Luang Prabang province - transport information

- errors, suggestions & contributions - kindly email: laomeow at gmail dot com
- last modified on 27 September 2012
- old version (23 November 2009) here

---

---

LUANG PRABANG TOWN

Luang Prabang northern bus station
Located at IU224 on this map.




May 2011 - photos by snowinjanuary

Timetable (June 2011 - no change as of August 2012) (hobomaps):

To Bokeo
- 5:30PM, 7:00PM (VIP)
- 120,000kip / 145,000kip (VIP)

To Luang Namtha
- 9:00AM
- 95,000kip

To Oudomxay
- 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 4:00PM
- 55,000kip

To Sam Neua
- 8:30AM
- 130,000kip

To Nambak
- 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 1:00PM, 3:00PM, 5:00PM
- 35,000kip

To Nong Khiaw
- 9:00AM, 11:30AM, 1:30PM
- 40,000kip

To Vieng Kham
- 9:00AM, 2:00PM
- 90,000kip

To Paksaeng (Pakxeng)
- 9:30AM, 2:00PM
- 35,000kip

To Phonthong
- 10:00AM
- 79,000kip

To ເມືອງໂພນທອງ Muang Phon Thong 'including' ປາກອືມ Pak Oum & ນາຊອນ Na Son (70,000kip) - 1000, daily. This new service was announced in a notice at Luang Prabang northern bus station (08 December 2009). There was also a sign indicating the berth for 'ວັງຊຽງ Vang Xieng & ປາກອືມ Pak Oum'. No idea where this particular Phon Thong & Pak Oum are, but there is a Vang Xieng town along a minor road that branches off from HWY 1C at Phou Thid Pheung (between Nong Khiaw & Vieng Kham) & leads to a Na Son, a locals-only Laos-Vietnam border crossing (top part of this map). Anyone with more info on this route, please update the cat.

To Phonexay
- 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM
- 30,000kip


Old info for reference:

Photo taken at Luang Prabang Tourist Info Centre (17 December 2009)
Bus fares (May 2011) (snowinjanuary)


Photos of Luang Prabang-Bokeo VIP bus (17 December 2009):

---

Luang Prabang southern bus station (Ban Naluang) (photos)
Located at KE197 on this map.

Timetable (fare info June 2011, timing info August 2012) (hobomaps):
Ordinary bus = black font
Express bus = red font
VIP bus = blue font
sleeper bus = green font (photos of Luang Prabang - Vientiane sleeper bus)

To Vientiane
- 6:30AM, 7:30AM, 8:00AM, 8:30AM, 9:00AM, 11:00AM, 2:00PM, 4:30PM, 6:30PM, 7:30PM, 8:00PM
- 110,000kip / 130,000kip / 150,000 kip

To Vang Vieng
- 9:30AM, 12:30PM
- 90,000kip / 105,000kip

To Phonsavan
- 8:30AM
- 95,000kip

To Sayabouly
- 9:00AM, 2:00PM
- 60,000kip

**********

Luang Prabang to Chiangmai International Bus
- 5:00PM
- 310,000kip
- AC bus
- via Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Huay Xai, Chiang Khong & Chiangrai
- arrives at Chiangmai Arcade bus station

Old info for reference:

Timetable (February 2011) (hobomaps)
Fares (February 2011) (hobomaps)
17 Dec 2009 info

---

Ban Naluang tourist bus station
Located at KE197 on this map.
Tel.: 071-212979, 071-260298 Fax: 071-260296 Email: souknasing@hotmail.com

Timetable (August 2012) (hobomaps):

To Tat Kuang Si (Kuang Si waterfall)*
- 11:30AM, 1:30PM
- 40,000 kip

To Luang Namtha*
- 8:30AM
- 110,000 kip

To Nong Khiaw*
- 9:30AM
- 55,000 kip

To Vang Vieng*
- 9:00AM, 10:00AM, 2:00PM
- 105,000 kip

To Phonsavan*
- 9:00AM
- 105,000 kip

To Kunming (China) sleeper bus
- 7:00AM
- 420,000kip
- daily


To Vinh (Vietnam)
- 6:30PM
- 200,000kip (seat) / 250,000kip (bunk on sleeper bus)
- daily except Tuesdays


To Hanoi (Vietnam) sleeper bus
- 6:00PM
- 350,000kip
- daily except Thursdays

Notes:
* these are served by minivans, not buses
- more on Luang Prabang - Vietnam bus services here (jp_geckozy, October 2011)
- Luang Prabang - Kunming bus service: see replies #6 & #8 here (jp_geckozy, April 2010).
- more on bus stations in Kunming here (jp_geckozy, April 2010).

