13 days in Laos gives you enough time to move from misty mountain trekking trails to gilded temple courtyards, with days to spare for waterfalls, night markets, and slow river cruises along the Mekong. This guide breaks down five real, bookable itineraries, from a classic loop through the capital and UNESCO-listed Luang Prabang to multi-country routes that pair Laos with Vietnam or Cambodia, so you can match a Laos travel route to how you actually like to travel, whether that’s slow and cultural or fast and checklist-driven.
Getting to Know Laos Before You Go
Laos is Southeast Asia’s only landlocked country, wedged between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China, and it moves at a noticeably slower pace than its neighbors. Expect gilded Buddhist temples, French colonial shopfronts, terraced rice fields, and the Mekong River threading through almost every stop that a Laos itinerary 13 days long can realistically cover.
The dry season, from November to April, is the best window for 13 days in Laos. Temperatures generally sit between 15-30°C (59-86°F), roads and trekking trails are at their most accessible, and rainfall is minimal. The shoulder months of May and October bring lower prices and thinner crowds, while the full wet season fills waterfalls and rice paddies with color, at the cost of the occasional washed-out road. For a full month-by-month breakdown, see our best time to visit Laos guide.
Most nationalities can get a Laos visa on arrival at the international airports in Vientiane and Luang Prabang or at major land borders, and Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and China all connect directly to at least one of the itineraries below. For visa, currency, and packing basics, our Laos travel guide covers the essentials before you go.
5 Best 13-Day Laos Itineraries You Can Book Today
Every one of these five itineraries for 13 days in Laos is a real, bookable IDC Travel tour, not a theoretical route pieced together for this post. Pick based on how you want to travel: purely within Laos, trekking-focused, or combined with a neighboring country.
Itinerary 1: Laos 13 Days Classic Tour
Route: Vientiane → Vang Vieng → Sam Neua → Xieng Khuang → Luang Prabang
Best for: First-time visitors who want the broadest possible cross-section of Laos in a single trip.
Strengths: Covers the capital, Vang Vieng’s karst scenery, and the remote northeast (Sam Neua and the Vieng Xai Caves) that most 13-day trips skip entirely, then finishes with the classic Luang Prabang lineup of Pak Ou Caves, Kuang Si Falls, and a hands-on day at Living Land Rice Farm.
Weaknesses: Four separate transfer days (Days 3, 5, 7, and 9) cut into sightseeing time, and accommodation in Sam Neua and Xieng Khuang is noticeably more basic than in Luang Prabang or Vientiane.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Vientiane and settle in for the night.
Day 2 – Spend a full day on a Vientiane city tour, taking in the National Museum, Wat Si Saket, Pha That Luang, Patuxay Monument, and the quirky sculpture garden at Buddha Park.
Day 3 – Transfer to Vang Vieng, stopping en route at Vang Xang, an 11th-century archaeological site scattered with Buddhist carvings.
Day 4 – Spend the day at Tham Phu Kham Cave and the Blue Lagoon, admiring the stalactites and stalagmites before cooling off in the green-blue water below.
Day 5 – Transfer to Sam Neua, deep in Laos’ remote northeast.
Day 6 – Explore Sam Neua’s weaving villages and the Vieng Xai Caves, the underground complex that sheltered the Pathet Lao leadership during the Second Indochina War.
Day 7 – Transfer to Xieng Khuang province.
Day 8 – Spend the day in Xieng Khuang, visiting the mysterious Plain of Jars and browsing Phonsavan’s Central Market.
Day 9 – Transfer to Luang Prabang through scenic mountain terrain.
Day 10 – Take a full Luang Prabang city tour: the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Sene, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun, and Wat Aham, followed by the Arts and Ethnology Center and the weaving villages of Ban Xangkhong and Ban Xienglek.
Day 11 – Rise early for the morning alms-giving ceremony, then take a two-hour boat trip up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves before continuing to Kuang Si Falls to relax in its turquoise pools.
Day 12 – Spend the day at Living Land Farm, joining a local farmer to plow, plant, and harvest rice by hand.
Day 13 – Depart Luang Prabang.
>>> Ready to see it all in one trip? Book the Laos 13 Days Classic Tour
Itinerary 2: 13 Days Northern Laos Trekking Tour
Route: Luang Prabang → Pak Ou → Pakbeng → Oudomxay → Luang Namtha → Phongsaly → Muang Khua → Nong Khiaw → Luang Prabang
Best for: Active travelers who want genuine trekking and ethnic-village immersion instead of the well-trodden tourist circuit.
