Laos forum

Hi all, Im planning a short solo trip to laos (flying in and out of vientiane) sometime next march and would like some advice/feedback on my preliminary itinerary.

Day 1 - Vientiane
Day 2 - Vientiane, flying to Phonsavan . Overnight in phonsavan
Day 3 - Plain of jars and surrounding areas
Day 4 - Phonsavan to Luang Prabang by bus
Day 5 - LP
Day 6 - LP
Day 7 - LP
Day 8 - Either bus/fly to vientiane
Day 9 - Vientiane before flying home

I'm not really into the drinking/partying scene, more interested in sightseeing and if possible visiting a few local villages.

I've got a few questions that I hope some people on this site can help.

Because I'm a solo traveller, when visiting some places, eg. plain of jars, kuang si waterfalls, the prices of day tours seem to skyrocket. Is it easy to find people to band with sometime in late March or will it be better for me to charter a tuk-tuk privately?

I've also read that haze becomes a problem in March/April. How bad is this and should i postpone my trip to avoid this?

I intend to visit a few local villages but since time does not allow me to go up to Luang Namtha, I was thinking of visiting some of the Hmong villages around Luang Prabang. Out of curiosity, what are the differences between visiting villages in Luang Namtha, Xieng Khuang and Luang Prabang? Are the villages in Luang Prabang still 'authentic' or has tourism caught up with them?

Thanks!