Breathtaking sunsets, World Heritage Sites & more – Laos 8-day, 7-night DIY travel ultra-detailed lazy guide

Laos 8-day, 7-night full itinerary outline table and key tips

Language used: English (but I felt like we were speaking two different languages XD)
Currency used: USD exchanged to Lao Kip
Temperature: According to research at the time, it was 19-24°C, but with large day-night temperature differences, and a light down jacket is needed when riding bikes in the mountains
Time difference: One hour behind Taiwan

Common Lao phrases and their Chinese translations:

Notes: No need to bring an adapter
SIM card cost: SIN card (3G) 20000 KIP + 1.5G data for 10000 KIP. When purchasing a prepaid internet card, dial *121* [password] to check balance. To check available balance, dial *131*10#
Map: It’s recommended to open Google Maps in a location with internet access beforehand, mark the places you plan to visit, and download the maps in advance. Even without internet later, you’ll still have access to maps and GPS features (for the downloaded sections only).
Pre-trip luggage preparation: For details, refer to the 18-day Indochina trip – Laos/Thailand/Myanmar preparation guide + total expenses

a. First four days

Related information:
Pakse car rental vendor info: MISS NOY Contact: noy7days@hotmail.com Languages: Chinese, French, and Lao

b. Last four days

Total Laos expenses and spending breakdown chart

Reflections:

Before visiting Laos, I imagined it to be a very underdeveloped country. But after going, I found that prices were actually quite high – casual meals easily cost several hundred Taiwanese dollars, which was nowhere near what I had expected. So later on, I mostly ate at night markets.

Also, a lot of the food in Laos is surprisingly delicious – like the coconut jelly I had at the night market, the American burgers at restaurants, and the amazing coffee. It was all completely beyond my expectations. The food was also unexpectedly hygienic (I mean compared to my expectations).

After visiting Laos, going to Myanmar made me feel that Laos is truly a very comfortable country – there are fewer aggressive vendors, people mostly go about their own lives and don’t pay much attention to tourists XDD, and there are also far fewer locals trying to scam you.

In terms of the overall environment, Laos has quite a bit of dust and people burning waste, but it’s really much better than Myanmar. That said, you still need to wear a mask constantly when traveling in both countries.

When you haven’t been out into the world, you tend to define each country based on your own imagination, and Laos is no exception. But once you get there, you’ll realize that almost everything is different from what you imagined. Apart from transportation still not being very convenient, everything else is definitely worth seeing and will overturn your traditional impression of Laos~

Here are some simple pictures for you to enjoy

Beautiful sunset

Wat Phu Champasak (Champasak Temple) – a World Heritage Site

Xieng Khuan Park (Buddha Park) with its interesting architecture

Tad Yuang Waterfall on the Bolaven Plateau

Luang Prabang Night Market in Laos

Wandering around Vang Vieng leisurely with Ah Duzi (spent the whole afternoon at the restaurant watching Friends together XDD)

The most famous world-class coffee village in Paksé

Kuang Si Waterfall

Wat Xieng Thong (Temple of the Golden City)

BLUE LAGOON

Women have to kneel to offer food to the monks

Watching others go tubing

The limestone landscape of Vang Vieng plus hot air balloons – absolutely stunning

Evangeline-Evan
Hello everyone, I’m Evan, someone who’s timid and easily scared,
but through independent travel, I’ve slowly found my courage,
and each trip has helped me discover a different side of myself.
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