Travelling from Laos through southern China (Yunnan and Guangxi) Advice??

Glitter&Trauma

Hi,

So I'm planning on travelling from Laos, (Vientiane or maybe somewhere further North) to Kunming, then towards Nanning and then south to Hanoi in Vietnam in the summer. Just wondering if anyone has been to any of these areas and would reccommed places to see/avoid and what type of transport to take?

Thanks.

Jugs82

I'm planning on travelling from Laos, (Vientiane or maybe somewhere further North) to Kunming

Thats a fairly extreme, gruelling journey in my opinion if your looking at doing it overland

Lao Airlines fly Vietianne - Kumming - i know ppl will say avoid Loa Air but ive flown with them twice and had no problems

I know ppl who went Luang Prabang - Hanoi - Nanning. That been said the bus journey from Nanning to Hanoi is not at all recommended - its 36hrs - ish and a real test of character (packed buses, live chickens, v.hot, brutal roads) but a good story afterwards thats just what ive heard from friends, i never took the route

If im getting you right, your looking to go Laos - China - Vietnam??
Id defintely get a flight to Kumming but i think it would be a real pity for you not to see Luang Pranang in Northern Laos, it really is beautiful...

As for places to see:

Laos - 4000 islands in the south (overnight bus from Vietianne) Don Det is one of the main islands and its stunning - no electricity except for 3hrs in the evening and the ppl are really nice, v.relaxing place

As already mentioned, Luang Prabang - lots of Monks and a really cool place

Champasak - on the way back from 4000 islands - amazing temples, scenery and overall great place to spend a few days

Vietianne, the capital is in my opinion a really nice city but others think its boring, i enjoyed my week or so there, nice cafes, restaurants & bars

Also, very important - the best beer in SE Asia - Beer Lao

Not sure about China (Nanning & Kumming) never there..

Hanoi - Halong Bay - an absolute must, easy to organise a tour from Hanoi, just make sure you pick one a tour agent that you trust, shop around a little

Sapa is cool for trekking in the north

as for the rest of Vietnam, i could go on forever but Hoi An & The Mekong Delta are peronal favourites - avoid Danang, absolute ****hole

Enjoy your trip, you'll have a blast - remember, getting from one place to the next can be a real adventure but also half the fun

RATM

I travelled from Kumming to Luang Prabang a few years back, feckin' rough travel to say the least, 3 diff mountain ranges to cross and the roads are in absolute bits. Bring Valiumn if you want to get any sleep.
It took me 28 hours and 3 bus changes, and its not even a massive distance. Worth the experience though I wouldnt recommend it if you are a grumpy traveler.