Getting there and away

Air

Pakse airport is located just a kilometre north of town, offering flights to all airports in Laos, along with international flights to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

The departure tax for international flights is US$10 You can't buy a ticket at the airport, so you'll have to go through a travel agent -- try Langexang Travel next to the Lankham Hotel: (031) 212 893. There's also a Lao Airlines office in Pakse along the river, west of the BCEL, that's only open on weekdays. You can also book on-line: http://www.laoairlines.com/. If you're staying at one of the better hotels they can arrange pick-up for you, but if you just show up, there are always tuk-tuks available when flights touch down for about 20,000 kip.

Bus

Hotels, restaurants and travel agencies along Road 13 offer bus tickets that include free transport to the terminal or a local pick up in town. The only bus that actually picks up in town is the VIP night bus to Vientiane. For all the others, you're just buying a regular bus ticket along with a free ride to the terminal, so it's definitely the way to go. The contact number for international buses is: (031) 212 228, and also try X-plore Asia at Langexang Travel next to the Lankham Hotel: (031) 212 893.

To/From Ubon Ratchathani
Buses leave Pakse for Ubon Ratchathani at 07:00, 08:30, 15:30 and 16:30. Two hours, 200B. Of course they stop at the border for everyone to clear immigration. From the main bus station in Ubon Ratchathani, there are departures at 07:00, 09:00, 14:30, 15:30. We did the trip on our own -- one bus, two motorcycle taxis, three songtheaws, cost us 180B, took three hours.

To Si Phan Don
Minivans leave Pakse daily at 08:30 for 75,000 kip. They reach Nakasang at 11:30 where you can catch the ferry to either Don Dhet or Don Khon. The ferry costs 15,000 kip per person if you do it on your own, but it's included in the price of the ticket.

To Bangkok
It's cheaper to do it on your own, but there are daily departures to Bangkok with a transfer at Ubon Ratchathani. First they'll put you on the regular Ubon Ratchathani bus, but ticket prices vary depending on which bus you book for the Ubon to Bangkok leg of the journey. 700B gets a small seat on a crammed bus, 900B a normal bus seat, and 950B for a nice reclining seat on a big double-decker bus. All buses have air-con and toilet on board. The whole trip takes 10 hours.

To Vietnam
International buses to Vietnam depart from the Northern Bus terminal. Note these use the more northern crossing at Lao Bao -- not Bo Y. Sample fares include:
Lao Bao 80,000 kip, Dong Ha 100,000 kip, Hue 150,000 kip, Da Nang 180,00 kip.

The Northern Bus Terminal
This terminal is located 8km outside Pakse past the airport. Regular buses and VIP buses leave directly from the terminal and tickets can be booked here, though some of the departures are the same buses you can book in town.

Regular Buses
Slow and cheap. Hourly departures to all destinations starting at 07:00 until 16:00. Sample fares and trip durations include:
Vientiane 85,000 kip 16 hours, Paksan 85,000 kip 14 hours, Pak Kading 80,000 kip 10 hours, Namthon 75,000 kip 9-10 hours, Tha Khaek 60,000 kip 8-9 hours, Savannakhet 30,000 kip 4-5 hours.

VIP Buses
VIP Buses to all destinations leave at 18:00 and 20:00. Some of the 20:00 buses charge 10 or 20,000 kip more than the prices listed below because they have bigger seats. All these buses stop at the Northern Bus Terminal, but they originate in town, so you don't have to go out there.
Vientiane - 10 hours - 110,000 kip
Paksan - 10 hours - 110,000 kip
Pak Kading - 8 hours - 100,000 kip
Namthon - 7 hours - 80,000 kip
Tha Khaek - 7 hours - 75,000 kip
Savannakhet - 4 hours - 50,000 kip

Southern Bus Terminal
This terminal, 8km along Road 13, is just a patch of dirt surrounded by wooden stalls -- known as the 8km market. It's just on the other side of the junction with the road to Veun Kham.

