The Best of Cambodia & Laos

196
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO LAOS
10
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
is wise to get vaccinations for hepatitis A,
hepatitis B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis,
cholera, rabies, and tetanus. It’s also advisable
to update your childhood vaccination
series for polio, measles, mumps, rubella,
GETTING TO LAOS
By Plane
In most cases, to get to Laos you will need
to connect in Bangkok in Thailand first,
since it is the major regional hub for
onward travel all over the region. There
are three international airports in Laos:
Wattay International Airport (VTE;
& 021/512-165), Luang Prabang International
Airport (LPQ; & 071/212-
856), and Pakse International Airport
(PKZ; & 031/212-844). Savannakhet
International Airport has just reopened
and there are planned scheduled flights to
Vientiane and an international flight to
Udon Thani in Thailand.
Lao Airlines (www.laoairlines.com) is
the national carrier and has domestic
flights to all airports in the country as well
as to Thailand, Cambodia, China, and
Vietnam. In addition, Thai Airways
(www.thaiair.com), Vietnam Airlines
(www.vietnamairlines.com), and China
Eastern Airlines (www.chinaeastern.com)
serve Vientiane, while Bangkok Airways
(www.bangkokair.com) and Vietnam Airlines
(www.vietnamairlines.com) serve
Luang Prabang. Air Asia (www.airasia.
com) runs flights from Kuala Lumpur to
Vientiane. There are also flights to Pakse
from Siem Reap in Cambodia and also
from Bangkok on Bangkok Airways (Wed,
Fri, Sun).
By Land Crossing
There are now many international land
border crossings into Laos from neighboring
countries. At most one is able to get a
and so on, if you are likely to be around
children. For other health-related recommendations,
see “Health” on p. 202.
3 GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
30-day tourist visa on arrival. However,
this is not always the case and it is important
to check the situation before you set
off for your intended destination.
From Cambodia, there are actually two
border crossing points relatively close to
one another. The first crossing is at Koh
Chheuteal Thom on the Mekong River.
The second is the road crossing at Dom
Kralor. Note: Although Cambodian visas
are officially available at the border, some
travelers have reported problems. It is safer
to have a Cambodian visa in advance.
From Thailand, Chong Mek/Vang Tao
is the easiest and swiftest access route to
southern Laos. Visa on arrival is available.
There are good rail, bus, and air connections
from Bangkok to the regional capital
of Ubon Ratchathani just over an hour
from the border at Chong Mek. From
Ubon you can catch a scheduled bus to
Chong Mek. Once in Chong Mek it takes
a few minutes to walk through the border
posts (although considerably longer to
negotiate the paperwork). Once through
to the Lao side songthaeaws will run you to
Pakse in about an hour.
The second Friendship Bridge connecting
Savannakhet in Laos to Mukdahan
Province in Thailand was finished in
2006, and this is now the main transit
route across Laos to Central Vietnam. Visa
on arrival is available. Take a minibus from
Mukdahan to the Friendship Bridge (your
guesthouse can arrange this). Once
through immigration take a tuk-tuk to the
bright lights of Savannahkhet.