Getting there and away

Bus

Attapeu bus station is located 3km outside town where the road forks heading towards Sekong. As Route 18A is still considered impassable to all but motorbikes and goats, all public transport travels via the Sekong, Pak Song loop. Following are selected departure details:

Savannakhet: Departs 06:00 costs $6.50, takes 9-10 hours and goes via Pakse
Pakse: At least four buses a day, leaving at 07:30,08:00,10:00 and 11:00. All head via Sekong and Pak Song. Pakse $3.50 5-6 hours; Sekong $2 2-2.5 hours; Pak Song $2.50 4-5 hours.
For Salavan you'll need to change at Tha Teng.

Buses to Vietnam
Buses to Vietnam now leave daily at 09:00 and 10:00 -- there's no fixed bus station for them yet, but they pick up from in front of the Thanh Nga Guesthouse, or thereabouts, so you'll want to stop in there to purchase a ticket and arrange to get on the bus -- the fare is 80,000 kip. They travel via road 18B and terminates in Kontum, Vietnam. The border crossing, known as Bo Y, is 113km from Attapeu. This is a relatively new service and buses may eventually depart from the main bus station, once the wheels of Laos-Vietnam cooperation are properly greased.

Getting Around

You won't find any tuk-tuks cruising the streets, but you can always try flagging down a songthaew if one happens by. Otherwise, you'll be getting around on foot or motorbike. Motorbikes can be rented at the Attapeu Palace for US$10 a day, or at Thanh Nga Guesthouse for US$8 a day.