Strengths: Real trekking days, hands-on cultural encounters (a Baci ceremony, a 400-year-old tea plantation, whisky- and basket-making villages), a boat journey down the Nam Ou River, and a payoff hike to the 100 Waterfalls near Nong Khiaw.
Weaknesses: Physically demanding, with several back-to-back trekking and transfer days, and guesthouses in Phongsaly and Muang Khua are noticeably more basic than Luang Prabang’s boutique hotels.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Luang Prabang.
Day 2 – Take a Luang Prabang city tour covering the National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Mai, the Arts and Ethnology Center, and the weaving villages of Ban Xangkhong and Ban Xienglek, finishing with a climb up Mount Phousi for sunset.
Day 3 – Board a boat to the Pak Ou Caves to see thousands of Buddha images, then continue upriver to Pakbeng, arriving at dusk.
Day 4 – Visit and trek around the Mekong Elephant Camp, joining an elephant bath before trekking through bamboo groves and forest.
Day 5 – Browse the morning market in Pakbeng, then travel through Oudomxay on the way to Luang Namtha.
Day 6 – Explore Luang Namtha, from its small museum to the old Phou Pouk Stupa, then visit Ban Nam Ngean (Tai Dam) and Ban Pieng Ngam (Tai Deang) villages to see whisky and bamboo-basket making, before joining a traditional Baci ceremony in the Lanten village of Ban Nam Dee.
Day 7 – Transfer to Phongsaly, stopping at several Khmu and Hmong villages along the way.
Day 8 – Trek through Phongsaly’s evergreen forest, with lunch in a whisky-producing Phunoy village.
Day 9 – Visit a 400-year-old tea plantation and sample Phongsaly tea before transferring to Muang Khua.
Day 10 – Take a boat down the Nam Ou River to Nong Khiaw, stopping to relax at a riverside bar in Muang Ngoi along the way.
Day 11 – Hike to the 100 Waterfalls, a green cascade of pools and jungle, with a picnic lunch in the surrounding forest.
Day 12 – Visit the village of Ban Na before returning to Luang Prabang.
Day 13 – Depart Luang Prabang.
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Itinerary 3: North Vietnam – Laos 13 Days Adventure Tour
Route: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hanoi → Mai Chau → Dien Bien Phu → Nong Khiaw (Laos) → Luang Prabang → Phonsavan → Vientiane
Best for: Travelers who want to pair northern Vietnam’s highlights with Laos, crossing a genuine overland border along the way.
Strengths: Combines a Ha Long Bay cruise, Mai Chau’s rice terraces, Dien Bien Phu’s French Indochina War history, and an overland crossing at the Tay Trang border, before finishing with Luang Prabang and Vientiane’s temple circuit.
Weaknesses: The most road-heavy itinerary of the five, especially the long overland day from Dien Bien Phu to Nong Khiaw, and it requires a Vietnam entry alongside the Laos visa, so passport and visa planning need extra care.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Hanoi.
Day 2 – Spend 24 hours on a Ha Long Bay cruise, visiting islands and caves with a chance to swim in the bay’s warm waters.
Day 3 – Disembark at noon, return to Hanoi in the early afternoon, and join a three-hour city tour.
Day 4 – Transfer to Mai Chau in the morning, then trek through terraced rice fields and small villages after lunch at a local restaurant.
Day 5 – Transfer toward Dien Bien Phu via the Pha Din Pass.
Day 6 – Explore Dien Bien Phu’s historical relics: an ethnic market, Muong Phang (the command base of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign), the Dien Bien Phu Museum, and A1 Hill.
Day 7 – Drive through Muong Thanh Valley to the Tay Trang border crossing into Laos, then continue through Muang Khua, one of Laos’ most remote regions, to Nong Khiaw for the night.
Day 8 – Transfer to Luang Prabang, stopping to visit the Pak Ou Caves and Ban Xang Hai village, where locals distill Laos whisky and rice wine.
Day 9 – Take a Luang Prabang city tour covering the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Aham, and Wat Mai.
Day 10 – Transfer to Phonsavan, visiting hill tribe villages en route.
Day 11 – Visit Phonsavan’s central market and the MAG exhibition before exploring the mysterious Plain of Jars.
Day 12 – Take a short flight to Vientiane, then spend the afternoon at the city’s highlights: Wat Si Saket, Haw Pha Kaew, Pha That Luang, and Patuxay Monument.
Day 13 – Depart Vientiane.