---

Luang Prabang speedboat & slowboat landings
Photo taken at Luang Prabang Tourist Info Centre (17 December 2009):


Click here for full size version

August 2012 updates (hobomaps):
- express boat to Pak Beng = 110,000 kip
- speed boat to Huay Xai = 400,000 kip

June 2011 updates (hobomaps):
- express boat to Nong Khiaw = 110,000kip
- tour boat & speedboat to Buddha cave = 65,000kip

Note:
For Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw & Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua - boats run only on demand (when there are enough passengers, or when chartered), not necessarily daily as stated.

Luang Prabang slowboat landing to Ban Xieng Maen - cross-river ferry (07 December 2009):
Passenger boat - 2000kip/person (local fare)
Vehicle ferry - 5000kip/person (excl. vehicle)

---

---

NONG KHIAW

Nong Khiaw town is also known as Muang Ngoi (capital of Ngoi district), Muang Ngoi Mai (new Muang Ngoi) & Muang Ngoi Tai (south Muang Ngoi). Not to be confused with the village of Muang Ngoi Neua (north Muang Ngoi) aka. Muang Ngoi Gao (old Muang Ngoi), which is ~1 hour upriver by boat.

Nong Khiaw songthaew/van station
Located at JF217 on this map.

Photo from 17 December 2009:



Nong Khiaw bus station
Located at JB205 on this map.


May 2011 - photo by snowinjanuary

Timetable and fares (February 2011) (hobomaps):



To Sam Neua - bus from Luang Prabang should pass through Nong Khiaw ~1130++, & bus from Vientiane passes through ~2100-2200++.

---

---

PHOU KHOUN

(info from 17 October 2008)
Ask at any shop/restaurant/guesthouse at the 3-way junction, locals will point out the man who will sell you tickets & flag down the correct bus for you.
To Vientiane - any bus passing through, 80,000kip
First Xieng Khouang-Vientiane bus passes through at ~1030.
First Luang Prabang-Vientiane bus passes through at ~1130.

071209 Wat Had Siaw 6 - meditation corridor

An interruption to normal programming - a 'special feature' series of posts on Wat Had Siaw in Chomphet district of Luang Prabang. Please see part 1 of this series for background info on this place & the reason for this 'special feature'.

---

Facing the viharn is the long narrow building for the practice of walking meditation:



Apparently only 4 temples in Luang Prabang have such a structure, & 3 of them are on this side of the Mekong (the other two being Wat Long Khoun & Wat Khok Phab). The cat has yet to come across any mention of similar structures in temples elsewhere - do they now exist only in Luang Prabang?

Like the viharn, this structure is also crumbling - parts of the roof are gone:




Instead of windows, it has only small openings along its length for ventilation, & a single door in the middle:



The floor of the interior was littered with bits & pieces of the roof & plaster that had cracked off the walls:



The wall facing the viharn is keeling over:

071209 Wat Had Siaw 5 - detail of interior murals

An interruption to normal programming - a 'special feature' series of posts on Wat Had Siaw in Chomphet district of Luang Prabang. Please see part 1 of this series for background info on this place & the reason for this 'special feature'.

---

Apologise for poor quality of images - they are all cropped from the photos shown in the previous post i.e. not close-up shots. Hopefully someone with a better camera & skills will be able to show the world the beauty & detail of these paintings.

