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There are many travel agencies advertising the 6-hour bus journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng so we paid 160,000 kip, including pickup from our hotel. You might be able to get it cheaper. I saw minivan journeys advertised for as low as 115,000 kip.
We got picked up by a tuk tuk in the morning at 8:30. 20 minutes earlier than what they told us! It took less than 20 minutes to drive to Ban Naluang Bus Station. There are some shops around the station to buy snacks. |
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At the bus station, we were told to exchange the slip from the travel agency for a bus ticket with a lunch voucher. The price on the ticket was just 105,000 kip!! I guess the rest was the travel agent's commission?!
If you want to go through the trouble of buying the ticket yourself and save a few dollars, you can use the signs/schedule at the bus station as a reference point. The schedule might change though. |
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At 9:30 am, the bus departed from the port signposted Vang Vieng. The bus was an old Korean bus with air conditioning as well as fairly comfortable seats that can recline back pretty far! We also get a very small bottle of water each.
We drove through some mountainous windy roads. The driver didn't seem to realize he was driving a big bus. The best policy is just to close your eyes and go to sleep, as there were no guardrails. |
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At 11:30 am, we stopped for a brief toilet break. It cost 2000 kip to use the toilet (only squat toilets), but toilet paper's provided. There's also a small shop selling fruit and snacks. A pack of cut fruit is 5000 kip.
We continued through some stunning landscape, driving past farms, towns, and villages. |
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At around 2 pm, we finally stopped for lunch for about 40 minutes. Exchange your food voucher for a bowl of noodle soup. There are also snacks and fruit on sale. A Magnum ice cream bar is 15,000 kip
We got to Vang Vieng's North Bus Station at 3:50 pm. If your hotel's is far, you can take a shared tuk tuk to your accommodation for 20,000 kip per person. The busy area with lots of guesthouses and hostels was only a 3-minute drive away (a couple of kilometers, depending on where you're staying). If you don't mind walking with your luggage, I don't think it will take too long to walk. |
