January
Bun Pha Wet - Falling on different dates throughout the month - so that people can exchange invitations with friends and families in different villages to join in their celebrations - this festival is a commemoration of the Jataka, the life story of Lord Buddha as Prince Vestsantara. The story is recited in temples throughout the country and this is considered a particularly auspicious time for ordination as a monk.

February
Magha Puja - Held on the night of the full moon, this festival commemorates the original teachings of Lord Buddha given to over a thousand monks who came spontaneously to hear him speak. The festival is marked by grand parades of candle-bearing worshippers circling their local temples, merit-making, and much religious music and chanting.

Vietnamese Tet & Chinese New Year - Celebrated in Vientiane , Pakse and Savannakhet by the larger Vietnamese and Chinese communities, who close their businesses for several days during this period, this festival combines visits to temples and merit making with noisy parties, and hundreds of strings of firecrackers.

March
Boun Khoun Khao - A harvest festival celebrated at local temples

April
Boun Pimai - Lasting several days in mid-April, this is the celebration of the Lao New Year and is a combination of merriment and meditation. Similar to festivals at this time of year in other Southeast Asian countries - particularly Thailand - Boun Pimai is celebrated with parades, dancing, singing and enthusiastic water-throwing. The religious aspects of the festival are most apparent in Luang Prabang, where water pouring ceremonies are used to Buddha statues are worshiped with water pouring ceremonies. Temple compounds are further decorated with small sand Stupas, offered as merit towards good fortune and health.

May
Labour Day 1st May - public holiday

Visakha Puja - Chanting, religious instruction, and candlelit processions highlight this temple festival in celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.

Boun Bang Fai (rocket festival) - With its origins in pre-Buddhist rain-invoking ceremonies, this festival now coincides with the Lao Visakha Puja celebrations. Parades, songs, dances and partying all lead to an explosive climax as huge, ornate, homemade bamboo rockets are blessed and fired into the skies to invite the rains. Rocket-makers earn both merit and honour if their creations fly high. This dramatic festival is also celebrated in north east Thailand .

June/July
Children's Day (1st June - public holiday)

Khao Phansaa - Marking the beginning of the three-month Buddhist Lent, which commences at the full moon in July and continues until the full moon in October, this is considered a particularly auspicious time for Lao men to enter the monkhood and is marked by numerous ordination ceremonies.

August
Haw Khao Padap Din - Devoted to remembering and paying respect to the dead, it is marked by the macabre ceremony of exhuming previously buried bodies, cleaning the remains, and then cremating them on the night of the full moon. Relatives then present gifts to the monks who have chanted on behalf of those who have passed away.

October
Awk Phansaa (Awk Watsa) - Marking the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent on the day of the full moon. Monks are at last permitted to leave the temple and are presented with gifts. One particularly beautiful aspect is Lai Hua Fai. On the eve of Awk Phansaa people gather at the nearest body of water to release dozens of small banana-leaf boats decorated with candles, incense and small flowers, in a celebration similar to the Thai Loy Krathong.

Bun Nam (water festival) - In riverside towns such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet, the highly competitive Bun Nam boat races (suang heua) are held during the same time as Awk Phansaa. Smaller communities sometimes hold these races on National Day on 2nd December

November
Boun That Luang - Though celebrated at many temples around the country, this festival is traditionally centred at That Luang in Vientiane . Fairs, beauty contests, music and fireworks take place throughout the week of the full moon, and end with a candlelight procession (wien thien) around the temple of That Luang .

December
Lao National Day (2nd December - public holiday) - Streets strewn with national flags and banners, processions, parades, and speeches are the highlights of this celebration for the victory of the proletariat in 1975.

Public Holidays (2003)

Jan 1	New Year's Day
Jan 6	Pathet Lao Day
Jan 20	Army Day
Feb 1	Chinese New Year
Mar 8	International Women's Day
Mar 22	Day of the People's Party
Apr 13-15	Lao New Year (Pi Mai)
May 1	Labour Day
May 16	Birth of Buddha
Jun 1	Children's Day
Jul 13	Khao Pansa (Buddhist Fast begins)
Aug 13	13 Lao Issara (Day of the Free Laos )
Oct 5	Bouk ok Pansa (Buddhist Fast ends)
Oct 12	Day of Liberation
Dec 2	National Day

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The most popular time of year to visit the region is between November and April. With the exception of the mountainous colder parts of Yunnan and Myanmar , the weather is at its most comfortable during this time. However, this means that in some places, accommodation may be harder to find in the high season.

The hot season, from March to May is very dry, but in some places, during this time, some rivers are harder to navigate, and boat journeys in remote places may not be possible.

The rainy season, generally from June to September is for many people the best time to travel - despite the fact that it rains, it never gets that cold, and nearly all hotels and guesthouses have rooms available - often a lot cheaper than during the high season.

Getting in by Air

There are no intercontinental flights to Vientiane . Most people coming to Laos will come via Bangkok , the nearest International hub. By far the easiest, cheapest, most reliable, frequent and interesting way to get to Laos by air is to use Thai Airways' domestic flight to Udon Thani.  There are International Flights in and out of Vientiane from the following countries:

Cambodia : Phnom Penh
China : Kunming
Myanamar: Yangon
Thailand : Bangkok and Chiang Mai
Vietnam : Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon )
Due to the Asian financial crisis, flights by Silk Air, from Singapore and Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur have been temporarily suspended.

