BASICS - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 34

greatly according to connection times - flying on Thai Airways ( thaiair.com ) to Vientiane
is usually the quickest option.
Flying from Ireland will involve changing planes at least twice - once in London or another
European hub, and again at Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City - with a journey time of at least
eighteen and a half hours.
Because of the lack of direct flights, prices are generally high throughout the year. Expect to
pay at least £650 from London and €800 from Dublin, though prices often rise over £1000/
€1500 respectively. With flights to Bangkok alone significantly cheaper (from £550/€600),
it's worth considering travelling overland by train between the Thai capital and Vientiane.
Flights from the US and Canada
Flying to Laos from North America usually involves one stop, in Bangkok, if you're travel-
ling from the west coast, and two stops, often Hong Kong and Bangkok, from the east coast.
Expect journey lengths of at least nineteen and twenty-three hours, respectively.
Fares from the west coast start at around $1200, while you should expect to pay upwards
of $1500 from the east coast. From Canada, prices start at around Can$1500 for Vancouver
departures, Can$1700 from Toronto.
Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Flights from Perth to Vientiane are via Bangkok or Singapore, while those from elsewhere in
Australia may go via Vietnam or Kuala Lumpur (the latter requiring an additional change at
Bangkok); average journey time is around thirteen hours from Perth and sixteen hours from
Sydney, depending on connections. Flights from Perth start at around Aus$800, Aus$900
from Sydney; a cheaper alternative could be to fly with the budget airline Air Asia ( air-
asia.com ) to Kuala Lumpur, from where you can connect to Vientiane. From New Zeal-
and, flying to Laos involves at least two stops, usually in Australia, Hong Kong, Vietnam or
Bangkok; the journey takes around nineteen hours and fares start at around NZ$2200.
Expect a journey upwards of eighteen hours if you're flying from South Africa, with at least
two stops en route. Prices start at around R9500.
Getting there from neighbouring countries
Landlocked Laos is easily accessed from most of its neighbouring countries, either overland
or by flying. Note that visa on arrival is not available at all overland entry points, and check
locally for the most up-to-date information.
From Thailand
Lao Airlines ( laoairlines.com ) operates flights from Bangkok to Vientiane, Luang Pra-
bang, Pakse and Savannakhet and from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang. In addition, Bangkok
Airways ( bangkokair.com ) offers flights to Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Both Thai