Itinerary 2008

Note: Charter – private bus, motorbike/tuk-tuk or taxi

Bus – Public transport

Day /Time	Morning	Afternoon	Night	Comments
Day 1 – 04/12/08	-	SIN (1735 ETD, Meet at 1615 budget terminal!)	HANOI (2000 ETA in Hanoi)
Day 2 – 05/12/08	HANOI-MAI CHAU (approx. 2 hours by charter, 4 hours by bus)HoursH	MAI CHAU-NA MEO (approx. 4.5 hours) NA MEO-VIENG XAI (approx. 2 hours by bus)	VIENG XAI
Day 3 – 06/12/08	VIENG XAI (Pathet Lao Caves)	VIENG XAI	VIENG XAI
Day 4 – 07/12/08	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	CIP (VIENG XAI OR SAM NEUA)	Note: approx. 1 hour by charter between both villages
Day 5 – 08/12/08	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	SAM NEUA	Can be based in either village given close proximity for CIP
Day 6 – 09/12/08	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	SAM NEUA-PHONSAVANH (approx. 10-12 hours by bus)	PHOSAVANH
Day 7 – 10/12/08	PHOSAVANH (Plain Of Jars)	PHOSAVANH	PHONSAVANH	Given only one attraction worth seeing, we may leave in the afternoon for Luang Prabang and spend the night there instead of Phonsavanh.
Day 8 – 11/12/08	PHONSAVANH-LUANG PRABANG (approx. 8 hours by bus)	LUANG PRABANG	LUANG PRABANG
Day 9 – 12/12/08	LUANG PRABANG-UDOMXAI (approx. 5 hours by bus)	UDOMXAI-LUANG NAM THA (approx. 5 hours)	LUANG NAM THA	If possible, we would get a straight ride to Luang Nam Tha and avoid Udomxai except for lunch. Night buses are available too, have to play by ear and ask around.
Day 10 – 13/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	Given travelers’ accounts,2 full days is already the bare minimum to spend here.
Day 11 – 14/12/08	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA	LUANG NAM THA
Day 12 – 15/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-BOTEN-MENGLA (approx. 1-2 hours)	MENGLA	MENGLA
Day 13 – 16/12/08	MENGLA	MENGLA-LUANG NAM THA (approx. 1-2 hours)	LUANG NAM THA	We can choose to leave in the morning for Luang Nam Tha if nothing is left in Mengla
Day 14 – 17/12/08	LUANG NAM THA-UDOMXAI (approx. 5 hours by bus)	UDOMXAI-MONG KHOA (definitely within one day total)	MONG KHOA	MONG KHOA/ MUANG KHOA (different spellings)
Day 15 – 18/12/08	MONG KHOA-DIEN BIEN		DIEN BIEN
Day 16 - 19/12/08	DIEN BIEN-LAI CHAU		LAI CHAU
Day 17 – 20/12/08	LAI CHAU-LAO CAI	LAO CAI	LAO CAI-HANOI (overnight sleeper train)
Day 18 – 21/12/08	HANOI	HANOI	SIN-HANOI (0400 ETA)
Day 19 – 22/12/08	SIN (home sweet home, after almost 3 weeks! )