A backpacking travel guide to Laos !

<body onload="dynAnimation()"> <h1 align="center"> <font color="#000000"> A backpacking travel guide to Laos !</font></h1> <h2 align="center"><font color="#000000">Passplanet is a free practical travel guide that offers the latest backpacking information about Laos : budget accommodation, itineraries, visa, tips, surveys, photos, essay,… 13 places covered !</font></h2> <p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" height="152"> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center" height="25"><img border="0" src="images/web.gif" alt="Backpacking Laos" width="15" height="15"></td> <td height="26"><p align="center" dynamicanimation="fpAnimelasticBottomFP1" id="fpAnimelasticBottomFP1" style="position: relative !important; visibility: hidden" language="Javascript1.2"><b><font face="Arial" color="#800000"><font size="5"><a name="up"></a>Laos</font><i><font size="2" face="Arial"><br> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">Adventures in the wild !</font></i></font></b></td> <td width="34%" align="center" height="25"><img border="0" src="images/web.gif" alt="The backpacking travel guide to Laos" width="15" height="15"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center" height="25"><b><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial" size="3">About Backpacking</font></b></td> <td height="150" align="center" rowspan="6"></td> <td width="34%" align="center" height="25"><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial" size="3"><b>About <i>Laos</i></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center" height="25"><b><font color="#0000FF" size="2" face="Arial">Asia Presentation</font></b></td> <td align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial"><b><a href="frame_why_go.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font color="#FF0000">Why go to Laos (Lao)?</font></a></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center" height="25"><b><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial" size="2">Backpacking Forum</font></b></td> <td align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial"><b><a href="frame_how_to_go.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font color="#FF0000">How to go to Laos ?</font></a></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center" height="25"><b><font color="#0000FF" size="2" face="Arial">Participate !</font></b></td> <td align="center"><b><a href="frame_where_go.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="#FF0000">Where to go in Laos (Lao)?</font></a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" height="26"><b><font color="#0000FF" size="2" face="Arial">Buy Guidebook about Asia</font></b></td> <td align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial"><b><a href="frame_travel_tips.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font color="#FF0000">Travel Tips for Laos</font></a></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" height="26"><b><font color="#0000FF" size="2" face="Arial">Links to travel guide</font></b></td> <td align="center" height="26"><b><font color="#FF0000" size="2" face="Arial">Backpackers' Contributors</font></b></td> </tr> </table> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center"> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="3" width="100%"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#0000FF" align="center" rowspan="3"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="#FFFFFF"><b>"DURING"<br> </b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFF66" align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>The wild, the minorities, the temples, the adventure...</b></font></td> <td bgcolor="#FF0000" align="center"><b><a href="frame_the_north.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="#FFFFFF">The North</font></a></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFF66" align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>The islands, the Mekong, the ruins, the relaxation...</b></font></td> <td bgcolor="#FF0000" align="center"><b><a href="frame_the_south.htm" target="_top" dynamicanimation="fpAnimformatRolloverFP1" fprolloverstyle="font-style: italic" onmouseover="rollIn(this)" onmouseout="rollOut(this)" language="Javascript1.2"><font size="2" face="Arial" color="#FFFFFF">The South</font></a></b></td> </tr> </table> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><b><i><font color="#FF0000" size="3">Free as a backpacker ! </font></i></b></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial">You will find in this <b> free travel guide</b> lots of tips and <b> most of the budget info</b> you need to prepare your trip to Laos on a shoestring ("before"), live your backpacking adventure in the best conditions ("during") and share your experience with other backpackers ("after") plus a photos gallery, a backpacking forum, surveys on the localities in Laos (backpacker 's ratings), travelogues, an essay in French, <b> links to other travel guidebook</b> on Laos or related budget information etc. All in one convenient stop ! Go for it : <b> backpack Laos (Lao) with pass planet !</b><br> <br> If you know what you are looking for in Laos, use the Search Form to find backpacking info. Otherwise, have a look at the backpacker's Index or <b> let Passplanet be your free guidebook to Laos or Lao</b><br> <br> <b>The original features of this free backpacking travel guide to Laos include :<br> </b><br> - Budget & practical travel information about chinese localities only.