Travelling from Chiang Mai to Laos can be easy because Laos is a neighbouring country to Thailand. The fastest way to get there is by plane and you can fly direct from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang daily. There are no direct flights to the capital Vientiane but you can either fly via Bangkok or direct to Udon Thani and then transfer by bus across the border. From the airport at Udon Thani there is a bus waiting to take travellers to the border and there are good value taxis to take you from the border to the city. Check the border requirements for passports before going as sometimes they don't allow certain nationalities to cross.

The most common (and the cheapest) way travellers enter Laos is by bus. There are both mini vans and larger, slower buses going from Chiang Mai to Vientiane. Almost all of the buses run overnight, most leaving at 19:00 from Chiang Mai and arriving at the border at 6:00 or 7:00 the next morning. Depending on the company the total journey can take between 14 -18 hours and costs around 1,000 Baht. You can book the minivans or buses at most guest houses or at the Arcade bus station.