Price of a trip to Laos
How much does it cost to travel to Laos?
This is obviously one of the main concerns when you're thinking about your future travel plans. That's why we've put together this detailed article to give you an insight into the costs of your trip to Laos.
Some general information on prices in Laos
Reports often distort the reality of a country. In Laos, you can imagine travelling for $20 and paying $1 for a meal. That may have been true 20 years ago, but not any more. Laos has changed enormously since the year 2000, when our designers began to spot the country from all angles. The cost of living is higher than in Vietnam and Thailand, and close to that of Cambodia and Burma.
We'll explain why: Laos is a landlocked country, isolated in the mountains and with no access to the sea. Because it produces very few products, Laos is a ‘buyer's country’, with 90% of the products sold in Laos coming from neighbouring countries. Transport costs and the reseller's margin must therefore be added to the original price.
By analogy, there are also price differences between European countries. A trip to Switzerland, Denmark or Norway costs more than a trip to France, Spain, Greece or Portugal.
Since 2022 and the global economic crisis, Laos has been hard hit, with an inflation rate of 40.8% between January 2022 and March 2023. (Laotian Times 21 April 2023). Many of the costs involved in organising our tours have therefore increased, which has a direct impact on the final price of your trip.
Here are some example of costs includes in your trip
1. Cost of transport: Your private minivan
90% of minivans operating in Laos are manufactured in Thailand. Their original price is around $25,000. To reach the Laotian dealer who will sell it, you have to add the cost of transport and crossing the border, import taxes in Laos and the Laotian dealer's margin, all of which adds up to the final price of $37,000 sold in Laos. The same applies to spare parts and vehicle maintenance. As a result, the daily cost of the same vehicle is much higher in Laos than in Thailand.
2. The cost of a French-speaking guide
First of all, a French-speaking guide is better paid than an English-speaking guide. The market is smaller and speaking French is an added value for a guide. Depending on the difficulty of the day, in town or on a trek and in the provinces, he will be paid between 65 and 75 USD per day.
3. Accommodation
With 450,000 visitors a year, Luang Prabang is in great demand. During the high season, the city's 350 or so hotels are often fully booked. Prices range from 55 USD to 1,000 USD per night, depending on the type of accommodation required. The average price for a charming hotel with a swimming pool is between 80 and 180 USD per night. Fortunately, nights in local guesthouses and homestays are much cheaper, which means we can balance the overall cost of our offer to keep it affordable while offering a varied itinerary.
4. The cost of a staple food: chicken
Because Laotian chickens are scarce, most restaurants in the towns import this meat from Thailand. In its country of origin, a vacuum-packed chicken costs around $5. Once imported into Laos, it costs between $8 and $10.
When you spend the night at a local's house eating fresh meat, logic would dictate that the chicken should be cheaper because it's from the countryside. But no, it costs between $12 and $15 a piece. The reason is that the locals cook their own chickens, those they have bred for food, and there are not many of them. What's more, they live a long way from the towns, where food is rarer and therefore more expensive.
How much will my tailor-made trip to Laos with a legitimate local agency cost?
To sum up, a tour for a small group of 4 people costs an average of $160 to $200 per person per day. That's $1,120 to $1,400 for the week, depending on the options and, above all, the number of participants.
For a couple, it's more like $220 to $260 per day per person for a tour from north to south. Less if the tour stays in the north without internal flights. Also, the Mekong cruise is expensive because you'll be on a private boat for two, so we have a few tips for reducing the overall price if we cover the same area and avoid the Mekong cruise.
If you're travelling alone via a local agency (which we don't often organise because it's very expensive), then you'll have to cover all the fixed costs, and by the same token, the more participants you have, the more you'll have to share. Take the example of a private minivan, which costs around $170 per day. If you're on your own, it will cost $170 (*+ fixed agency fees + taxes) per day just for the minivan (without your guide, nights, activities, boats, visits, etc.), if there are 2 of you, it will represent $85* of your budget for the day, and if there are 4 of you, it will only represent $42.5* of the budget for the day per person.
Fixed costs include the services of the guide and driver, their food and accommodation, the minivan, petrol, boats, agency charges and government taxes.
All taxes included
As you will have understood, travelling to Laos with a serious and legal travel agency has its costs but guarantees you an unforgettable stay (visit our agency's TripAdvisor page) full of great adventures and encounters in complete serenity. The risk you take in looking for the cheapest price is a sign of a mass tourism-oriented trip which, once on the ground, will not offer anything original.
ORLA Tours Laos has its offices right in the centre of Luang Prabang, on the main road running through the town. Representing the country at various national and international events, we are known by the local authorities as an exemplary agency with a good international reputation.
Before each tour departure, the tourism office and the tourism police must validate and stamp all the documents relating to your group. This is a bit like the iceberg of your trip, these things you don't have to see, but by travelling with us, we guarantee you a safe and well supervised holiday.