<br> - Ratings of the localities by the backpackers themselves : more than 40 localities precisely covered in Laos or Lao<br> - What to do there & what you may not like while you backpack Laos<br> - The cheapest budget accommodations (guesthouse or hostel on a shoestring ) for backpackers<br> - The various transportations' options for easy backpacking<br> - Travel information on how to save money<br> - Lots of backpacker's photos in special sections<br> - A guidebook with frequent updates<br> <br> But Passplanet will, hopefully, be more than a free backpacking travel guide to Laos & Asia. My ambition is to make it a place where backpackers can freely exchange the latest info from "on the road" of the asian countries and communicate with each others. In the world of backpacking, information indeed changes with the blowing of the winds. But while a guidebook is out of date by the time it reaches the shelves, a web site can be updated daily. <b> Pass planet will strive to keep the budget information about Lao or  Laos warm !</b>  <br> <br> But to achieve the above, we need your help & support. Passplanet is not supposed to be a single backpacker's journey and travel guide. There are too many trips ahead. Laos, Asia and the world are too vast to be covered by one individual. Let's share ! <b> Everyone is welcome to join the backpacking adventure and submit travel information ! </b> Passplanet is looking for new backpackers, budget writers, partners and ideas on a shoestring. And Passplanet also counts on you for its promotion. If you find it useful, please give the direction to other backpackers. <b> The more traffic, the more updated info in the future to backpack Laos !</b> <br> <br> Passplanet is also a place of exchange related to Laos. Beside all the forms which allow you to share your budget info about asian countries, experiences about a place, Passplanet also hosts a forum and a links section to other travel guide. You are welcome to submit your own travel web site in the latter and benefit from Passplanet's growing popularity in the world of backpacking on a shoestring. </font> </p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial"> <br> <b>Together, let's keep Passplanet as free & independent as a backpacker</b> so more and more people can use this free travel guide to backpack Lao or Laos !<br> <br> I wish you a good backpacking experience, on the site and around Laos !<br> <br> <b>Ben.<br> </b>Founder. </font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><b><font color="#0000FF">@ @ @ LAOS / LAO </font></b><font color="#0000FF">@ @ @</font></font> <p align="center"><b><i><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial">Adventures in the wild...</font></i></b> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>></font><font color="#FF0000"> Description of Laos ?</font></b> The less developed country in Asia means lots of exploration opportunities among minorities villages and untouched nature.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">Why travel to Laos (Lao) ?</font></b> Try to escape the crowd of Thailand (bad excuse nowadays) / Follow the flow of backpackers (good excuse nowadays) / Spend some time among minorities, if possible in remote and untouristy villages / Trek around / Become an opium addict (hope not) / Complete <i>Passplanet</i> with more remote localities (hope so) / Relax on tropical islands and watch the Mekong flow / </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">Drawback of Laos ?</font></b> Visiting too late : the crowd is there already ! / The drug business / The worst roads and transports of Asia, making any trip time consuming / The lack of real cultural attractions / The look (or rather lack of look) of some locals who have been confronted with mass tourism too  fast / The costs increase / </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">Cultural Highlights of Laos (Lao) ?</font></b> Luang Prabang's or Vientiane's temples and colonial charms / The ruins of Wat Phu near Champasak</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">Natural Highlights of Laos ?</font><font color="#993300"> </font></b>The North mountainous area / Kuang Si Falls near Luang Prabang / The scenic  Mekong area of Si Phon Don</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">How long to travel in Laos ?</font></b> Two weeks to stay on the track . At least one month to go further away and discover Laos without the crowd but the smiles.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">Budget for Laos ?</font></b> Around US$7 per day for a basic room. More if you drink a lot...</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>></font><font color="#FF0000"> Lao</font><font color="#0000FF"> </font><font color="#FF0000">Visa ?</font></b> Necessary. 15 days visa available at the Friendship Bridge or the International Airports for US$30. Best to get a 30 days visa in Bangkok.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#0000FF">>> </font><font color="#FF0000">When travel to Laos (lao) ?</font></b> Avoid the rainy season from July to October when some roads are turned into mug swimming pools. </font></p> <p align="left">  </p> <p align="center"> <b><font color="#000000" face="Arial" size="1"><a href="../index.htm" target="_top">HOME</a> - ASIA - China - HK & Macau - Thailand - Laos - Cambodia - Vietnam - Myanmar - Malaysia - Singapore - Indonesia </font></b> <h2 align="center"><font face="Arial"><b><font color="#993300">Passplanet : a backpacking travel guide to Laos ! </font></b></font> </h2> </body>