Ten Little Known Ways To Make The Most Out Of Laos Tourism

The small town's striking river landscape lined with towering karst has lured travellers right from the get-go and remains stunning despite being well-visited. Vang Vieng: Natural wonder, backpacker mecca, party central, Lima Site 6: Vang Vieng , 155 kilometres north of Vientiane on the road to Luang Prabang, has been given many labels.

Its always better with a bigger group so its important to stay at the first bar until it closes and then move to the second when the first closes. The staff usually organise games that allow you to win free shots at the bars. Slushies on the river are yum and pretty strong.

Good time to start is about 12 noon and will finish up about 5;30/6pm. Tubing doesn't need to be pre-organised, just rock up to one of the two tubing stations in VV and as part of your tube rental fee they will drop you the start point. Staff can tell you exactly where the tuk-tuks park.

Safety first, always ensure that if it is getting dark that you do not tube down the entire river but to get out on the left side where a tuk-tuk will bring you back into town for 10,000kip if in a group, more if you are on your own (roughly 1USD). The staff that help out at the river bars are very helpful and will advise you on all things Vang Vieng. As of Jan 2016 there are two bars open on the river everyday.

Luang Namtha is the far-northern town which makes the best base for those visitors who really want to see the truly remote Lao wilderness, and directly experience the lifestyles of the various hill tribes in this region. Further north, the terrain becomes more hilly, and the jungle less explored. The backpacker-central town of Vang Vieng is a commonly used base for exploring the karsts.

Its meandering path in the North has created some of the most stunning limestone karsts anywhere on earth. The mighty Mekong river and its tributaries together create perhaps the single most important geographic feature of the country. The term wilderness is much misused, but it can truly be applied to much of Laos.

Stretching from the forest-clad mountains of the north to the islands of the far south, there's enough here to keep you occupied for weeks, and still feel as though you'd barely scratched the surface. However, Laos alone rewards further exploration, and with a little more time it's not hard to feel like you're visiting places where few Westerners venture. Most people visit the country as part of a wider trip in the region, often entering from Thailand and following the Mekong further south.

Laos's lifeline is the Mekong River, which runs the length of the country, at times bisecting it and at others serving as a boundary with Thailand; the rugged Annamite Mountains historically have acted as a buffer against Vietnam, with which Laos Tourist Information shares its eastern border. We recommend you consider taking medication against malaria and take measures to avoid mosquito bites, including using insect repellent at all times, wearing long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing and ensuring your accommodation is mosquito proof.