eterones

Hi,

I'm a 26 year old male looking to spend up to 30 days in Laos from mid April to mid May. I don't need to spend the full 30 days there, but if there's enough to see and do there I might as well use the full 30 days.

I'll be backpacking and travelling relatively cheaply.

I'll be starting in Huay Xai in the north and working my way south through Laos and then into Cambodia where I'll be spending up to 30 days as well depending on how much there is to see/do there.

I'm mainly interested in hitting the main destinations and not moving around too often. I like to spend 3-4 days in most places unless it's a small city with not a lot to do then I'll spend 1-2 nights.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Kathie

Get yourself a couple of good guidebooks. I'd recommend the Lonely Planet Guides. (You can get them for your Kindle or put a Kindle app on your iPhone and carry them that way.) The LP does a good job of giving practical info on off the beaten track locales and gives info on border crossings, visas, etc.

Have you been to SE Asia previously? What interests you most about Laos and Cambodia? It's hard for anyone else to say what you might want to do, knowing nothing about your interests. But I certainly wouldn't run out of things to do/see in 30 days in either place.

crellston

In addition to the suggestion of guidebooks from Kathie, have a look at http://www.travelfish.org it is agreat source for independent travel in SEA and has more up to date than guidebooks. You can also download and print pdf of various guides.

We have travelled laos of North to South before and will be going from South th North in a couple of months. Having done this route before I would suggest that you first head north after crossing from Thailand to Muang Sing and Phongsali. Some great treking in that area. From there you can work your way down to Luang Prabang ( slowly!). LP is worth a few days of anyone's time and is a great place to organise further travel down south. The usual route I'd to Vientienne via Vang Vieng and thence to Pakse.

The Bolavens plateau is beautiful and very much worth the side trip before heading on to the Si Pna Don , 4000 islands area and then on to the Cambodian border.

silverwool

After crossing over the border into Cambodia I'd suggest a stop at Kratie to see the dolphins and then on to Kompong Cham before you get to Phnom Penh. These are probably two nights each. You can hire tuk tuks to take you around. From PP you can either go down to the coast or head for Siem Reap. (Angkor Wat et al) One option is to go via Battangbang for a couple of days. Not much to see in the town but its fun to go out in the country and visit a few villages, temples, farms and ride the bamboo train. (If its still running) The Tuk Tuk men at the Royal Hotel will set you up with an interesting days trip.

As well as Siem Reap its well worth a trip up to Preah Vihear if you are not templed out by that stage.

Another suggestion in Laos is to go over to Phonsovan and the Plain of Jars. (Also as crellston says, the trekking in northern Laos is great.)