Attapeu (190km) - 06:30/08:00/10:30/15:00 - 35,000 kip
Salavan (110km) - 07:30/09:00/10:45/12:00/14:30 - 20,000 kip
Sekong (144km) - 07:30/09:30/11:30/13:30 - 25,000 kip
Pak Song (50km) - 08:00/09:00/10:00/12:00/13:00 - 15,000 kip
Veunkham (154km) - 07:00/11:00 - 40,000 kip
Nakasang (144km) - 08:00/09:00/10:00/12:00/13:00/14:00/15:00/16:00 - 30,000 kip
Don Khong (140km) - 08:00/10:00/12:00/13:00/14:00/16:00 - 40,000 kip

VIP Bus Terminal
To get here, take your second left after the stadium, heading east on Road 13. It's a clean, modern terminal with a nice coffee shop and internet cafe.
Vientiane - 20:00 - 10 hours - 148,000 kip
Ubon - 07:30/08:30/14:30/15:30 - 2 hours - 55,000 kip
Bangkok - 14:30/15:30 - 13.5 hours - 700 to 950B

The Chong Mek/ Vangtao Border
The Thai side of the border is a short, 20B songthaew ride from the Chong Mek bus terminal, and is open from 06:00 to 18:00 daily. Vangtao, on the Laos side, has regular working hours from 08:00 to 16:00, Monday through Friday. From 16:00 to 18:00, weekends, and official holidays are all considered 'over-time,' and an additional 70B fee is levied. People are constantly pitching fits when they find out about the extra charge, but there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, so just smile, pay it, and move on with your life

One-month visas are now standard: US$35 or 1,500B for most foreign nationals (Canadians pay more apparently). Keep walking down the road from the border into Laos, and songtheaws and taxis are available at a small, dingy terminal 200m down on the left. Both leave when full -- 50B for a songthaew, 12 passengers, 70B for a taxi, 5 passengers. The trip is 45km and takes about 40 minutes. All vehicles drop off at the Daoheuang Market which is 2km from most of the guesthouses near the river -- where we found only tuk-tuks and no samlors available -- should cost about 20B per person after bargaining. You won't have to worry about any of this if you book a through ticket to/from Ubon Ratchathani for 200B.

Boat

Ah, the disappearing, reappearing boat to Champasak! There used to be a US$5 boat, but then it was discontinued. But as of January 2007, it's back on -- Lanexang Travel offers the standard US$5 ride to Champasak plus some options in terms of touring Wat Phou and continuing on down to Don Dhet (for about US$17 in total) Boats leave 08:00 daily from the Pakse boat landing, but when you book through Lanexang they drive you there for free. They seem to be committed to running these boats at $5 a head even if they only have two passengers, which is a refreshingly enlightened policy. It's a couple of bucks more than taking the songtheaw, but the views of the Mekong are priceless.

If you miss the $5 boat, your only choice is a very expensive charter. One way to Champasak costs US$30. A boat down to Si Phan Don stopping at Champasak for two hours to allow a tour of Wat Phu costs a staggering US$140. There's a sight-seeing tour route that stops off at Wat Phu and Um Tomo, returning to Pakse, US$50. Equally pricey boats are available from Champasak: a roundtrip tour of Um Tomo, US$20, to Phou Ngoy, US$20, to Si Phan Don US$110. You can try calling Samsack Boat at (020) 227 3091 or make arrangements at the dock in Pakse.

Getting Around

Travellers who have spent time in Thailand are often disappointed to find there are no motorcycle taxis in Pakse. There are a limited number of tuk-tuks and samlors (motorcylces with side cars) available in town -- you can try flagging one down or find one stopped along the street in the area of the Nazim Restaurant. The samlors charge per person and carry a maximum of two passengers: 3,000 kip for short trips within town, 4,000 to 5,000 kip for trips to the outlying bus terminals and the airport. Tuk-tuks are a bit trickier -- they tend to cruise the streets during peak times, and you can flag one down that's going in your direction and maybe pay as little as 5,000 kip for a ride. But solo travellers and small groups wanting to get the bus station or airport on their own will have to pony up 20,000 to 30,000 kip total.

Transport to the airport and bus stations can be arranged at the Sabaidy 2 guesthouse if you can scare up a minimum of 3 passengers for 5,000 to 7,000 kip depending on the distance, but again, if you're on your own, you'll have to pay for a minimum of three seats. But such trips can be easily avoided -- most destinations can be reached by booking a ticket at one of the tour operators, restaurants or hotels in town which usually throw in a free trip to the terminal, which is a good deal under the circumstances.

Motorbikes are a popular way to explore the outlying areas, especially the waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau, and they make getting down to Champasak or Ban Khiet Ngong easy as pie. Motorbike rentals are available at the Phonesavanh Guesthouse, the Lankham Hotel, and other hotels around town. The going rate is US$8 a day, 7 per day for longer term rentals. While the roads are generally good, be prepared for some rough spots and pot holes. Also, chickens and cattle milling in the road, kids playing in the street, and random piles of dirt and debris. Laotians are not speed demons when it comes to riding the roads, so take their lead and take it slow. You're on vacation, not in a motor-cross race, and the winners here are the ones that make it home in one piece.