Thakhek to Pakse

By bus the journey from Thakhek to Pakse is scheduled to take from 7 to 8 hours depending upon which bus service you take.

Bus Times from Thakhek to Pakse

There are currently 5 services a day from Thakhek to Pakse available to book online.

Buy Tickets from Thakhek to Pakse

Use the Search Box below to buy your tickets from Thakhek to Pakse.

Thakhek Bus Stop

RG Adventure services from Thakhek to Pakse depart from Thakhek Bus Terminal.

Pakse Bus Stop

RG Adventure services from Thakhek to Pakse terminate at the Pakse SCL Bus Station which is close to the KM2 Bus Station on Road 13 in Pakse.

About Travel to Pakse

Pakse is main city of Laos’s southern most province, Champasak. Pakse is a city which many leisure visitors touring Laos transit through on the way to other destinations such as Don Det in the 4,000 Islands region, northern Cambodia, or Thailand via Ubon Ratchathani.

Pakse City

In comparison to most other cities and towns in Laos, Pakse is large. The population is somewhere between 85,000 and 120,000 depending which of the many different estimates you refer to, making it the third largest city in Laos.

Lots of leisure and business travellers pass through Pakse and the city has fairly good facilities for visitors as a consequence. There is a concentration of tourist hotels and restaurants on Road 13, which runs through the centre of the city. The range of food available isn’t quite as extensive as in Vientiane but there are French, Japanese and Indian restaurants in the city, as well as plenty of places serving pizza and burgers, as well as lots of Laos food eateries. For a pleasant place to drink in the evening try the rooftop restaurant of the Pakse Hotel.

Bolaven Plateau

The Bolaven Plateau is a highland area located a short distance to the east of Pakse. Elevations on the plateau range from 1,000 to 1,350 metres above sea level. The highlights of the area are its rivers, traditional villages and particularly it’s waterfalls, the best of which are Tad Yuang Waterfall, Tad Lo Waterfall, and Tad Pha Suam Waterfall.

From Pakse it’s possible to visit some of the points of interest on a day trip if you rent your own vehicle or a car with a driver. Travel by public transport is possible, but the range of places you can visit is limited and because of the infrequency of the services you would probably need to stay overnight in Tad Lo. For a full tour we recommend the ‘Bolaven Loop’ which is like the Thakhek Loop just shorter and easier. The Bolaven Loop involves driving a motorbike on a 335 km route around the plateau starting and ending in Pakse, with one night in a hotel or guesthouse during the journey.

Travel to Thailand

Pakse City is located a short distance to the north of the Laos Nippon Bridge, which is a major road crossing between Laos and Thailand. The nearest major city in Thailand to Pakse is Ubon Ratchathani. The journey by bus takes 3 to 4 hours and the distance by road between the two cities is around 140 km.

From Ubon Ratchathani there are lots of public transport options for onward travel in Thailand, including long distance train services, bus services and flights to Bangkok. If you are travelling to one of the beach destinations in the south of the country then you will need to travel via Bangkok.

• See bus times from Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani.

Travel to The 4,000 Islands

From Pakse it’s an easy three hour journey travelling south to reach the ferry pier for Don Det, which is one of the largest islands in the Mekong River in the very far south of Laos. The distance by road is about 150 km.

The village in the northern part of Don Det is well known for its nightlife, which is similar to how Vang Vieng was before the authorities cracked down. For more peace and quiet, and better accommodation, perhaps try the nearby island of Don Khone instead.

• See bus times from Pakse to Don Det.

How useful was this page?