The Boat Landing Guest House, Luang Namtha, Laos - offering pro-poor tourism options fighting climate change

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[ Boats ] [ Buses ] [ Planes ] [ Cars ]

Buses

The first thing to realize about ground transportation in northern Laos is that schedules are determined by supply and demand. Thus, if there is a bus and enough people to go on it, then the bus and the passengers leave. However, things are changing. There are now regular buses to Vientiane which run according to a schedule more often than not.

The second thing to realize is that fares are not uniform throughout Laos. Udomsai and Luang Namtha Provinces collect the same fare from passengers no matter whether you are a Lao national or not. Bokeo, Luang Prabang and Vientiane Provinces may collect a higher fare for foreign passengers. So, if you start your journey in Luang Namtha or Udomsai your fare may be cheaper than a person coming from the other direction.

The Luang Namtha bus station (+856-86-312-164) is located next to the provincial market. See Map. No advance bookings are available. Ticket sales from 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM. This is also the place to come if you want to rent a pick-up with driver. 

There are several different ways to travel by bus to and from Luang Namtha:

Luang Namtha --Muang Sing
Buses/trucks leave every hour for Muang Sing starting at 08:00 - 15:00. Sometimes there may be a bus later at around 16:00. These buses do not have a schedule and only leave when a critical number of passengers have bought tickets. The only bus that is guaranteed to leave on schedule is the first one.
Travel Time: 2 hrs (mudslides in the rainy season)

Presently there is no through service between Luang Namtha and Xieng Kok. You'll need to transfer in Muang Sing. Trucks/buses from Muang Sing to Xieng Kok leave in the morning and return from Xieng Kok in the afternoon. There is also often an afternoon bus leaving Muang Sing. The road to Xieng Kok is much better than it used to be taking 1 - 2 hours to go the 70 kms compared to the previous 1 to 2 days. During the rainy season the road can get muddy is some spots.

Travel Time: 2hrs ( can be muddy in the rainy season)

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Luang Namtha --Botene and the Border Crossing to China
There are 2 morning buses and 2 afternoon buses departing for the Chinese border - Botene.

Travel Time: 2 hrs

There is an international service between Mengla and Luang Namtha. The service is new and subject to change. For details ask at the respective bus terminals. As of May 2005 the service operates on alternate days departing Luang Namtha for Botene at 8:00 AM Lao time arriving in Mengla around 2 PM Chinese time.

Travel Time: 5 hrs
 

Links to Bordering Areas in China

    Eric & Joan's Story of what they saw and did in Mengla

 Nature Reserve in Sipsongpana (Xishuangbanna)

Forest Types and Tree Species in Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna Botanical Gardens

Yunnan Tourism

Sightseeing in Xishuangbanna

Biodiversity Centre

Forest Cafe

Yourantai

 

If you are crossing from China at Botene, walk down the hill from the border post past a row of shops to the bus station. Sometimes the drivers will hang out near the border post. If there isn't a bus or truck leaving immediately for Luang Namtha but there is one leaving for Udomsai, you can take the Udomsai bus as far as Natuei where you can wait from a bus coming from Udomsai or wait for the next one from Botene. There is customs post and a small market with restaurants here. 
This also goes if you are departing for China, going to Botene, you can take an Udomsai bus as far as Natuei and wait for the next bus coming from Udomsai or Luang Namtha bound for Botene.
There are four buses running daily each direction between Udomsai and Botene. Two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Plus one Vientiane - Jing Hong bus which crosses from China mid morning and crosses over to China first thing in the morning.
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Udomsai - Luang Prabang - Vientiane
At one time if you wanted to travel to Luang Prabang in one day, you had to take the first bus to Udomsai and change to another bus going to Luang Prabang. And to continue onto Vientiane you had to make yet another connection in Luang Prabang. You can still do it that way if you want, but you'll probably find the through service to Luang Prabang and Vientiane much more convenient.    

Luang Namtha -- Udomsai

There are several buses/trucks running between Udomsai and Luang Namtha each day. Scheduled buses leave from the Luang Namtha bus station at 07:30 and 12:30. For the departure schedule from Udomsai contact the bus station (+856-81-212-218).

Travel Time: 5 hrs

 If you can't find transport to Udomsai but there is transport going to Botene on the Chinese Border, you go as far as Natuei where you change to a bus running from Botene to Udomsai. Also the big bus from Vientiane pulls through Udomsai bound for Luang Namtha in the early morning hours just after midnight for a 05:00 arrival in Luang Namtha.

Luang Namtha -- Luang Prabang

The through service to Vientiane leaving every morning at 08:30 is the best choice for comfort. But if you miss this bus you can always take the next one departing for Udomsai and transfer there to another continuing on to Luang Prabang.

Travel Time: 10 hrs

If you are travel to Luang Namtha from Luang Prabang.  Be aware that there are two bus stations - the Southern Bus Station and the Northern Bus Station. The through bus from Vientiane picks up Luang Namtha bound passengers at the Southern Bus Station (+856-71-252-066) somewhere between 16:00 - 18:00. The bus bound for Houeisai coming from Vientiane leaves the Southern Bus Station around 7 AM and arrives in Luang Namtha around 3:30 PM

If you do not want to take the night bus from Luang Prabang or would just like to travel during the day to see the scenery,  you can  take the 7 AM or 8 AM Udomsai bus from the Northern Bus Station (+856-71-252-729). The bus will arrive in Udomsai around 12:00 PM. Jump off the bus and save a seat on the Luang Namtha bus leaving around 1 PM and then grab a bite to eat before moving on. If the bus from Luang Prabang is late, the Luang Namtha bus will wait. The bus will roll into Luang Namtha in the early evening.

