posts on how I feel in love after 24 Hours in Luang Prabang and my One Week in Laos Travel Diary. For an overview of my entire trip, read my complete Southeast Asia travel guide, Two Months in Southeast Asia.