You can travel direct from Luang Prabang to Loei thereby avoiding the busy border crossing over the Friendship Bridge to Nong Khai in Thailand. Loei is also a good point to cross from Laos into Thailand if you are planning to travel on to Phitsanulok or Sukhothai.
Bus Times to Loei (Thailand)
There is a single daily bus service from Luang Prabang to Loei in Thailand which you can book online.
| Luang Prabang | Loei | Cost | Company |
| 08:00 | 16:00 | $31 USD | Naluang |
- Passengers on this service travel on an air-conditioned bus with an on board toilet.
- The scheduled journey time is 8 hours.
Buy Tickets to Loei
Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Luang Prabang to Loei.
Luang Prabang Bus Station
Naluang Bus services to Loei depart from the Tourist and International Bus Station on the opposite side of the road to the Southern Bus Terminal in Luang Prabang.
Loei Bus Station
Naluang bus services from Luang Prabang terminate at Loei Bus Terminal, Kut Pong, Mueang Loei District, Loei 42000.
About Loei
Loei is a small town with a population of just over 20,000 people in a sparsely populated region of Thailand. Loei town itself is a transport hub and commercial centre rather than a tourist destination in its own right. What is a major tourist attraction, particularly for Thai tourists, is the surrounding countryside of beautiful rivers, forests, lakes and mountains. The climate is a lot cooler in Loei Province on account of the altitude and its one of the few places in Thailand where crops like macadamia nut and grapes flourish and that gets cold enough to require warm clothing in the evening. A lot of Thai people come to the province to enjoy this cooler weather and a cheap break where they stay in tents. Camping in Thailand is generally not possible because you would be very hot and sweaty in a tent, but it is a pleasant experience in the mountains of Loei.
Mekong River in LoeiThe major attractions in Loei are difficult to reach by public transport so hiring your own bike or car is the easiest option although you could hire taxis and tuk tuks, and get intercity bus to stop on route, to do the journeys with a bit of planning and initiative. The three most popular places to visit are:
- Phu Kradueng National Park: 78 km to the south of Loei Bus Terminal, Phu Kradueng National Park is a 348 square kilometre area of forest including a plateau of 60 square kilometres with an average elevation of over 1,200 metres. This is a great area to go camping and hiking. Phu Kradueng, the highest point of the park at 1,316 metres, gets lots of visitors with places to eat and places to stay on the hill itself. You can even hire someone to carry your bags up to the top for you.
- Phu Ruea National Park: 60 km by road to the west of Loei town this less popular national park has a peak with an elevation of 1,365 metres above sea level. The park has an abundance of wildlife, waterfalls and great views. You can drive to within half a kilometre of the top of the tallest hill.
- Huai Nam Man Reservoir: A popular lake which start only 14.4 km by road to the west of Loei town. The lake is pleasantly situated in a hilly area surrounded by teak and bamboo forests. There are floating restaurants on the lake and lots of people selling inexpensive tours in small wooden boats. It’s a very pleasant place to visit that rarely gets any foreign visitors, which means that hardly anybody there speaks English and all the menus are in Thai.