LAOS TRAVEL FACTS

Capital
Capital of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR is the official name of Laos) is Vientiane. 

Size
Inland area: 236,800 Km²

 

Geographical Situation
Located on the eastern coast of the South-East Asian Indochinese Peninsula with no access to the sea, Laos shares its borders with China to the North, Myanmar to the North-West, Thailand to the West, Cambodia to the South and Vietnam to the East. An estimated 70% of the total area is dominated by rugged mountains, dense jungle and plateau. Peaks rise from 1500 to 2500 m, the highest one being the Phu Bia at 2820 m. The Mekong, which still remains the main transport link, extends 1800 km. Areas cultivated are located along the Mekong plain, where half of the population is concentrated. 

Population
Laos has 5 million inhabitants with an average density of 25 inhabitants/km².
48% of the population is Lao, 14% tribal Thai, 13% Sino Tibetan (including the Hmong and Yao ethnic minorities), 24% Mon-Khmer and 1% Vietnamese and Chinese.
There are actually a lot of different ethnic minorities groups (69) in Laos but most of them belong to the three main categories: The Lao Loum, the Lao Theung and the Lao Sung.
85% of the population live in the countryside.
The dominant religion is Buddhism (60% of the population). There is a small community of Catholics while the rest of the population is animistic. 

Language 
Lao is the official language although English is increasingly spoken by Laotians in main cities. Some people and especially the elderly still speak French, while the middle-aged speak Russian. A guide is, however, highly recommended as language can be a problem outside the main cities for people who have no knowledge of Laotian.

 

Currency
The official currency is the Lao Kip (L-KIP) although US dollars or Thai Bath are widely accepted in the whole country. So are the Euros in the banks, and for payment in the hotels and restaurants of major cities. At the time of writing exchange rate is US$ 1 = 8.080 L-KIP and 1 Euro = 10.600 L-Kip (January 2011)
Traveller's cheques can be cashed only at major banks and usually incur a 2 to 5% transaction fee.
Visa and Master cards are accepted now in most hotels in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, a few restaurants and shops in the main towns (Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse), but can also be subject to 2 to 5% transaction fees.
You can also get cash advances with your credit card either from automated teller machines (ATM) in Vientiane BCL Bank or from foreign exchange offices (subject to 2 to 5% transaction fees).

Depending on the country you are travelling from, the best advise is to bring either cash in USD or Euro. Note that exchange rates for small and big notes vary, so we would recommend you to bring some small notes in USD dollars to cope with first expenses on arrival then either 100 USD or 100 Euro bank notes.

Be careful, banks and foreign exchange offices do not usually take old, scribbled or even stained bank notes. Please check opening hours, as some banks close at 4 pm.

Climate
Laos has a tropical monsoon climate with two seasons: dry from October to April and rainy from May to September. Temperatures vary according to altitude and can be very cold in mountainous areas from November to February. 

Vientiane	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min °C	14	17	19	23	24	25	25	25	25	21	18	15
Max °C	28	30	32	34	32	31	30	31	31	30	29	29
Rain mm	5	12	38	99	267	300	260	293	300	112	15	4

Luang Prabang	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min °C	13	14	17	21	23	23	23	23	23	21	18	15
Max °C	28	32	34	36	35	34	32	32	33	32	29	27
Rain mm	12	15	21	108	175	163	225	300	178	82	29	10

Local Time
Laos is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. 

Electricity
In Laos electric current is 220V, but sockets are not always standard. Adapters can be found in local markets. Note that one third of the country has not yet got electricity. 

Water
It is advisable not to drink water from the tap unless it is boiled properly.

Telecommunications
For mobile phone users: only a few international operators have an agreement with Lao operators, but you will be able to buy phone cards on the spot. However, please keep in mind that the GSM cover does not reach yet the remotest provinces.
Note also that there are quite a lot of Internet shops in most of the big cities in all provinces of Laos, although the Internet connection is often running quite slow. Overseas calls are possible in most of the Internet Shops

 

Health & Medical Facilities
No vaccination is required, but visitors are advised to receive inoculations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid and tetanus, as to make sure of whether anti malaria treatment is necessary depending on the region they travel to. Inoculation for yellow fever is not necessary although doctors still usually recommend it.

Tags: Travel Laos, Laos Tours, Laos Hotels, Laos Travel Guide