Since I am planning on spending a couple of nights in Chiang Mai during my November trip I decided to explore my options on getting to Luang Prabang from CM.

Lao Airline flies to LP but only on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. I had planned on 4 nights in LP, seeing the caves, waterfalls, a bit of hiking and chilling in LP. Arriving on Tuesday would either force me to leave after 3 nights or I would need to stay for 5 nights.

I know the answer to this will vary from personality to personality but, given the circumstances would you stay for 3 nights or 5 in LP?

I don't want to take a bus but I am not opposed to traveling one way via boat as long as it is not the bargain basement boat!

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Tamara

Well, you can predict my answer. I'd stay 5 days and it still wouldn't seem long enough!

If you stayed 5 nights in LP, what would you have to give up elsewhere?

I am kind of leaing that way too, Kathie. I just wonder if 5 days solo in sleepy LP will leave me restless for more stimulation.

Kim, I won't really have to give anything up at this point because I am at the beginning stages of my planning.

This will be my second trip to Thailand this year. I spent 6 nights on Bangkok and 3 nights in CM on my first trip.

I have 22 nights to stay between Thailand and Laos. So far this is my very rough plan:

Bangkok 4-5 nights
Chiang Mai 3 nights
Luang Prabang 3 or 5 nights?
Pai 4 nights
Bangkok 2-3 nights before flying home.

Thatleaves me with 2-7 days to play with. I am considering checking out some "off the beaten path" locations in Northern Thailand. I am really interested in relaxing in some semi quiet places while on this trip.

Thanks!

Tamara

Tamara, I think you'll find things to occupy you in LP if you want to - you may want to just relax and soak up the atmosphere. As you may remember, we spent a week, and we were just talking last night about wanting to go back...

Since you have the time, I'd spend 5 or 7 days. We are the time to settle in and get to know a place and make friends a bit though. And we like to go back to favorite places as well.

Baan Rai Lanna, about 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, might be a nice spot to relax.

Tamara,
Julie and I spent 3 nights in Luang Prabang and found it about the right amount of time, although we could have easily filled another day and I like to travel faster than most. If I were alone, I'd probably just spend 3 nights, but then, I'm the restless type, not much into relaxing (ask my daughter).
I've forgotten the details of your previous trip - did you get to Siem Reap? If not, I'd use your extra days for it. If so, Mae Hong Son is also worth considering.
(We took the flight from CM to LP, on Friday, I think. Short flight - old airplane.)

Thanks ladies!

Now I am also considering Nong Khai in NE Thailand! There are just too many options and, darn it, work sure gets in the way of trip planning!

I was looking into this exact same thing. You CAN fly back on other days, but you need to connect in Bangkok for Chiang Mai. I think Bangkok Air is the airline from Luang Prabang, then Thai Air flies almost every 90 minutes BKK-CNX.

I think I will go via Udon Thani. That way I can spend a few days in Nong Khai, take a bus to Vientiene and fly to LP from there. I love it when a plan comes together!

We stayed 4 nights in Luang Prabag.
Had an afternoon flight on Loa airline from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang but it was delayed for 4 hours and we got into Luang Prabang at night.
3 full days in Luang Prabang which was just about right.
If you decide to stay 3 nights with 2 full days, perhaps it will make you yearn to return.

This may be a bit late, but Lao Air website is showing the CM to LP flight on days "1,2,4,5,7", at 15:20.

Any one know if day 1 is Sunday or Monday?

Thank you.

1 Monday
2 Tuesday
3 Wednesday
4 Thursday
5 Friday
6 Saturday
7 Sunday

Thank you for the quick reply Kim. Now if the plane just gets there...

Euro-since there is so much to do in and around Chiang Mai, are you sure you don't want to add some days there, and use that as a base to explore Mae Hong Song, or take a day trip to Burma out of Mae Sae, rather than spend all those days in BKK? I recently spent 9 days in BKK and frankly got real sick of it-I won't do that again.

As to LP-I hear you about getting restless-3 days would be good for me, but 5 days okay, if I did a Mekong River trip, or take a day to visit the Plain of Jars-which is pretty fascinating, so I hear.

Girlspytravel, I was just in Thailand in Feb. and I spent time in both Chiang Mai and Bangkok. I absolutely loved Bangkok, enough to be spending another 6 nights there on this return trip. I liked Chiang Mai enough to spend a couple more days there but probably not more than that.

Looks like I have better options with Lao Air now than when I checked into it before. Once I get to LP I am going to play it by ear in regard to where I go after that.

Thanks!

Tamara

aloha tamara....
keep in mind you lose at least a 1/2 each way for travel. we found alot of
international flights in asia dont take off on time or they often get cancelled at the last minute....

we try to have 5 or more days at each destination whenever possible. even being restless for more stimulation in an exotic, facinating place like lao should be welcomed...

Is there anyway to find out how often Lao airways cancels flights, or how often (and by how much) they are delayed?