Product Description
The most comprehensive handbook to one of Southeast Asia's least-known destinations. Features include detailed coverage of all sights, up-to-the-minute listings of the best places to eat and stay, practical guidance on exploring the remote northern hill villages, full-colour photos and more than 30 detailed maps.
Excerpted from Laos: the Rough Guide by Jeff Cranmer, Steven Martin. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
When to go
November to January are the most pleasant months to travel in lowland Laos, when daytime temperatures are agreeably warm and evenings are slightly chilly, necessitating a lightweight jacket. However, at higher elevations temperatures are significantly cooler, sometimes dropping to freezing point - a heavy coat is a must. In February, temperatures begin to climb, reaching a peak in April, when the lowlands are baking-hot and humid. During this time, the highlands are, for the most part, equally hot if a bit less humid than the lowlands, though there are places, such as Pakxong on the Bolaven Plateau, that have a temperate climate year round. Generally, the rains begin in May and last until September. This is important to keep in mind, as the rainy season affects the condition of Laos's network of unpaved roads, some of which become impassable after the rains begin. On the other hand, rivers which may be too low to navigate during the dry season become important transport routes after the rains have caused water levels to rise.
