Air Travel

Most of Laos's mountainous terrain is impenetrable jungle, and road travel here is very slow; the only practical way to tour the country in less than a week is by plane. Bangkok Air has daily flights from Bangkok to Luang Prabang; Thai Air flies to Vientiane; and Lao Airlines runs frequent, slightly more expensive flights from Bangkok to Luang Prabang and Vientiane, as well as provincial cities including Pakse and Savannakhet.

An inexpensive and convenient option to is to fly Air Asia Thai Smile, or Nok Air from Bangkok to either Ubon Ratchathani or Udon Thani and then cross the border by land, putting you in Vientiane or Pakse in less than an hour.