Getting in by Land

From Thailand
- Nong Khai and the FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE . Xiang Khong, Chiang Rai Province to Huay Xai, Bokeo Province Nakorn Phanom to Tha Kek, Khammouane Province Mukdaharn to Savannakhet Chong Mek, Ubon Rathchathani Province to Pakse Houay Kone, Nan to Xaingnabouri

From Vietnam
Lao Bao, Khung Tri to Dan Savan, Savannakhet Lak Sao, Vinh to Kaew Neua, Bolikhamsai

From China
Mengla , Yunnan to Boten, Luang Nam Tha

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VISA

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

A passport and visa are required. Visas are issued upon arrival in Laos to foreign tourists and business persons with two passport size photographs and $30 at Wattay Airport , Vientiane ; Friendship Bridge , Vientiane ; and Luang Prabang Airport . Visas on Arrival are not available at the Chong Mek border crossing. Foreign tourists are generally admitted to Laos for 15 days with a visa on arrival or for 30 days with a visa issued at a Lao embassy. The Department of Immigration in Vientiane will only extend tourist visas for one day. It is possible to get an extension for an additional 15 days by submitting an application through a tour agency.

Foreigners who:
overstay in Laos risk arrest, and they will be fined $5 for each day upon departure.

Foreign tourists planning on entering Laos at any international checkpoint where Visas on Arrival are not available must obtain a visa in advance.

Immigration offices at some of the less used border-crossing points are net well marked. Travelers should make sure that they complete immigration and customs formalities when they enter Laos . Travelers who enter Laos without completing these formalities may be subject to fine, detention, imprisonment, and/or deportation.

VISA NOTES

A Laos TOURIST visa is usually issued for a SINGLE entry within three months from the date of issue for a period of stay not to exceed 30 days. The visa may be extended in Laos for a further 15 days.

A Laos BUSINESS visa is usually issued for a SINGLE entry within three months from the date of issue for a period of stay not to exceed 30 days. The visa may be extended in Laos for a further 30 days.

A multi-entry business visa can only be issued after a business joint-venture has been established. Higher consular fees apply.

Passport must have at least six months validity remaining, and one blank visa page in order for the visa to be issued. TDS can assist with expediting U.S. Passports whether new issue, renewal, and adding visa pages.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS

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NATURE

Laos has rich vegetation, mainly monsoon forest. Monsoon forest consists of a top canopy of hardwood trees like dipterocarps that can reach 30m high. The middle canopy consists of smaller trees such as teak and Asian rosewood. The undergrowth is bamboo, smaller trees, shrubs and grasses. Tropical palms and orchids are common, as are a variety of tropical fruit trees.

Parts of the Annamite chain are covered with tropical evergreen forest, where rainfall is highest and in the south, tropical pine forests can be found.

Laos has a large number of animal species, including as many as 500 different birds. Reptiles include many snakes, including king cobras. There are a large number of lizards, from the small geckos to 2m long monitor lizards. Mammals include wild cats, bears, leopards and tigers. There are up to 500 wild elephants in Laos , although more than twice that number are in captivity.  There are a number of rare species in Laos which include rhinos and wild cattle.

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IMPORTANT NOTE

Visitors travelling by air will automatically register with immigration police at Luang Prabang airport.  All other visitors must register with immigration police on arrival and departure in Luang Prabang.  Failure to do so will result in a stiff fine and you may have to return back to Luang Prabang to complete formalities.  Your hotel or guest house will assisit you with the formalities.

Luang Prabang - Out and About

Pak Ou Caves
Situated 25km upriver from Luang Prabang at the confluence of the Ou and Mekong rivers are two caves, Tham Ting and Tham Phun,  that house countless numbers of Buddah images that have been left over hundreds of years by devotees.  The caves are best accessed by boat from LuangPrabang, either a slow boat, that takes about two hours to reach or by speedboat. 

Perhaps the most enjoyable way to visit the caves is to take your time and enjoy a quiet lunch at the caves - there is  a covered rest area there where you can relax, enkoy lunch and take your time overlooking the Mekong river.

Ban Xang Hai
Near Pak Ou caves, downriver towards Luang Prabang is the village of Ban Xang Hai , famous for its manufacture of rice whiskey.  The villagers carry water from the Mekong and use it to soak rice in large jars which sit for several days.  The fermented rice yields alcohol which can be drunk as a cloudy liquid, or distilled to make a fire water.  

Kuang Si Waterfalls
About 30km south of Luang Prabang, passing through many ethnic minority villages are the magnificent Kuang Sii Waterfalls.  There are trails all around the falls and visitors can swim in the lower pools.  The falls has a covered area for eating and there are several stalls serving simple Lao food and drink.   A full day should be allowed for a trip to the falls.

Ban Phanom Village
Situated four km from LuangPrabang is a small village famous for its weavings.  There is a small market set up here, and you can wander in the village and see village women weaving underneath their homes

Xieng Khouang Province
Xieng Khouang province is situated in the north of Laos , a province of green montains and karst limestone.  Much of the province was heavily bombed during the Vietnam war and old war scrap is used in building houses throughout the province. 

The capital of Xieng Khouang is Phonsavan. Situated at an altitude of 1,200m is an excellent climate.  Decmber and January can be chilly so bring a light jacket or fleece for cool evenings and mornings.

Xieng Khouang - Getting There
Lao Aviation flies to Savannakhet from Vientiane - for flight information, please click here for Lao Aviation's flight schedule. 

Buses run from from Vientiane and Luang Prabang.  The journey is long and arduous, taking up to three days. 

The Plain of jars is the biggest attraction of the province.   Situated near Phonsavan are several grassy areas on which stand stone jars, about 1 to 2.5m high.  The jars are about 2,000 years old but nobody knows the true story about them or how they came to be there.  Local legend says that they were made to ferment rice wine after a victory against a wicked chieftan in the 6th century.

Kham Hot Springs
In Kham district, 52km north of Phonsavan there are two hot springs ;   Bo Noi (Little Spring) and Bo Yai ( Big Spring ).  At Bo Yai there is a bungalow resort for bathing in the springs where the water can reach 60 degrees celcius.

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