Hi guys,

Am planning to go to Laos in April and was hoping to get some info about a direct bus from Kunming to Laos. schedule? prices? how long does it take including the stop at the border?

thnx!

According to the website of the Kunming Busterminals, there is a daily bus from KM to Luang Prabang at 18:30: www.km-ky.com/2010/0208/108.html I have seen the bus at the southern bust terminal, so it is running. Timewise it will take about 30 hours and cost some Y400+.

Alternatively, you could catch a bus to Mohan, right on the Lao border, again according to that website a daily sleeper bus. The time table posted in Mohan says that this bus costs Y240.

From Mohan you could cross the border yourself and get onward transport (via minibus) to Luang Namtha, Udomxay and beyond. Or you can catch a bus from Mohan to Vientiane (two busses in the morning, Y200), Luang Prabang (Y100, one bus in the morning), Luang Namtha (3 busses over the day Y25), or the Thai border (billed as Golden Triangle, one morning, one afternoon bus for Y110). All this according to timetable posted in Mohan busstation.

Plenty of cheapo hotels in Mohan should you choose to stay overnight, plus at least one gigantic pink casino-style hotel (used no-doubtable only for legit pursuits) over on the Boten side.

if you want to break up the trip, you can take one of the many
buses daily to jinghong (about 200 rmb). from jinghong, there
is a daily (except sunday) 6:40 am bus to huay xai for 120 rmb

passing thru mohan/boten and luang namtha.

I do not recommend the direct bus to Luang Prabang. Many of my friends who have been on that bus got pick pocketed ; Ipod, camera, purse......they attack when you are sleeping. Totally unsafe.
It depends on which part of Laos you want to get to. My advice is to get a cheap airticket, RMB350 to Xishuangbana, stay a night there (rmb50 for two single beds) and take the early bus the next morning to Huayside. When I travelled to Huayside by the bus, we took 12 hours instead of 9 because they were constructing the highway.Hence, we used the coastal road. My, my, what an experience.Just be careful and be alert when you are traveling. Good luck!