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When Bree and I were planning our onward travel from Chiang Rai to Laos, we found it challenging to organise the trip on our own which therefore led us to look into an organised tour. Therefore, in this blog, we will share our experience when journeying from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang via an organised tour, and we'll also explain the reasons behind our choice. So, without further ado, let's jump in!
Pros
The most stress free option
A lot quicker then the slow boat
Cheaper then a flight
Cons
Can be cheaper if you organise it yourself
It isn't the most comfortable option
It isn't as quick as a flight
How did we come across this option?
When we started looking at how we were going to get to Luang Prabang ourselves, it quickly caused us quite a headache. This was because there was not a lot of information about the journey online and the public bus route that normally runs from Chiang Rai to the border of Laos was no longer operational due to the effects of Covid-19. However, thankfully the place we stayed in Chiang Rai called 'Connect Hostel' had plenty of helpful information regarding ways to get to Laos. The one that caught our eye was a promotional poster about a tour company that organised transportation from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang. The flyer of the options in which they offered can be seen below:
The company was called 'Laila Group Chiangrai Tour' and if you want to find out their updated information on the services they run then your best bet is to check their Facebook page.
The service we chose was the 'Bus to Luangprabang'. which we believe is a service they still offer or it would be very similar. Now you may have heard of the famous slow boat you can take from the border of Thailand to Luang Prabang but for us, it didn't seem like the best option. For one, it was more expensive than the night bus and we also heard from many other tourist that it was quite an uncomfortable and somewhat boring experience. You also have to supply your own food for your 3 meals of the day as they only sell cups of noodles on board. However, we don't discourage it as it's still a great option if you're looking for a unique experience and a slow scenic ride through the Mekong River.
For this blog however, we will be talking about our experience with the bus tour option, providing our honest opinion to help you decide if this is the right option for you!
What you need to do before departure if you are obtaining a Laos Visa on arrival
We first need to mention that we will be talking about the Australian and New Zealand passport requirements when obtaining a visa on arrival so it may be different from your own. You also have the option to obtain an EVISA on their government's website if a visa on arrival seems too complicated. This is a great option but it does take about 3 business days to obtain, which was the reason why we opted for the visa on arrival.
When you first book this tour in person, you will be given a Visa on arrival application form. You will need to fill in all the information as well as print out and paste in your own passport like photo. There are a few places in Chiang Rai where you can do this so just look up 'passport photo' on Google Maps and you will find them. We went to a place which has no English name but I will provide the link here. Keep in mind you can get a passport photo at the border but it's a lot cheaper and more convenient to get it in Chiang Rai. For the place we went to we got a set of 6 passport photos for 120baht.
Unfortunately, what isn't included in the tour is the cost of the Visa. You also need to pay for it in cash so it is important to ensure you have enough before you go. Now you can use the ATM at the border but I know from personal experience some machines don't accept certain currency cards so it's better to be safe and get some cash out before you go. You will need about the equivalent of 2.500 baht just to be on the safe side as the Visa is around $30-$45USD depending on your passport :)
NOTE: if you have American money they do accept that at the border as well!
Our experience on the tour
As the information suggested on the flyer, we were picked up around noon at the Connect Hostel by private car (bougie I know). Our driver was lovely, he first gave us a sticker to wear to show we were apart of the 'tour' and he took us 1.45 hours to the border of Lao at Huay Xia. Upon arrival, we had to get our photo taken by the driver so he could send it to our next transfer who was waiting for us on the other side of the border. Included in our tour ticket was the payment for the bus transport over the two countries connecting bridge (NOTE: you can not walk over the bridge so the only way over is by this bus). Therefore, we went to the reception, showed our stickers, got our tickets and then hopped on the bus. The ride was quick, only about 5-10 minutes and when we got off, our next guide approached us straight away showing the photo of us so we knew he was the right person. He then helped us fill out any other required forms and pay for our Visa which was actually a blessing, as a border crossing can be quite overwhelming and confusing. Afterwards, we followed him to the passport check, which he had us skip the line for! Which mind you wasn't a long line due to us travelling in non-peak season but I can see how that would be such a benefit any other time. We then got in the back of our guide's truck and made a quick stop at his home in which you have the option to buy a SIM card from his family. Now it sounds a bit strange but trust us, it was a very legitimate store and their pricing was very reasonable. We paid about 120,000 Lao kip ($8 AUD) for a 14 day SIM that had unlimited data which was an absolute steal in our opinion!
"On the topic of SIM cards, if a physical one isn't your cup of tea then I would highly recommend purchasing an eSIM. You can do so using the app Airalo which offers eSIM's of over 100 countries at an affordable price. Bree and I used Airalo during our whole 7 months across Asia and we can not recommend it enough. The only reason we didn't purchase one for Laos was because we needed a longer lasting SIM as Airalo only offers a 7 day one for Laos."
After sorting out our SIM card, the guide then drove us to the bus station which on Google Maps is called 'International Bus Station (Phetaloun)'. Our bus tickets were included, so for his last act he purchased them for us and then we waited around until our bus was ready to depart at around 7pm. Now we aren't going to lie to you, the sleeper bus was uncomfortable, the mattress is thin and it is designed to be a 2 person bed for each bunk. Which does mean that if you are travelling solo then there's a high chance you will be sleeping next to a stranger. But hey that's just part of the experience right! After a restless sleep, we finally made it to Luang Prabang at around 5am.
Our thoughts on the overall experience
First of all, let's start with the positives, we believe this option of the night bus tour is 100% worth it if you are travelling during the peak seasons. This is mostly due to the fact that the whole journey is taken care of for you so you do not have to worry about booking separate transfers and having the fear of it being booked out. I would also say that the support of having someone help you through the border crossing was such a big bonus and would be such a blessing during peak season. We found the only con to be the uncomfortable bed, however, that doesn't change our mind that this is one of the quickest and most stress free options that we would highly recommend to anyone wanting a smooth and easy travel day!
If you have any questions at all and want any further information, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us directly!
Until next time
Bree & Aiden
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