2-Day 1-Night Sleeping Bus Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang

The overland option for getting from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang without a flight and without two days on a boat. You travel by van to the Lao border during the day, cross at Huay Xai, and board a sleeping bus in the late afternoon. The bus drives through the night on the mountain roads of northern Laos and reaches Luang Prabang early the following morning. It suits travellers on a tighter schedule who are happy to sleep on the move.

The first day starts with a morning pickup in Chiang Mai and a drive of around five to six hours to Chiang Khong. You exit Thailand there, take the shuttle over the Friendship Bridge and get your Lao entry stamp and visa on arrival at Huay Xai. There is time to eat and change money before the sleeping bus leaves the Huay Xai bus station in the late afternoon.

The bus has seats that fold flat into narrow beds, usually arranged in pairs, with blankets and pillows provided. It makes a few stops for food and toilets along the way. The ride takes roughly fourteen to fifteen hours and ends at the northern bus terminal in Luang Prabang around sunrise, from where tuk-tuks run into town.

This is a transport package rather than a guided tour: staff make sure you get on the right van, through the border and onto the right bus. Bring your own snacks, water and something warm.