Laos Highlights: Vientiane to Luang Prabang (Self-Launched)
7 days · Laos
Bravo Indochina Tours charges £725
No-markup version: ~£285 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of the classic 7-day Vientiane–Vang Vieng–Luang Prabang run through northern Laos. Same temples, caves, waterfalls and river towns as the guided tour, but booked yourself: local buses and minivans between towns, guesthouses and hostels instead of 3-star hotels, and activities booked directly or through GetYourGuide/Klook. Laos is one of Southeast Asia's cheapest destinations — expect roughly £35-45 per day all-in for a comfortable backpacker style of travel, versus around £100/day on the packaged tour.
Day-by-day
Arrive Vientiane & riverside orientation
Vientiane
Fly or bus into Wattay Airport; a metered taxi or the airport shuttle into the centre costs about £4-5. Check into a guesthouse near Nam Phou fountain or the Mekong riverfront. Spend the afternoon walking the riverfront promenade, watching sunset over the Thai bank of the Mekong, and eating at a night market stall or a cheap laap/food joint. Sort your local SIM (Unitel or Lao Telecom tourist data package, roughly £5-8 for the week) and draw cash — ATMs charge high fees, so take out larger amounts at once.
🚌Airport taxi or shuttle to city centre, ~£4-5
🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room near Nam Phou, ~£13-16/night
- →Mekong riverfront sunset walk
- →Vientiane night market food stalls
- →Buy Lao SIM card & data package
Vientiane's big five on foot
Vientiane
All of Vientiane's headline sights sit within a few kilometres of each other, so do them on foot or with a bicycle rental (~£2). Start at Wat Sisaket (entry ~£1, thousands of miniature Buddhas in the cloister), cross to the former royal temple Wat Phra Keo next door (now an art museum). Continue to Patuxai, the Lao 'Arc de Triomphe' — climb it for city views (~£0.50). Then head north to That Luang, the gilded national stupa and most important religious building in Laos (~£1). Finish at the COPE Visitor Centre, a free (donations) exhibition on unexploded ordnance in Laos — genuinely one of the most moving small museums in Asia. Pre-book a GetYourGuide/Klook half-day guided walking tour (~£15-20) if you want the history explained rather than reading plaques.
🚌Walking / bicycle rental ~£2
🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in central Vientiane, ~£13-16/night
- →Wat Sisaket
- →Wat Phra Keo museum
- →Patuxai Monument climb
- →That Luang stupa
- →COPE Visitor Centre
- →Optional: guided Vientiane walking tour via GetYourGuide
Vientiane to Vang Vieng via Vang Xang & Hmong villages
Vang Vieng
The tour does this by private car with stops at the Hmong village at KM 52, the 11th-century Buddha at Vang Xang, Ban Houy Mo fishing village and a Nam Xong boat cruise. Self-launched, the simple version is the public VIP minivan or local bus from Vientiane's Talat Sao/Southern Bus Station to Vang Vieng (~£5-7, 3.5-4 hours) — inexpensive and straightforward. If you want the sightseeing stops, hire a private driver-guide for the day through your Vang Vieng guesthouse (~£35-45 total, split between travellers) or ask a Vientiane tour shop the night before; many will do the route with stops for a similar price. In Vang Vieng, check into a riverside bungalow and catch sunset from the Nam Song with the karst peaks behind.
🚌VIP minivan Vientiane–Vang Vieng ~£5-7; optional private driver with stops ~£35-45/day shared
🛏Riverside guesthouse or bungalow, ~£10-14/night
- →Road trip over the mountains to Vang Vieng
- →Optional: Hmong village & Vang Xang archaeological site stops with a hired driver
- →Sunset over the Nam Song river
Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Travel day, but make it a good one. The public minivan Vang Vieng–Luang Prabang takes 6-7 hours over the mountain passes (~£9-12) and can be booked at any Vang Vieng agent. If you have an extra morning, get up for the Nam Xay viewpoint hike (motorbike taxi out plus ~£1 entry, roughly £6 total) or a short kayak/tubing session on the Nam Song before you go. Arrive Luang Prabang in the evening, walk the night market on Sisavangvong Road, and eat at a riverside Lao BBQ or the vegetarian buffet lane near the market (~£2-3 for a full plate).
