Laos trip from India: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane
Plan Laos from India: eVisa, flights via Bangkok, the new railway, Luang Prabang alms and Kuang Si, Vang Vieng, best months and costs.
By the Agrima Holidays Team · Updated October 2026 · 3 min read
Why Laos
Laos is the quiet country of Southeast Asia. Luang Prabang, a UNESCO town of temples and French shophouses on the Mekong, sets the tone. Life moves slowly, the food is fresh and herbal, and the landscapes of limestone peaks and rivers rival anything in Thailand or Vietnam. For Indian travellers the Buddhist heritage adds another layer, and Laos pairs well with Bodh Gaya or Cambodia.
Visa for Indians
Indian citizens have two choices:
- The Lao eVisa at laoevisa.gov.la, approved in about three working days, valid at the main airports and the Friendship Bridge from Thailand
- A visa on arrival at Vientiane and Luang Prabang airports, paid in US dollars with one passport photo
Both allow 30 days. Your passport needs six months of validity and two blank pages. We suggest the eVisa to skip the airport queue. Rules checked in October 2026.
Getting there from India
No airline flies nonstop from India to Laos. The simple routing is through Bangkok.
- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and several tier 2 cities fly nonstop to Bangkok
- From Bangkok, short flights reach Luang Prabang and Vientiane in about an hour
- Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore also connect
Kolkata and Gaya have the shortest flights to Bangkok, useful for a combined Buddhist circuit.
Getting around
The Laos–China railway changed travel inside the country. High-speed trains link Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang in under two hours each, against a full day by road before. Tickets sell out on weekends and holidays, so we book them with the rest of the trip. Inside towns, tuk-tuks and walking cover everything.
Luang Prabang
- Watch the morning alms giving, when saffron-robed monks walk the streets at dawn. Watch in silence, from the side, and do not use flash
- Visit Wat Xieng Thong, the finest temple in town
- Climb Mount Phousi for sunset
- Swim at the turquoise pools of Kuang Si waterfall, 45 minutes away
- Take a boat up the Mekong to the Pak Ou caves, filled with thousands of Buddha images
- Walk the night market for silk, paper lanterns and street food
Give Luang Prabang three nights.
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng sits among limestone karsts on the Nam Song river. Hot-air balloon flights at sunrise, kayaking, tubing, the Blue Lagoon swimming holes and caves fill two days. The backpacker party scene has faded, and the town now suits families and couples.
Vientiane
The capital is small and easy. See Pha That Luang, the golden stupa, the Patuxai monument, Wat Si Saket with its thousands of Buddha niches and the Buddha Park by the river. One night is enough, often at the start or end of the trip.
When to go
- November to February: cool and dry, the best months
- March to April: hot, with haze from crop burning
- May to October: rainy season, green and quiet, waterfalls at their fullest by September
Boun Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent in October, brings boat races and candle festivals.
How many nights
- 3 nights: Luang Prabang only
- 4 nights: Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng
- 6 to 7 nights: Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang
- Add Cambodia for Angkor Wat, or Thailand on the way home
Food for Indian travellers
Lao food is fresh and full of herbs: sticky rice, laap salads, grilled fish and noodle soups. Vegetarians manage well in Luang Prabang and Vientiane, where many cafés offer vegetable dishes and two or three Indian restaurants operate. Ask for less chilli and no fish sauce if you avoid them.
What our trips cost
Our Laos packages start from about ₹24,000 per person for three nights in Luang Prabang, and about ₹32,000 for six nights across the three main towns, on twin sharing, without airfare. Return flights via Bangkok usually add ₹22,000 to ₹35,000 per person.
Practical tips
- The Lao kip is the currency. Thai baht and US dollars work in towns
- ATMs exist in all three towns. Carry cash for markets
- Cover shoulders and knees at temples
- Never touch a monk, and women should not hand items to monks directly
- Plugs take two round or flat pins. Carry a universal adapter
Tell us your dates and we send a plan within 24 hours on working days.
