Links

Laos links

Travel & Tourism

Official Laos tourism authority site Descriptions of Laos and attractions; contact numbers; visa and border crossing information

Lao government information & tourism descriptions Extensive site about Laos

Lonely Planet Laos Taste of the excellent guide

Lao food A look at the cuisine of Laos

Lao travel www.lao.ch

Luang Prabang guide Sing Thong Sengsuda, English-speaking guide, Luang Prabang ssengsuda@hotmail.com

Tourism Authority of Thailand tourism portal Hot deals, sightseeing, travel information

Wildlife eco-tours

Eco travel and tourism

currency
Very useful converter with up-to-date values (you may see some variations: all calculations are based on the US$/Kip rate)

news
Vientianetimes.com (not connected with Vientiane Times but very good source of news and useful information and
contacts)
Vientiane Times (the website of the Vientiane Times newspaper can be selected on the Lao embassy site - look on the embassy site also for lots of useful material, including visa details)
Laos.co.uk's own News Watch digest of what is on the web at the moment

General

LaoSearch.com A community portal for Laos

Bjorn Svensson Photography

www.photosbybjorn.com

Laos Travel Photography Gallery

www.hanshendriksen.net/laosgallery.htm

Buddhism Resources (news, books, links)

www.utyx.com/buddhism/

Medical

US National Centre for Infectious Diseases

What not to catch and how, including malaria

Malaria prevention options

Good comparisons with side-effects & risks

Royal Perth Hospital's division of laboratory medicine

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria

Flights

Lao Aviation

Timetables,contacts, no prices

Thai Airways International

Flights,contacts, no prices

Places to stay

The Boat Landing

Ecotourism lodge, Luang Namtha, NW Laos

People

Ethnic breakdown

Ethnic groups, numbers

Front page

Visas
Visas are far easier to obtain now than at any time in the past - the designated 'visa on arrival' entry points are being increased and it is worth checking the latest information if you want to enter by one of the less popular border crossings.

Friendship Bridge, Vientiane international airport and Luang Prabang airport were to easiest places for visas on arrival but now others have been added: Chong Mek, Thailand, into Laos west of Pakse, for example. Chiang Khong in northern Thailand into Laos at Huay Xai is another. Conditions do seem to be variable locally and it is worth checking entry points from Thailand, Vietnam and China before getting there.

You can, of course, visit the Lao embassy in Bangkok and wait for your visa. Or your hotel or friendly travel shop in Bangkok will probably offer a visa service.

The length of tourist visas - 15 or 30 days - appears to vary. We expected 15-day visas when entering at Huay Xai (where, a few years ago, the Lao government was trying to restrict entry) and were told that 30-day visas were automatic. See links below.

The links below are the responsibility of their publishers. You need to decide if the information is correct and adequate for your journey.

Lao Embassy in Washington

visit-laos.com

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