Luang Prabang

Under the 2007 Mongolia–Laos agreement, Mongolian citizens with an ordinary passport can stay in Laos up to 30 days without a visa. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months and have blank pages. For longer stays, apply for an e-visa at laoevisa.gov.la.

Tip: Via Bangkok, Thailand is 30 days visa-free; via Hanoi, Vietnam is 30 days visa-free; the Kunming route requires a Chinese visa.

Since September 2025, foreigners arriving at Luang Prabang airport no longer fill in paper cards: complete the arrival and departure declaration on the Lao immigration site 3 days ahead and get a QR code. It is free — beware of fake 'paid' sites.

Medical care in Laos is limited and serious cases are flown to Thailand, so get insurance that covers medical evacuation. Clean, new US dollars or Thai baht are handy for hotels and tours and easy to change into kip.

Tip: November–February is high season — book hotels 1–2 months ahead.

At the fixed-price taxi counter by the exit, name your hotel and get a ticket — no haggling, 24 hours. The centre is ~4 km, 15–20 minutes. A LOCA taxi or a tuk-tuk outside the gate costs from ~100,000₭ per vehicle; many hotels offer pick-up.

Luang Prabang station on the China–Laos Railway is ~15 km from town. Several fast trains a day arrive from Vientiane and Vang Vieng; the international D887 from Kunming takes ~7 hours (about an hour of border checks at Mohan–Boten). Shared minivans run from the station to town.

Buy a tourist SIM with your passport at the counters after customs; most take cash in kip only, so use the ATM in the arrivals hall first. Lao Telecom and Unitel 30-day tourist plans cost ~125,000₭, 7-day plans 80,000–100,000₭. Counters may be closed if you land after 21:00–22:00 — buy one at a shop in town instead.

Tip: The plan starts when the staff activate it — have them test it on the spot.

If your phone supports eSIM, install a Laos or Southeast Asia regional eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you go — it also works while connecting in Bangkok or Hanoi. Coverage is good in town and weak around Kuang Si and Pak Ou.

The UNESCO peninsula can be walked in a few hours. Hotels and rental shops hire bicycles cheaply; ride in the morning or evening to avoid the heat. Scooters need an international driving permit and a helmet.

A tuk-tuk ride within the peninsula is around 20,000–40,000₭ — agree the price before you get in. The LOCA app shows the fare upfront, so there's no argument. Shared minivans to Kuang Si cost ~60,000₭ per person, a private vehicle ~250,000₭.

Book Pak Ou Caves trips and sunset cruises at the boat counters on the riverbank or through your hotel. With children, check there are life jackets. In the rainy season the river runs fast and high.

The official currency is the kip (₭). Hotels and travel agencies take US dollars and Thai baht, often at a poor rate; markets, tuk-tuks and small restaurants take kip only. Kip is almost impossible to exchange outside Laos — spend what's left before you go.

Tip: Small vendors struggle to change big notes (100,000₭) — keep small bills.

Every ATM charges foreign cards a fee. BCEL has the most ATMs: up to 2,000,000₭ per withdrawal with a 30,000₭ fee. Withdraw larger amounts less often, and decline if the ATM offers to convert to your home currency.

Laap — minced meat and herb salad; or lam — Luang Prabang's meat and vegetable stew; khai paen — fried river weed with sesame; khao soi — noodle soup with a tomato-pork sauce; sticky rice (khao niao), rolled into balls by hand. French-style bread and coffee are everywhere.

Tip: Say 'bo phet' (not spicy) and they'll tone it down.

In the lane beside the night market, vegetarian buffets let you fill one plate — cheap and varied, good with children. The morning market has fresh fruit and grilled meat. Drink only bottled or filtered water; ice is usually factory-made.

Police 1191, ambulance 1195, fire 1190, tourist police 1192. English-speaking operators are rare, so ask your hotel staff for help. Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital has 24-hour emergency care; for serious cases your insurer's assistance line arranges transfer to Thailand.

Air quality drops during the spring crop-burning season — with asthma or small children avoid it or bring masks. Dengue occurs in the rainy season, so use repellent. At Kuang Si and Tad Sae swim only in the permitted pools.

In the countryside stay on marked paths and never touch metal objects on the ground — wartime unexploded ordnance is still there. Drug laws are very strict. Some places close early at night, so tell your guesthouse in advance if you'll be back late.

This is a religious ritual, not a tourist show. Stand well back across the street and watch in silence; no flash in the monks' faces, don't block or touch them. If you give, cover shoulders and knees, take off your shoes, sit lower than the monks and use sticky rice bought at the market.

Cover shoulders and knees in temples and the palace museum; take off your shoes before entering buildings. Women should not touch monks or hand them things directly. Don't touch people's heads or point your feet at people or Buddha images.

Lao people value soft voices and calm manners — getting angry or loud means losing face. Greet with palms together at the chest and say 'Sabaidee'. Bargain gently, with a smile, at the night market.

LOCA — Laos's ride-hailing app with upfront fares. Download Luang Prabang in Google Maps for offline use — signal is weak around Kuang Si and Pak Ou.

Google Translate with the offline Lao pack and camera menu translation. IQAir — air quality during the spring haze. The Lao immigration site — the digital arrival and departure card.

A tuk-tuk from town to the airport takes ~15 minutes and costs about 50,000–70,000₭. The airport is small, but be there 2 hours before an international flight. Fill in the departure card on the Lao immigration site too.

Lao kip can hardly be exchanged abroad — spend it before the airport or change it into dollars. On separate tickets via Bangkok you pass Thai immigration and re-check bags, so leave plenty of time.

Tip: Silk scarves from the night market and Ock Pop Tok weaving make light, lovely gifts to bring home to Mongolia.