>>> Curious what a real overland border crossing feels like? Lock in the North Vietnam – Laos 13 Days Adventure Tour
Itinerary 4: Explore Heritage Sites of Laos and Cambodia 13 Days
Route: Luang Prabang → Vientiane → Phnom Penh → Battambang → Siem Reap
Best for: History and temple enthusiasts who want to bookend a Laos trip with Cambodia’s Khmer heritage.
Strengths: Pairs two distinct Buddhist heritage traditions in one trip, adds Battambang’s Bamboo Train and countryside detour that most Laos-Cambodia combinations skip, and closes with a proper multi-day Angkor exploration rather than a single rushed day.
Weaknesses: No land border links Laos and Cambodia directly, so an international flight between the two adds cost, and the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng sections in Phnom Penh are emotionally heavy, worth planning around for travelers with young children.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Luang Prabang.
Day 2 – Take a Luang Prabang city tour through its temples and night market, ending with sunset views from Mount Phousi.
Day 3 – Rise early for the alms-giving ceremony, take a boat trip to the Pak Ou Caves, then continue to Kuang Si Falls to swim in its turquoise pools.
Day 4 – Fly to Vientiane.
Day 5 – Spend the day on a Vientiane city tour, visiting Wat Si Saket, Pha That Luang, and the Patuxay Monument.
Day 6 – Fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Day 7 – Take a Phnom Penh city tour, including the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields.
Day 8 – Transfer overland to Battambang.
Day 9 – Explore Battambang’s countryside by riding the Bamboo Train, then wander the town’s French colonial-era shopfronts.
Day 10 – Transfer to Siem Reap.
Day 11 – Discover Angkor Thom’s South Gate, the Bayon’s carved faces, and the jungle-swallowed ruins of Ta Prohm.
Day 12 – Watch sunrise over Angkor Wat, then continue to the intricately carved pink sandstone temple of Banteay Srei.
Day 13 – Depart Siem Reap.
>>> Ready for temples on two fronts? Grab the Laos and Cambodia Heritage Tour 13 Days
Itinerary 5: A Memorable Trip to Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia in 13 Days
Route: Luang Prabang → Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap
Best for: First-time Southeast Asia visitors who want a three-country highlight reel, even at a faster pace.
Strengths: The widest geographic and cultural range of all five itineraries, hitting Kuang Si Falls, Ha Long Bay, Ba Na Hills, the Cu Chi Tunnels, and Angkor Wat in under two weeks.
Weaknesses: The fastest-paced tour of the five, with several one-night stops and multiple domestic flights, better suited to checklist travelers than anyone chasing a slow, immersive trip.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Luang Prabang.
Day 2 – Take a Luang Prabang city tour and climb Mount Phousi for sunset.
Day 3 – Join the morning alms-giving ceremony, take a river trip to the Pak Ou Caves, and continue to Kuang Si Falls.
Day 4 – Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with an afternoon city tour of the Old Quarter and its century-old heritage sites.
Day 5 – Board an overnight cruise into Ha Long Bay, passing limestone islands and exploring its caves.
Day 6 – Cruise back to shore, return to Hanoi, and catch a flight to Da Nang.
Day 7 – Spend the day at Ba Na Hills, crossing the Golden Bridge and wandering the French Village.
Day 8 – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 9 – Take a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, then join an afternoon city tour of Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 10 – Spend a day exploring the Mekong Delta by boat, visiting a floating market and a fruit orchard.
Day 11 – Fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Day 12 – Discover Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple, then enjoy a sunset boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake.
Day 13 – Explore Angkor Wat before departing Siem Reap.
>>> Three countries, thirteen days, zero regrets. See A Memorable Trip to Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia in 13 Days
What Does 13 Days in Laos Actually Cost? (Estimated Cost)
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Luxury |
| Accommodation (12 nights) | ~$218 (4,800,000 LAK) |
~$599 (13,200,000 LAK) |
~$1,526 (33,600,000 LAK) |
| Domestic transport (Luang Prabang-Vang Vieng-Vientiane, road or rail) | ~$118 (2,600,000 LAK) |
~$191 (4,200,000 LAK) |
~$341 (7,500,000 LAK) |
| Day trips (Kuang Si, Pak Ou, Nong Khiaw, Vang Vieng activities) | ~$145 (3,200,000 LAK) |
~$263 (5,800,000 LAK) |
~$500 (11,000,000 LAK) |
| Meals (13 days) | ~$118 (2,600,000 LAK) |
~$263 (5,800,000 LAK) |
~$568 (12,500,000 LAK) |
| Local transport, entry fees, activities | ~$100 (2,200,000 LAK) |
~$182 (4,000,000 LAK) |
~$363 (8,000,000 LAK) |
| Total | ~$699 (~15,400,000 LAK) |
~$1,499 (~33,000,000 LAK) |
~$3,299 (~72,600,000 LAK) |
Budget travel means guesthouses, street food, public buses, and mostly free or cheap activities. Mid-range covers boutique hotels, a mix of local and Western restaurants, private cars, and paid tours like the ones described above. Luxury opens up riverside resorts in Luang Prabang, private guides, and first-class boat and flight transfers. For ATM limits, card acceptance, and cash tips specific to Laos, see our Laos currency guide.