NOTE: Travel agents in Luang Prabang selling tickets for the buses cannot guarantee seats and prefer to sell you the tickets on the night bus because there is no connection to worry about and they also probably get a higher commission on the night bus. If you want a good seat arrive early.

Also remember if you ask for a day bus from Luang Prabang to Luang Namtha they will answer that there isn't any. You should ask, " How can I get from Luang Prabang to Luang  Namtha during the day?" Then the answer will be that you need to change buses in Udomsai.

Luang Namtha -- Nong Khieo (Nong Khiaw)

Take the bus as if you were going to Luang Prabang (see above). Ask to disembark at Pak Mong ( Pak Mawng). This is a crossroads about 150 km north of Luang Prabang. From this point you can catch transport for Nong Khieo orginating from Luang Prabang and Udomsai. Similarly you can also transfer to a truck in Udomsai going to Nong Khieo. For comfort's sake it is best to take the through bus to Vientiane and change buses at Pak Mong.

If you are coming from Nong Khieo to Luang Namtha. Take the truck to Udomsai for a transfer to Luang Namtha. Otherwise take the next vehicle leaving for Luang Prabang and get off at Pak Mong and catch the next bus going to Udomsai. The direct bus from Vientiane should arrive in Pak Mong in the evening.
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Luang Namtha -- Vientiane

There is one through service bus a day running in each direction between Luang Namtha and Vientiane. This route will also take passengers for Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. The bus departs from the Northern Bus Terminal (+856-20-551-2144) in Vientiane near  Nong Douang. This bus stops at the southern bus terminal in Luang Prabang.

Daily Bus
Departure from Luang Namtha: ~ 8:30 AM
Departure from Vientiane:         ~ 8:00 AM
Departure from Luang Prabang ~4:30 PM

Houeisai to Vientiane Bus
Daily departures from Luang Namtha ~ 6  PM ( ask at bus station for details)
Daily departures from Vientiane 9 AM
Travel Time: 23 hrs 

Note: On the long distance buses there is often only one driver! So, from Vientiane to Luang Namtha the bus driver drives straight for 23 hours. Sometime they will do 2 trips back to back!

While the long distance buses may be more convenient and comfortable, they are not necessarily safer.
 
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Luang Namtha --Houeisai (Houei Xai, Houay Xay, Houaysai, Houeixai, Houeisay, Houaysay)

The road between Namtha and Houeisai will be under construction until 2007. Expect occasional delays due to construction or heavy rain.

Trucks and buses to Houeisai from Luang Namtha leave in the morning. Ticket sales start at 08:00 (+856-86-312-164) . The drivers often wait until they are full before leaving. Sometimes there may be more than one truck in the dry season. The daily bus from Vientiane usually leaves Luang Namtha for Houeisai between 3 and 5 PM.
Buses and Trucks to Luang Namtha depart from Houeisai from the main market at the same time (+856-84-211-438). Sometimes trucks from Luang Namtha look for passengers in the guest houses near immigration in the early evening for early departure the following day as they do not want to wait in the queue at the bus station or want to leave before the bus station opens at 7:30 AM. The driver will pick you up at your guest house thus saving you the tuk-tuk fare to the bus station.

On the way to Houeisai

The trucks and buses  to Houeisai will also drop you in Vieng Phoukha if that is where you want to go or you can take the daily truck to Vieng Phoukha which leaves at about the same time. If you are traveling to Ban Don Jai (Ban Don Chai) for The Gibbon Experience, some drivers may not want to pick you up unless pay the fare all the way to Houeisai.

Travel Time: 8 hrs (in rainy season may take up to three days)

Note: When crossing from Chiang Khong to Houeisai at the Lao immigration a person from a local travel company may approach you offering to sell boat and bus tickets. They sit at a table near the stairs. Be aware that they are not able to reserve seats and you will pay a higher price for the same tickets that you can purchase at the bus station or the boat landing. 

Links For Chiang Rai

Welcome to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai  

Thailine Chiang Rai 

The SP Guest House in Chiang Khong

Namkong Travel

Chiang Rai Province

Chiang Rai Airport
 

If you are going on from Houeisai to Thailand, the border post hours are 8 AM to 6 PM. Buses leave from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai every hour during the day until 5 PM. The bus station is on the opposite side of Chiang Khong from the border post ( ~ 4kms). There are four direct buses to Bangkok between 7 AM and 3 PM and the Namkong Guest House runs a mini-bus service to Chiang Mai 3 times a day. This is the most convenient way to get from/to Chiang Khong to/from Chiang Mai. However, it requires an advance reservation (Chiang Mai: +66-53-874-321, Chiang Khong +66-53-655-102)
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Luang Namtha --Muang Nalae
When the road is open it also possible to take a truck from Luang Namtha  to Muang Nalae on the Namtha River. From Nalae you can proceed on down the river by boat or if coming up river carry on to Namtha by bus. This may cut the cost of the trip. But will not gain you any time. Check at the bus station. The truck usually leaves in the morning either direction.

Travel Time: 3 hrs ( dry season)

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Copyright © 1999-2005 The Boat Landing Guest House and Restaurant. All rights reserved.
Revised: November 30, 2007