Pakse travel guide

Getting around

Tuk-tuks and saamlors are the main means of local transport and can be chartered for half a day for about US$5. The main tuk-tuk ‘terminal’ is at the Daoheung market. Cars, motorbikes and bicycles are available for hire from some hotels and tour companies. The town’s roads are numbered as if they were highways: No 1 road through to No 46 road.

Air

To Vientiane, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, check with Lao Airlines for the latest information; it has offices at the airport and by the river in town, T031-212252. Bangkok Airways also runs flights direct to/from Bangkok a couple of times a week, US$140 1-way.

Boat

Boats are much more irregular now that the roads have improved. Boats to Champasak are on again-off again. Ask around to see what the latest status is. If you have enough people and money it is possible to charter a boat to Don Khong or Champasak, contact Mr Boun My, T020-563 1008.

Bus

You can charter a tuk-tuk to the airport, northern bus station or southern bus station for about 30,000 kip. To get to the VIP bus station, 2 km from the town centre, at talaat lak song, costs about 10,000 kip.

Northern terminal

7 km north of town on Route 13. Local buses leave hourly 0800-1500 to Savannakhet, 5-6 hrs, 30,000 kip; to Thakhek, 8-9 hrs, 60,000 kip; to Lak Sao, 8-9 hrs, 75,000 kip; to Vientiane, 16-18 hrs, 85,000 kip. Local buses can be painfully slow due to the number of stops they make. For those heading to Vientiane it makes more sense to pay a couple of extra dollars and get on the much quicker and more comfortable VIP bus at the VIP station.

Southern terminal

8 km south of town of Route 13. There are regular connections with Champasak; stay on the bus if you are travelling to Wat Phou . Ask for Ban Lak Sarm Sip (translates as ‘village 30 km’), here there is a signpost and you turn right and travel 4 km towards Ban Muang (5 km). In the village there are people selling tickets for the ferry. Local buses coming through from Vientiane provide the main means of transport to other destinations down south, so can be slightly off kilter. Buses depart for Salavan, 4 daily, 2-3 hrs, 20,000 kip. This is a good alternative for those wishing to head to Tad Lo, 20,000 kip, just make sure that the bus is taking Route 20 (not Route 23) and that the driver understands you want to get off at the junction. Songthaews to the Bolaven Plateau; Paksong, 5 morning departures, 20,000 kip; Tad Fan, 5 morning departures, 1 hr, 15,000 kip; Tha Theng, 5 morning departures, 20,000 kip; A songthaew leaves for Ban Kiet Ngong at 1300, 2-3 hrs, 20,000 kip.

Buses/songthaews leave for Siphandon between 1000 and 1400 (Muang Khong) 3-4 hrs, 35,000 kip; for Ban Nakasang (the closest port to Don Deth/Don Khone) several departures between 0730 and 1400, 3-4 hrs, 30,000 kip. Several of the buses to Ban Nakasang also stop at Ban Hat Xai Khoune (the stop-off for Don Khong). Make sure that you let the bus/ songthaew driver know that you are going to Ban Nakasang or Ban Hat Xai Khoune rather than saying the name of the islands.

A more comfortable alternative to Siphandon is to take the minivan service to Don Deth/Don Khong offered by Lane Xang Travel, 2 hrs, 60,000 kip. This is highly recommended as, once you have paid all the fees involved with local transport, it costs about the same. It is also a shorter trip.

VIP bus terminal

Near the football stadium and Talaat Lak Song, T031-212228, just off Route 13. VIP buses to Ubon (Thailand) leave twice a day, ฿200; VIP seat buses leave for Vientiane at 2000 arriving at 0600 (stopping in Thakhek en route), 150,000 kip. A VIP sleeping bus with comfy beds, duvet, cake and films leaves at 0830 arriving in Vientiane at 0600 (stopping en route to Thakhek), 150,000 kip. The beds are double, so unless you book 2 spaces you might end up sleeping next to a stranger. If you are tall ask for a bed towards the back of the bus. Make sure you secure your belongings on any of the overnight buses, as some passengers have sticky fingers.

Songthaews

Dao Heung market, the morning market, has regular songthaews for Champasak in the morning, 15,000 kip.

Motorbike/bicycle

Sabaidy 2. Rents motorbikes with insurance for US$8 for the 1st day and US$7 for consecutive days. The Lankham Hotel, off Rd 13, rents bicycles for US$1 per day, standard small bikes US$8 and larger dirt bikes US$20 per day.

Tuk-tuk/saamlor

A tuk-tuk to the northern bus station should cost 30,000 kip. Shared tuk-tuks to local villages leave from the Daoheung market and from the stop on No 11 Rd near the jetty. Tuk-tuks can also be chartered by the hour.

Banks

BCEL Bank, No 11 Rd (beside the river), changes US$ and most currencies, and offers a better commission rate on cash exchange than other banks, also Visa/ MasterCard cash advances at 3% commission, Mon-Fri 0830-1530, they have a MasterCard only ATM; Lao Development Bank, No 13 Rd, T031-212168, cash and TCs exchanged; there is a branch of the Lao Viet Bank on the main road but it only changes TCs and cash, open Mon-Fri 0830-1530.

Embassies and consulates

Vietnam, No 24 Rd, Mon-Fri 0800-1300, 1400-1630, visas for Vietnam cost US$50 and take 3 days, so you are better off organizing your Vietnamese visa in Vientiane.

Internet

Expect to pay around 200 kip per min but discounts kick in usually after 1 hr: D@M’s Internet & Email Service, No 13 Rd.

Medical services

There is a huge hospital between No 1 Rd and No 46 Rd, T031-212 018, but neither their English skills nor medical service will suffice for complex cases; in case of emergencies go across to Ubon in Thailand; there is a pretty good pharmacy at the hospital that stocks most medications.

Police

T031-212145.

Post office

No 8 Rd, overseas telephone calls can also be made from here.

Telephone

Telecommuni- cations office for fax and overseas calls on No 1 Rd, near No 13 Rd; all internet cafés have Skype.