The China–Laos railway has quietly rewritten travel here. Journeys that used to be six or seven hours of mountain switchbacks are now under an hour, which makes a route that was once punishing genuinely easy.
The alms-giving at dawn — watch from a distance and do not photograph it up close. Kuang Si waterfall, the night market, and Mount Phousi at sunset.
Onward: Train, 1 hr. The new line to Vang Vieng. The road takes six hours or more.
Karst mountains, lagoons and hot-air balloons at sunrise. Much calmer than its old reputation suggests.
Onward: Train, 1 hr. South to the capital
A capital that feels like a large town. Pha That Luang, the riverside night market, and the best French bakeries in the region.
Onward: Flight, 1 hr 20. South to Pakse for the 4000 Islands
Where the Mekong spreads out and stops being in a hurry. Hammocks, bicycles, and Irrawaddy dolphins if you are lucky.
On seven nights, stay north: Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, with Nong Khiaw instead of the south.
Add Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi north of Luang Prabang for river villages reached only by boat, or the Thakhek loop by motorbike.
Booking the two-day slow boat from Huay Xai without realising it is two full days on a wooden bench, with an overnight stop in Pakbeng in the middle. It is a wonderful trip if you want it and a miserable surprise if you do not.
Read the full Laos travel guide or take the Laos packing list.