Figures are per person estimates and will vary with season, booking lead time, and hotel choices. For visa and pre-trip essentials, see our things to know before visiting Laos guide.
Unmissable Things to Do in Laos
| Attraction | Location | Hours | Getting There | Time Needed |
| Alms-Giving Ceremony, Luang Prabang | Sisavangvong Road and the surrounding old-town streets | 5:30-6:30 AM | Walkable from most old-town hotels | 30-45 minutes |
| Kuang Si Falls | About 29 km south of Luang Prabang | 8:00 AM-5:30 PM | Tuk-tuk (roughly 45 minutes) or shared minivan | Half a day |
| Pak Ou Caves | Confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers, north of Luang Prabang | 8:00 AM-5:00 PM | Boat trip up the Mekong River, about 2 hours each way | Half a day |
| Plain of Jars (Site 1), Phonsavan | About 10 km from Phonsavan, Xieng Khuang province | 8:00 AM-5:00 PM | Tuk-tuk or minivan from Phonsavan | Half a day to cover Sites 1-3 |
| Pha That Luang, Vientiane | Thatluang Road, about 4 km northeast of central Vientiane | 8:00 AM-12:00 PM 1:00 PM-4:00 PM |
Tuk-tuk from central Vientiane | About an hour |
| Tham Phu Kham Cave & Blue Lagoon, Vang Vieng | About 7 km from Vang Vieng town | 8:00 AM-6:00 PM | Bicycle, scooter, or tuk-tuk from Vang Vieng | Half a day |
For more on Laos’ religious architecture, see our guide to the most famous temples in Laos.
What to Eat in Laos: Best Food & Where to Eat
- Larb (Laap). The unofficial national dish of Laos, a flavorful meat salad made with minced meat (chicken, beef, pork, or fish), toasted rice powder, fresh herbs, lime juice, and fish sauce, served with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
- Sticky Rice (Khao Niew). Steamed glutinous rice served in small bamboo baskets and eaten by hand, the staple that anchors almost every Lao meal.
- Papaya Salad (Tam Mak Hoong). Shredded unripe papaya pounded with tomatoes, chilies, lime, fish sauce, and fermented fish paste, garnished with peanuts for a spicy, sour, and salty punch.
- Khao Piak Sen. A comforting noodle soup with thick, chewy rice noodles in a savory bone broth, topped with chicken or pork, fresh herbs, and fried garlic.
- Lao Sausage (Sai Oua). Grilled pork sausage packed with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal, served with sticky rice and a spicy dipping sauce.
Where to eat:
In Luang Prabang, Khaiphaen is a vocational training restaurant that trains disadvantaged local youth in hospitality while serving genuinely good Lao food with a few international dishes mixed in. Tamarind runs a well-regarded set-menu tasting of Lao classics and a popular cooking school.
In Vientiane, Kualao Restaurant occupies a restored French colonial villa near the That Dam roundabout, pairing traditional Lao cuisine with a nightly cultural dance performance.
Plan Your Trip With Us
However you build your 13 days in Laos itinerary, from the classic loop to a three-country combination with Vietnam and Cambodia, our local specialists can tailor any of the five routes above to your pace, budget, and interests. Browse all Laos tours or create your trip to build a private itinerary from scratch.
We are here to help you. Start planning your tailor-made tour with 1-1 help from our specialists.
Wrapping Up
Thirteen days in Laos is enough time to move at a real pace: temple mornings in Luang Prabang, waterfall afternoons, and still time left over to cross into Vietnam or Cambodia if you’d rather turn the trip into a wider Southeast Asia loop. Whichever of these five routes you pick, or however you piece together your own Laos travel route from the sections above, you’ll come home with a lot more than a photo of a golden stupa. For more planning help, browse our full Laos travel guide or reach out for a private consultation.
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