Luang Prabang International Airport

I love airports.

While some people may see them as a necessary evil in the process of travelling I enjoy everything about being in one, from the checking in,  the queuing for immigration and the sometimes dubious quality of the food,  I find it all intensely interesting and exciting. Although that may be mostly because it means I’m travelling somewhere.

But not all airports are created equal and I’ve had most experiences ranging from the sublime butterfly park at Singapore’s Changi to the ridiculousness of having to physically battle rats attempting to steal my bags on a small Caribbean Island. To me the best airport is one that quickly and efficiently moves me to the outside world after I’ve landed and guides me quickly and efficiently to my plane, with a comfortable place to sit before it takes off on time. Luang Prabang airport manages to find its place comfortably between rats and butterflies.

If you are flying into Luang Prabang you now have the pleasure of arriving at the new terminal. A definite step up from the old one in terms of cleanliness and efficiency, it sits an easy 15 minute drive from the tourist centre of town. In fact it’s so close that on quiet evenings you can hear the aircraft taxiing on the runway.

When you arrive, depending on your aircraft, you may find yourself using the new airbridge or still climbing down the ladder and walking across the tarmac. If you exit via airbridge simply follow the signs down to immigration, if you are on the tarmac then head to the far right end of the terminal building and look for the door marked international arrivals. It is literally the last door before you run out of building. Should you be arriving by domestic flight then you are looking for the second last door, enabling you to bypass immigration.

Once at immigration you will likely be joining the visa on arrival queue. If you have your paperwork already filled out, a passport photo available and your visa fee in US dollars ($10 & $1 notes, exact change makes it so much easier) then it’s a pretty straight forward exercise. Get your entry visa pasted into your passport, join the immigration queue and you’re in. One advantage, at the time of writing, of smaller aircraft being the norm into Luang Prabang is that the queues are relatively short, always a pleasant thing.

Collect your passport and you’ll find yourself looking at the two luggage carousels. Not many options for getting lost here and it’s unusual to have to wait for your bag very long. Another of the advantages of small planes. With your bag in hand simply walk through the exit door and you’re in Laos.

This is where you will first be introduced to one of the best things about Laos, the lack of high pressure tourism.

You will be faced by the normal “people holding signs with names on them” but they are there to pick up specific people. There is no one offering to carry your bags, offering the best taxi or the greatest guesthouse. There is no crush of people offering their services, either inside the terminal or outside. There aren’t even tuktuks queued up to take you into town. If you need a ride,  and it is a bit too far to walk,  then head towards the counter to the left of the exit doors and tell the person where you want to go. The name of your accommodation and the address would be good here, if you know it, otherwise just say that you want to get to the main street. They will charge you 50,000 kip or $6 usd for up to 3 people for the trip. You pay this at the counter, not to the van driver who will be called over. It’s all above board and a fair price, don’t think that you’re being ripped off just because it’s the only option.

You can change cash at a counter to the left of the van one, assuming that there is someone working or there are ATMs just outside the door that take the usual array of cards. If you are looking for a local sim card, which are cheap and easy to use, there are plenty of places in town to buy one, which is fortunate since you can’t get one at the airport.

From here you will be whisked into town in air-conditioned comfort, possibly the last you’ll get depending on your choice of accommodation.

 

Leaving Luang Prabang is just as easy.

This is not an airport where you need to be there 3 hours before your plane leaves. Entering the airport you have few options for getting lost so it’s not difficult to find the check-in counters. Checking in is the same as at any other airport, just keep in mind the size of the aircraft. You may be able to bully your way on with a piece of oversized carry-on luggage in a lot of places but they will take it off you at the bottom of the aircraft stairs here if they think there is any chance of it not fitting into the very small overhead lockers.

After check-in it’s just a step to the right to find immigration. Having kept the departure part of the immigration form you completed on arrival you will be able to bypass the desk that always has a couple of people who have been sent over to fill one in. Immigration and security are fast and efficient,  I have departed from this airport many times and the whole procedure from arrival at the airport to sitting down in the departure lounge has never taken me more than 15 or 20 minutes.

So now you find yourself in the departure area and able to explore the wonders that are Luang Prabang International Airport. This should kill 10 minutes.

If at this point you still have Laos kip on you then you have a few options.

Keep it as a souvenir. It is unique.

Put it into the donation box. It will do some good in the country.

Buy an overpriced souvenir. There are a couple of souvenir stores but if you don’t have enough by now then you’ve been doing it wrong.

Buy a coke and a sandwich or some fried rice. Yes, a little overpriced but you will not find any other option for food this side of security. No Starbucks, Burger King or Cinnabon, only a few sandwiches in plastic containers and a fridge of cold drinks.

The thing to remember is that Laos currency is not exchangeable outside Laos. If you still have it when you get on the plane then you will have it forever, or until you come back. Don’t have a couple of hundred dollars worth expecting to be able to change it in Thailand or Vietnam or whatever your next stop is,  it’s not going to happen.

The departure area is easy to negotiate. No long walks looking for your gate, just upstairs if you are using the bridge and downstairs if it’s the tarmac walk. Keep an ear out for the announcements, they are in Laos first and then in English and the English can be a little heavily accented. Good luck finding somewhere to plug in if you need to charge up, better to have done that sort of preparation before hand,  luckily the wait is short and the flights even shorter.

So that’s it really…keep your Laos cash to a minimum,  if you’re hungry then eat before you head to the airport,  be prepared for fast clean and efficient processing and stop to take a last look to Luang Prabang before you enter the airport,  it’s worth it.