Luang Namtha within laos · Within Laos in Luang Namtha
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Within Laos in Luang Namtha
Within Laos in Luang Namtha
The bus station for destinations inside the province is located on the main road west of the main guesthouse strip. The old bus station across from the market has now been demolished to make way for a 5-star hotel, and the main bus station for destinations further afield is now inconveniently located 10km out of town. A tuk-tuk should cost about 10,000 Kip per person or 20,000 if you're alone.
Buses for Huay Xai, on the Mekong River at the Thai border, leave at 9AM and 12:30PM and cost 55,000 Kip. Tickets can be bought from 7:30AM, and the journey takes only four hours now, due to improved road conditions, and you can therefore make it into Thailand on the same day. If you want to be assured of a seat, tickets can be bought in town the day before at the travel agent across from Green Discovery Treks for 75,000 Kip including tuk-tuk to the bus station. Like all bus travel in Laos, tickets bought at the bus station always have priority as for seating. The tuk-tuk leaves the travel agent at 8am. Alternatively, you can hire a minibus and ride comfortably Luang Namtha in 3-4 hours for 120,000 kip/person.
Trips to Luang Prabang take 8-12 hours, depending on road conditions, and cost 90,000 Kip [leaves at 9:00AM], 130,000 Kip for minivan (11 seater) [leaves at around 8.30AM or when everyone gets onboard] and 110,000 Kip for the (supposedly faster) VIP bus (22 seat version) [if running, at both 9:00AM & 2:30PM]. While the 10,000 Kip fare from the 'new' bus station to the main town centre appears non-negotiable, the fare from the town centre to the 'new' bus station can be negotiated for multiple pax. The bus station booking office (located at the 'new' bus station) sells tickets for tomorrow's journey from this afternoon. In Laos, it is wise to pre-purchase tickets to be more sure of a seat. The roads from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang are in poor to fair shape with numerous potholes along the way. The bus stops at the Oudomxay bus station for lunch. Most bus drivers stop every couple of hours to check brakes, etc. And, at these times pax can also find a bush for bladder relief. The journey is not for the faint-hearted during the rainy season with the bus squeezing and weaving across roads collapsed due to the landslides. In parts, the scenery is fantastic. Like all buses in Laos, the earlier you arrive, the better choice of seat [try for at least 1 hour before] - the alternative is sitting on a plastic stool in the aisle for hours on end, or not being let on. While the Lao accept your bag on a seat as 'taken', Chinese do not!
Sometimes they board Luang Prabang passengers to the bus leaving for Ventiane which leaves at 8.30am so its better to go early on the bus station to see which one will it be.
Buses for Vientiane cost 180,000 kip and leaves daily at 8:30am.
Buses for Bokeo cost 60,000 kip and leave at 9:00am and 12.30pm.
Buses from Muang Xay (Oudomxay) cost 40,000 kip, take about four hours and leave daily at 8:30AM, 12:00AM and 2:30PM.
Sawngthaew leaves for Muang Sing from the small bus station in town, 20,000 Kip, one to two hours, until 3PM.
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Luang Namtha Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.