🚌Public minivan Vang Vieng–Luang Prabang ~£9-12 (6-7 hrs)
🛏Guesthouse in the old town or near the Mekong, ~£14-18/night
- →Optional morning: Nam Xay viewpoint hike or Nam Song kayaking
- →Luang Prabang night market
- →Lao BBQ / street food dinner
Luang Prabang temples, alms-giving & Mount Phousi
Luang Prabang
Start at 05:30 if you want to see Tak Bat, the monks' alms-giving procession — watch respectfully from the pavement, keep a distance, don't use flash and buy sticky rice from a licensed seller rather than vendors selling inappropriate offerings. Then visit the Royal Palace Museum (~£2.50), Wat Xiengthong at the tip of the peninsula (the country's most beautiful temple, ~£1.50) and Wat Visoun with its watermelon stupa. In the afternoon, cycle or tuk-tuk out to the weaving and textile villages of Ban Xangkhong and Ban Nongxai (~£3 by tuk-tuk) to see silk and sa paper workshops. Finish with the classic climb of Mount Phousi (329 steps, ~£1.50) for sunset over the Mekong. A guided half-day old-town walking tour via GetYourGuide is about £18-22 if you prefer context.
🚌Bicycle or tuk-tuk to craft villages ~£2-3
🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town, ~£14-18/night
- →Tak Bat alms-giving ceremony at dawn
- →Royal Palace Museum
- →Wat Xiengthong
- →Wat Visoun
- →Ban Xangkhong & Ban Nongxai weaving villages
- →Mount Phousi sunset climb
- →Local fresh market
Kuang Si Waterfall & Pak Ou Caves
Luang Prabang
Kuang Si is easy independently: shared tuk-tuk or minivan from the old town costs ~£4-6 return and the waterfall entry is ~£2. Go early (before 09:00) to beat the groups, swim in the turquoise pools, and walk up to the top tier. The on-site Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre is free with entry. Pair it with a stop at a Hmong/Lao village making rice wine on the way back — many drivers will include it for a small tip. Pak Ou Caves are best done separately as a slow boat trip up the Mekong (~£10-14 return from Luang Prabang pier, 2 hours each way plus stops) — pick one of the two rather than both unless you hire a private car. A GetYourGuide Kuang Si half-day tour with hotel pickup runs about £15-20 if you'd rather not negotiate transport.
🚌Shared tuk-tuk/minivan to Kuang Si ~£4-6 return; Pak Ou boat ~£10-14 return
🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang, ~£14-18/night
- →Kuang Si Waterfall swim & upper tiers
- →Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre
- →Rice-wine village stop
- →Alternative: slow boat to Pak Ou Caves
- →GetYourGuide half-day Kuang Si tour (optional)
Luang Prabang slow morning & departure
Luang Prabang
Last morning for a coffee on the Mekong, a wander through the morning market, or a Lao cooking class (~£20-25, bookable locally) if you have a late flight. The tour includes an airport transfer; independently, a tuk-tuk to Luang Prabang International Airport is fixed at roughly £3-4 (10-15 minutes). If you're continuing overland to Nong Khiaw, Vang Vieng or Thailand, buses leave from the southern bus station — book the day before at any agent.
🚌Tuk-tuk to Luang Prabang airport ~£3-4
🛏Not included (departure day)
- →Morning market & Mekong coffee
- →Optional Lao cooking class
- →Tuk-tuk to airport or onward bus booking
Self-launched vs. Bravo Indochina Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Bravo Indochina Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£285 | £725 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £440 per person (61%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Bravo Indochina Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£285
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Laos Highlights: Vientiane to Luang Prabang (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £285 per person for 7 days in Laos. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Bravo Indochina Tours?+
Yes — Bravo Indochina Tours charges around £725 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £285 — a saving of roughly £440 (61%) per person.
How long is the Laos trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Laos.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, budget trip through Laos, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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