Adventure tour providers

Laos

Travelling in Laos involves a lot of time spent getting from A to B, so don't be surprised when you find out most tours offer little more than a key destination like Luang Prabang. Because of the difficulty in getting around, many Lao tours are part of larger regional trips encompassing Vietnam, Thailand and sometimes Cambodia.

It's not unusual for Lao trips to include domestic flights as an hour in a plane can save you 24 hours on a bus, but steer clear of trips where all the links are by plane -- while a tad uncomfortable, getting around in the local transport is a part of the experience, and you should experience it at least once!

If you're touring in the north, a trip down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang is a highlight, but be sure you're operator isn't using the speedboats -- they're dangerous, noisy and spoil the atmosphere for everyone else. Virtually all tours visit Luang Prabang, but if you like to get into the boonies, make sure your trip is taking you other places in the north as well. If you're on a tour that covers both the north and south, make sure it is not too crammed in -- watch out for phrases like "long bus trip" that's code for excrutiating 20+ hours in a minibus -- where's the airport please?

If your Laos trip is a part of a larger regional adventure, compare time taken for flying and overlanding between countries -- it all depends on how you like to spend your holiday time!

Tours to Cambodia | Tours to Laos | Tours to Malaysia | Tours to Thailand | Tours to Vietnam
Family tours | Multi-country tours | Diving tours | Photography tours

We've not road-tested these tours ourself, rather they're offerings from companies who we work with on a commission or other paid basis. We believe these companies to have decent reputations and we welcome feedback from anyone on the providers below, as this will help other readers make more informed decisions.