It’s mid-morning at the Green Park Boutique Hotel, Vientiane’s first, and (so far) only, upmarket boutique hotel (248 Khouvieng Road, Vientiane, Laos; +856 21 264 097; www.greenparkvientiane.com). Our fellow guests are getting ready to transfer to the airport for the easy flight to Luang Prabang. But we’re going to take a more challenging option: the 160-kilometre journey along Laos’s meandering Route 13, travelling north to Vang Vieng and beyond into the jungles and mountainous backblocks of this unspoilt, landlocked nation, towards Luang Prabang.
Vientiane is one of the world’s smallest, quietest capitals, and within minutes our Laotian driver has breached the city limits, plunging headlong into rural Laos. The basic, though much-improved, unmarked highway is barely two lanes wide and everywhere it skirts terrifyingly close to the doorsteps of village houses and wandering children and animals.
Eventually, after three rather hair-raising hours on the road, we reach Vang Vieng, along the way having possibly deprived a village of one chicken that landed on the bonnet of the van and disappeared in a flurry of feathers over the windscreen.
The town, surely one of the most beautifully situated in South-East Asia, is dominated by exquisite ragged limestone karst mountains, studded with caves, and set by the serene Nam Song river. The best of the accommodation choices at this still-budget destination are comfortable, inexpensive and located along the river’s banks.
We’ve opted for Thavonsouk Resort (Doubles from $43, deluxe panorama room, $70. +856 23 511 096; www.thavonsouk.com). It has pleasant, well-kept grounds and a relaxed riverside restaurant with superb views of the mountains. Elsewhere, other reasonable choices include the newer, larger Elephant Crossing (Deluxe doubles from $43. +856 511 232; www.theelephantcrossinghotel.com), which is run by an Australian woman and her Laotian husband.
Rising at dawn we hire an outboard-powered boat from the “mooring”, right next to Thavonsouk. We putter slowly up the tranquil river, shadowed by the mountains. The water is so shallow in parts that we pass unabashed locals in the middle of their early morning ablutions. Later, back in the uninspiring town proper, full of gaudy, yellow signs promoting accommodation, restaurants and internet cafes, we breakfast at the Jack Johnson Bar Restaurant, (Centre Town Road; +856 20 68 11136) where they bake their own croissants and have good espresso. Before we know it, it’s time to make our way to the peaceful Phatang Resort (Phatang Village; +856 30 525 8909), just off Route 13, a short drive from Vang Vieng, where you can enjoy a delicious and inexpensive Laotian lunch on a deck overlooking the Nam Song. On the way back to town we stop at the Vang Vieng Organic Farm (+856 23 511 220; www.laofarm.org). The farm, about four kilometres from Vang Vieng off Route 13, is operated as part of a community aid project. From its veranda we order the signature mulberry smoothie and watch back-packers travel down the river inside tyre tubes. Vang Vieng is considered the adventure capital of Laos, a place dominated by travellers throwing themselves into abseiling, caving and river tubing.
Opting for more subdued activity, we spend the rest of the day lolling about the languid resort, transfixed by the beauty of the setting. Before too long it’s dinner-time and we’re propped up at the Thavonsouk riverside restaurant, ordering Beer Lao and inexpensive food, and watching the sun set over the karsts.
The next day it’s an early start for the five-hour drive to Luang Prabang (though at this point, of course, you could easily elect to return to Vientiane).
The snaking Route 13, full of hairpin bends, steep climbs and long descents, takes us across spectacular mountainous country, with some of the highest peaks in Laos, and through remote and impoverished, frail-looking villages, at least one supported by Australian aid projects. Along the way there are brilliant bursts of red: drying chillies spread across roof and veranda-tops. The villages themselves seem deserted, probably because everyone is out tending to crops on the difficult, precipitous hillsides. Eventually, having wound our way down from the plateau we reach the former royal capital, Luang Prabang. There’s a range of fine small-scale accommodation, from La Residence Phou Vao, Luang Prabang (Doubles from $208. Phou Vao Hill; +856 71 212 194; www.orient-express.com) to a more affordable option in the heart of town: 3 Nagas (Doubles from $136. 101 Sakkaline Road; +856 71 253 888; www.alilahotels.com/3nagas).
Thai Airways operates regular flights from Bangkok to Vientiane; www.thaiair.com; Bangkok Airways flies from Luang Prabang; www.bangkokair.com; Orient-Express operates the Eastern & Oriental Express luxury train service between Bangkok and Vientiane on selected dates; www.orient-express.com
Local drivers can be easily arranged through a reputable South-East Asian travel agent such as Exotissimo (www.exotissimo.com) and Asian Trails (www.asiantrails.net).
The best time to visit Laos is between November and February. Be sure to pack a light jacket, and perhaps a portable umbrella, as it can become cool and damp in the mountains and in places such as Luang Prabang.
Some years ago, travellers on Route 13 were subject to a violent attack by Hmong rebels, but there have been no reports of trouble for several years and an experienced driver with a good vehicle should be able to deal with any situation. Before you travel it’s recommended that you check www.smartraveller.gov.au and www.safetravel.govt.nz for security updates.
This quirky image by T+L reader Jackie Laws is the winner of the Travel + Leisure/Sony travel photography competition. More than 500 entries were received; a selection can be viewed in the Photoprize Gallery.