The cat does not know if the paintings on all interior walls depict scenes from the same story, or from more than one story. However, those on the wall on the left of the altar & the right half of the wall with the main door seem to feature the same guy & his white horse. A Thotsakan/Ravana-like character & an army of demon-like creatures appear in some of the scenes with the guy & his white horse, but the cat can't figure out if he is the equivalent of Hapkhanasouane & whether those scenes have anything to do with stories from the ພຣະລັກພຣະຣາມ Phra Lak Phra Ram (Lao version of Ramayana). The paintings on the wall on the right of the altar & the left half of the wall with the main door have sustained a lot more damage, to the point where the cat is unable to figure out the sequence of the scenes there.

Wall on right of altar - right half:




Interior of main entrance door - right half...

The guy (seated & pointing at two crow-like birds, one on either side of the large crack) & his white steed behind him:



He brings his horse into some enclosure (bottom left) where boys are playing & climbing palm trees (upper right):




Wall on left of altar - left half...



Airborne demon (based on their ears + fangs) army with tiger:



The predecessor of Lao Airlines - first class cabin for a red garuda on upper deck, economy class below:



Below them the greens & the whites meet:



& a white elephant with striped tusks is led through the gates:



Wall on left of altar - right half...

Ancient Lao version of Batman sailing above Gotham city:



White horse takes a break at middle left:



A multi-armed Thotsakan/Ravana-like character charges out of the gates in attack mode - note the two white 3-tiered parasols on the back of his chariot:



Guy & white horse in battle:



Bloody battle scene - five heads get lopped off within this frame, with two of the beheaded trying to catch their own heads (bottom):



The Thotsakan/Ravana-like character has come off his chariot - the two 3-tiered umbrellas have broken off - & fires off three lotus bud-tipped arrows that sail above the white horse:



Guy & white horse report to someone at left:



Green-faced guy leads a princess character out (bottom left):



White horse hitches a ride on the back of a naga:

071209 Wat Had Siaw 4 - state of interior murals

An interruption to normal programming - a 'special feature' series of posts on Wat Had Siaw in Chomphet district of Luang Prabang. Please see part 1 of this series for background info on this place & the reason for this 'special feature'.

---

Despite their poor condition, the mural paintings within the viharn of Wat Had Siaw were a pleasant surprise :)

The altar - the largest of the cracks on the walls to the left & right of the altar are arrowed in blue:



Wall on right of altar (with side door) - left half:



The panels of the side door look as if they have not been repainted ever since the day this temple was built.

Wall on right of altar (with side door) - right half:



Wall with main entrance door (facing altar) - left half:



Wall with main entrance door (facing altar) - right half:



Wall on left of altar (nearest the river) - left half:



Wall on left of altar (nearest the river) - right half:



If the angles look weird, it's because all photos were taken while the cat was kneeling down, & the cat is very very short. Details of the interior murals to follow...

071209 Wat Had Siaw 3 - exterior murals

An interruption to normal programming - a 'special feature' series of posts on Wat Had Siaw in Chomphet district of Luang Prabang. Please see part 1 of this series for background info on this place & the reason for this 'special feature'.

---

Above main entrance door of viharn - scenes from Buddha's life story:



The Earth Mother/Goddess deity แม่ธรณี Mae Thoranii wrings water from her hair (left half) to drown Mara & other demons attacking Buddha (right half):



Beware of what's lurking in the flood created by Mae Thoranii - victim #1 has his head chomped on by shark-like creature #1, while all that's left of victim #2 are 2 legs sticking out from the jaws of shark-like creature #2:



Prince Siddartha leaves home & cut off his hair by the banks of the Anoma river to become a mendicant:



On his right are his servant Chana & horse Kanthanka. At bottom right, after eating, he floats a bowl in the river & it travels upstream against the current, indicating that he will gain enlightenment in time to come. The bowl contained an offering of milk rice given to him by a noble lady called Sujatha.

Scenes that the cat has never come across before:



At the top, a god(?) appears to be playing a musical instrument while Buddha rests below some trees, & at left, Buddha looks up at a stupa...?

When he finally attains Enlightenment he is depicted as sitting on a lotus flower (middle):



Below the above paintings, flanking the main door: