Southeast Asia forum
dont make me go back!!
Have questions? Jump to our menu of forum quicklinks
Add your reply
You need to be logged in to add a reply.
Not a member? you can join here.
Welcome to Travelfish, original Asia travel intelligence you can trust
Menu
Has
Joined Travelfish
10th April, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Hello!
thanks for taking a look at this post, any advice/pointers would be greatly appreciated.
atm im flying into bali then intend to move up to cambodia. im under the impression the best way is to fly via KL into phnom penh which is ideal as i then want to move up through cambodia to siem reap etc (i assume there are buses etc!?). once cambodia has been seen and done the idea is to go straight up to laos, again over ground, to check tubing off the list! apart from that, and given time constraint, i dont intend on spending to much time in laos.
my main issue, however, is that i need to get into china from laos; gaungzhou specifically. i cant seem to figure out how without having to go all the way back to KL before flying over. Has anyone entered china over ground via loas!? is this possible?
any light you could shed on this as well as the any of the other plans detailed (time/cost etc) would be really useful and hugely appreciated!
#1 Posted: 12/4/2012 - 09:54
chinarocks
Joined Travelfish
17th June, 2011
Posts 372
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
I have not done the Laos-China overland border crossing but it is definitely possible. You will arrive in Yunnan, which is still a long, long way from Guangzhou - potentially one full day on a bus or something like that.
Is flying not an option whatsoever? If it is, a better route than back to KL would potentially be Vientiane-Kunming-Guanzhou with China Southern Airlines.
#2 Posted: 12/4/2012 - 15:55
Advertisement
Has
Joined Travelfish
10th April, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
thank you!
yer ive just com acorss the kunming route. its possible to take a bus to kunming then train to guangzhou or fly either or both legs. def what ill be doing- the whole overland takes about 2 and a half days i think although i rekcon ill fly one of the legs.
have you moved from phenom penh up through cambodia and into loas?
#3 Posted: 12/4/2012 - 16:37
MADMAC
Joined Travelfish
6th June, 2009
Posts 5059
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
"once cambodia has been seen and done the idea is to go straight up to laos, again over ground, to check tubing off the list! apart from that, and given time constraint, i dont intend on spending to much time in laos."
If you are going from Cambodia to VV overland, you are going to be "spending too much time in Laos" on the brutal trip alone.
#4 Posted: 12/4/2012 - 23:09
------------------------------
Victory in Pattani
Has
Joined Travelfish
10th April, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
fair play madmac.
how long is to long!? hear was me thinking a bit of rural laos on the way up to the traveller hubs would be a good idea
#5 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 13:43
chinarocks
Joined Travelfish
17th June, 2011
Posts 372
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Siem Reap to Vang Vieng overland and up through Southern Laos will take you at a minimum five days. And this does not allow for any relaxation time in the 4000 Islands, Pakse etc.
#6 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 16:39
MADMAC
Joined Travelfish
6th June, 2009
Posts 5059
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
There you got it.
You'll be seeing more than a "bit" of rural Laos. transportation infrastructure there is slow. Think of Kane, in Kung **, walking from place to place. That's almost the pace.
#7 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 22:21
------------------------------
Victory in Pattani
Has
Joined Travelfish
10th April, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
duly noted!! thanks for the heads up...
if you were arriving in phenom penh and looking to move all the way up to luang phrabang stopping at the standard places and maybe a few 'off the beaten track' how would you go about it?
be helpful to get alternate perspectives.
you might be interested to read this: http://www.travelfish.org/board/post/visabordercrossings/8753_trip-report--siem-reap-to-vientiane
seems like a winner!
#8 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 03:55
Captain_Bob
Joined Travelfish
27th May, 2006
Location Thailand
Posts 1277
Member profile
Profile page
Private message
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap about 5 hours by bus and there are plenty of them. Avoid night buses - there have been a few fatal crashes lately. Siem Reap to the Laos border takes a full day. The last town with guesthouses is Stung Treng, then cross the border (Laos visa on arrival pay in USD if possible) then to the 4000 Islands (Don Det/Khone/Kong) or Pakse . Overnight sleeper bus Pakse to Vientiane is the fastest way without flying. Bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng about 4 hours. So as mentioned above you're looking at about 4-5 days of travel.
As for getting into China there are buses connecting Luang Prabang to Kunming, but it seems like a long-haul nightmare. Laos is a good country to take it easy, and I would just get a bus to Luang Namtha via Nong Khaw (river trip) and Oudomxai. There is a daily bus from Luang Namtha to Jinghong in Yunnan China. Then many buses to Kunming. From there you are connected with the Chinese national rail network. Sounds like a good trip.
#9 Posted: 15/4/2012 - 05:04
Has
Joined Travelfish
10th April, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
thanks captain bob, much appreicted!!
on a side note does anyone know of a similar forum(s) for travel in south america? once im done in asia im flying to buenos aires for the second leg
#10 Posted: 16/4/2012 - 12:45
Advertisement