julies

Some of you have already given me excellent advice, but I thought that now that my plans for our last minute trip are a bit more firm, I'd ask for some more itinerary help. Our flights are into Siem Reap and out of Bangkok where we'll end our 6 week trip with 3 nights. I already have my hotel in Siem Reap booked and plan to do the same for our last nights in Bangkok.

While I have a fairly firm idea for the first half of the trip, I have a couple weeks where I am iffy as to what is best to do. Also, since this is already a super last minute plan, I would prefer to have my tentative ideas/plans and then leave myself with the flexibility to make arrangements on the go, staying places we like and moving on if a place doesn't call to us. For people who are fairly easy-going but who also have some pretty specific ideas about lodging (mid-range to an occasional upper range) is this a bad idea for peak season?

**Fly into Siem Reap for 6 nights (arriving from US at midnight the first night).

**Battambang for 3 nights

**Kep and/or Kampot for 3 nights (don't know which I should do as I understand Kampot is more sightseeing while Kep is more sitting around relaxing and eating crab, and we are not people who will sit at the beach or a pool for a couple days)

**Phnom Penh for 3 nights

**from here fly to Vientiane for 3 nights, or a few more if we want to do some day trips

Here is where I start to have questions about the nearly 3 weeks I still have to play around with--where to go and the sequencing.

We know for sure we want to visit Luang Prabang (maybe 4 or 5 nights), and we want to do that 2 day boat trip to the Thai border. That eats up a week, so I am left with about two weeks to play with. And, where in our itinerary I fit in Luang Prabang depends on where else we decide to go.

We prefer to move more slowly and take in places in depth. That said, we are not ones who just want to sit around all day with a beer observing local life, and we do not want to waste our time in locations that are not worth the time. We are fairly active and like outdoor activities appropriate for our age (60s) but are not people who are on the go all day long; we need down time too.

Northern Laos sounds very interesting to us--Nong Khiaw, a boat trip on the Ou river, Muang La, maybe Vang Viene etc. If we add this area of the country in I don't know how we'd get back to Bangkok or from where. I am assuming we'd go to Luang Prabang and fly to Bangkok from there.

OR, many of you have said you enjoyed northern Thailand and the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai area, and I think I will be close to this area anyway if I want to do that 2 day boat trip between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang. And, I need to return to Bangkok so it would probably be fairly easy from this area.

With either of these possibilities I am also quite concerned about the burning season and don't know how or if that should factor into my decision.

Suggestions or thoughts for the two weeks I have to play around with?

And, for the places I already have a tentative plan for, do I have about the correct amount of time?

Thanks.

Kathie

Exactly when is this trip? That makes a difference for a lot of your question.

For the early part of your trip - after Siem Reap through Vientiane you should be fine winging it. For LP, places often fill up during high season, so it depends on exactly when you will be there. Likewise, your question about the burning season.

Lisa58

I'm not sure if it's a no-no to link to TripAdvisor here, but I asked a question there about burning season and got some very helpful replies (we're going a bit earlier because of this). I also saw that family we met in Vietnam last March went on to Luang Prabang around April 1 or 2, and blogged about lots of smog.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...ason-Laos.html
Also, LP is said to get very crowded at Chinese New Year (around Feb 8).

julies

Yes, you super advance planners will drop dead when you hear our dates. I've got Cambodia scheduled tentatively until about Jan. 28. I'm booking us into Bangkok on Feb. 20. So I'm basically looking at the three week window in between.

Nice to know about Luang Prabang being crowded for Chinese New Year. I'll have to take that into account too. I just read somewhere the dates are about 2/8 to 2/13, so I assume it would also be extra crowded a couple days either side of those dates too.

Thanks.

Kathie

Actually, I'm glad to hear that this trip is so soon. You won't be at the height of the high season, and can tell right now what kind of prices you will encounter.

I envy you all of this time in my favorite part of the world!

khunwilko

Unless you are organising lots of trips to the outlying area, Luang Prabang is a bit short of things enough for 5 days.
I'd try to include a stay at Plain of Jars - phonsavan - maybe one or 2 nights as it will take a long day jut to cover the 3 main sites.
For me one of the best sights in Laos is the Kong Lor Cave, Khammouane, you take a boat that literally flows through a mountain and out the other side. There is accommodation nearby.

julies

So you really enjoyed the Plain of Jars? I have been a bit ambivalent about that as a location to visit so I find the feedback helpful.

I believe I had also read about the Kong Lor Cave and was intrigued by it so will look into it again.

Now I am also intrigued by the possibility of making a land crossing from Cambodia to Laos via Kratie. Don't know how complicated or difficult that would be though.

Thanks.