Laos

The South East Asian country of Lao, once called “a land of one million elephants” is a slow paced, beautiful country with a charm hidden from the world for many years. It is a traditional Buddhist place being chiefly agrarian in nature.

After years of isolation, Lao is slowly opening to the outside world. Lao awes travelers with the beauty of its countryside, the sound of monks chanting and ancient temples hidden amidst lush jungle. The United Nations has recently declared Luang Prabang, the ancient northern capital, a protected World Heritage Site. Lao is rich in its natural resources offering refreshing views of rich vegetation, monsoon forests and tropical fruit trees. The country is also home to rare species of snakes, birds, lizards, wild cattle, leopards, tigers and rhinos.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The capital and largest city of Laos is Vientiane and other major cities include Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakxe. The Lao are very sociable and if you happen to be in the country during one of their festivals, you are sure to get caught up in the lively atmosphere!

Pii Mai, Lao New Year, is in April and the celebrations include parades and water fights.

The magnificent That Luang Festival falls in November and thousands of people and monks travel from remote villages to participate in the religious celebration. Several times a year Vientiane has boat racing competitions, where long wooden boats are raced up and down the Mekong River. Lao is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia and the thickly forested landscape consists mostly of rugged mountains, the highest of which is Phou Bia at 2,817 m, with some plains and plateaus. The Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand, whereas the mountains of the Annamite Chain form most of the eastern border with Vietnam.

VISA REQUIREMENTS & DEPARTURE TAXES

Travelers on all of Wide Eyed Tours small group journeys can easily obtain 30 day tourist visas on arrival in Lao at Vientiane, Pakse or Luang Prabang airports. International and domestic departure taxes are included in the cost of air tickets. Please
note that it is now law in Lao to carry an ID document at all times.

MONEY

The official currency of Lao is the kip, however United States dollars and Thai baht are accepted almost everywhere. Hotels often change foreign currency cash, and sometimes travelers cheques.

CLIMATE

From November to February the weather in Laos is cool and dry while March to June sees temperatures soaring in to the high 30s (Celsius). There is a distinct rainy season from May to November, followed by a dry season from December to April. From July to October there tends to be even more rain, washing out some roads thus making rural areas inaccessible.

Local tradition holds that there are three seasons (rainy, cold and hot) as the latter two months of the climatologically defined dry season are noticeably hotter than the earlier four months.