Laos vacations 2024 & 2025

In Laos, you can visit gilded temples, admire dramatic karst scenery and forested mountains, and immerse yourself in local traditions and cultures, such as alms giving in Luang Prabang.

You could also experience what it’s like to work in a rice paddy, take a cookery class to learn all about local ingredients and culinary traditions, or set out along the Mekong on a river cruise.

For a more adventurous trip, you could get out into the jungle-clad hills and mountains on a caving and kayaking tour or go on a guided hiking trip to the 100 waterfalls.

Laos offers a wide range of places to stay from stylish boutique hotels to restored French villas and ecolodges in the mountains of the north. You’ll find the best choice of hotels in Luang Prabang and Vientiane where you can stay in a former royal residence with a spa and choice of swimming pools, or a historical former officers’ residence turned sleek, minimalist hotel. Outside the cities, and in the south, hotels are often simpler but comfortable and may have more traditional styling, but our specialists have found plenty of interesting options from simple guesthouses on the banks of the Mekong to traditional thatched bungalows set in tropical gardens.

Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Vang Vieng are some of the best places to go in Laos, but you’ll also find plenty to explore in the lush hills of the far north and the small villages and temple ruins of the south. You could watch saffron-robed monks collect alms among gilded temples in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, visit caves and small villages in the dramatic limestone karst scenery around Vang Vieng, or explore the mysterious Plain of Jars where hundreds of giant urn-like stones dating back to megalithic times lie strewn across the plains. Hike through the mountains of the north from a base in Nong Khiaw or watch freshwater dolphins in the Mekong and enjoy the slow pace of rural life in the 4000 Islands. Our country specialists will be happy to discuss your interests and offer advice on the best places to go in Laos.

It takes around 21 hours to fly from the West Coast of the US to Laos and around 24 hours from the East Coast.

The time zone in Laos is UTC+7 hours. Laos does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

Train travel is one of the best ways of getting around northern Laos, while domestic flights are best for travel between the north and the south. The train is comfortable and reliable and links the capital, Vientiane, with Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and further north. River travel is also possible in Laos, and boat journeys along the Mekong River allow you to visit remote communities in the hills more easily. Alternatively, we can arrange for you to have a private driver between destinations.

Speak to your doctor about up-to-date immunization advice for Laos. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has a list of recommended vaccinations, and we’d also advise ensuring you’re up to date on any vaccinations recommended in your home country.

Please note that if you are arriving in Laos from a country considered to have a risk of yellow fever by the World Health Organization (WHO), then you may be asked to provide proof of vaccination against the disease upon arrival. Speak to your doctor for up-to-date advice. 

US citizens need a visa for Laos, but you can apply online in advance or have a visa issued on arrival. Applications for the Lao Official Online Visa must be submitted in the five days before your arrival in Laos. The eVisa can be used for entry through Luang Prabang and Vientiane airports as well as at some land crossings.

If you’re planning to get a visa on arrival, bring a passport photo and US dollars to pay the fee.

Whichever visa you choose to get, your passport must be stamped on arrival and departure to avoid any problems or requests for additional fees for onward travel.

Check that your passport is valid for at last six months after you’re planned departure date from Laos and ensure you have at least two full blank pages remaining.