Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang

By bus the journey from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang is scheduled to take 7 hours 30 minutes.

Bus Times from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang

There is currently 1 bus service a day from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang available to book online.

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Luang Namtha Bus Station

Laos Luxury Travel services from Luang Namtha to Nong Luang Prabang depart from the Into The Wild Laos Travel Company office in Luang Namtha.

Nong Khiaw Bus Station

Laos Luxury Travel Services from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang terminate at the Ing Ing Guesthouse Mountain View.

About Travel to Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a unique and remote small city located in northern Laos, located just over 300 km by road to the south east of Luang Namtha. The road from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang traverses mountainous countryside which is why the journey takes over 7 hours, sometimes more than 8 hours depending upon conditions. From Luang Prabang onward travel becomes a lot easier with better quality roads and a high speed train line connecting Luang Prabang with the capital Vientiane, and Thailand beyond that.

History of Luang Prabang

Archaeological finds suggest that Luang Prabang has been inhabited since around 8,000 BC, with a small settlement growing into a much larger one from the 7th Century onward with the arrival of large number of people from the Tai ethnic group fleeing the centralisation of authority in China.

Luang Prabang then grew again very sharply from 1353 onward when it became the capital city of a newly unified country (the Lane Xang Kingdom) and remained the royal capital of Laos until the end of the monarchy in 1975. During this period many palaces and temples were built in Luang Prabang. Most of the city was then destroyed in 1887 by the Black Flag Army and subsequently rebuilt incorporating whatever remained intact.

Since 1975 Luang Prabang has undergone further repair and improvement works, particularly to the transport infrastructure of the city. In 2013 a sealed road was completed Luang Prabang connecting to the outside world, and in 2014 an airport began operating further opening the city up to mass tourism.

Accommodation in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang has just under 300 hotels, resorts, and guesthouses. The cost of accommodation ranges from the equivalent of $4 to $5 USD a night for a bed in a shared dormitory to over $300 USD a night for a stay in one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, such as the Sofitel Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang has a lot of boutique style accommodation, much of it styled to be reminiscent of the era when Luang Prabang was part of a French colony, which costs in the range of $60 to $100 USD a night. Even mid-range options, such as the Soutikone 2 Guesthouse, cost from $35 to $40 USD a night. In relation to hotels, Luang Prabang is an expensive destination compared to the rest of Laos. If your budget is less than $20 USD then the best room you can get is going to be very basic or shared with other people in a hostel.

Attractions in Luang Prabang City

Luang Prabang has lots of places to visit, most of which are temples. Some of the temples are very old, some are more new. The city’s most famous tourist is the oldest temple in the city, Wat Xieng Thong. Wat Xieng Thong was built in 1559 and the only structure in the centre of the city which wasn’t either fully or partially destroyed in 1886. Wat Xieng Thong is generally considered to be the best surviving example of Laotian temple architecture and has been regularly used as a template for the design of new temples in Laos since the 17th Century. The temple is also massively culturally significant to Laotian people. Among other things, Wat Xieng Thong was the place where coronation ceremonies were traditionally conducted.

The second most famous tourist attraction in Luang Prabang is the Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum. Until 1975 the palace was the official residence of the King of Laos. Now the palace has been turned into a museum, with the addition of a fantastic new small temple built in the palace grounds in 2013. As well as personal items belonging to the last King and his family, such as his collection of cars, the museum houses important and highly symbolic items such as the crown jewels and the Phra Bang statue. The Phra Bang statue is the most important statue of the Lord Buddha in Laos, made from solid gold and weighing 55 kg.

The city’s third most popular tourist attraction is the 100 metre high Phou Si Hill, which is located in the centre of the city. there are two small temples on the hill, along with a number of shrines and statues. The main attraction, however, is the view from the top of the hill. From Phou Si Hill you can see large parts of the city as well as the forests and hills which surround the city.

Tourist Attractions near Luang Prabang

The area around Luang Prabang is sparsely populated and difficult to access. Nonetheless, there are two popular visitor attractions in the surrounding area which you can reach fairly easily on day trips from Luang Prabang.

The most visited of these two major out of town attractions is Kuang Si Falls. It takes about an hour to travel 30 km by road to the south west of Luang Prabang to reach the start of this three tiered waterfall. At the bottom of each set of falls is a pool large enough to swim in.

The second most visited out of attraction near Luang Prabang is the Pak Ou Caves. There are two caves, located near each other, on the banks of the Mekong River. The caves have been a place of worship for centuries and have been filled with many and various statues of the Lord Buddha, some dating back to the 16th Century. The caves are upstream from Luang Prabang and it takes 2 hours to travel there in one of the wooden tourist boats departing from the centre of the city, but just 1 hour for the return journey by boat. Alternatively you can reach the Pak Ou Caves more quickly by taking a tuk-tuk to Pak Ou Town (Ban Pak Ou) and then a local ferry to the entrances to the caves.

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