The step of finding a French-speaking tourism agency and / or a French speaking local guide for our 15 days tour in Laos, was fairly quick and conclusive. Indeed, French-speaking local agencies are few in Laos , which limits the choice and makes the task faster.
As a reminder, we are two couples from the end of October 2019 in Laos with the last 3 days in Cambodia. We had already developed our itinerary before questioning the agencies and local guides so that the latter can offer us a quote adapted to our needs, in particular for private transport (guides and / or private drivers).
15 days tour in Laos - How to get around Laos?
With a very underdeveloped rail network, roads in poor condition, and the possibility of renting a car that is strongly discouraged, the organization of transport was not going to be easy ... The best solution was the "comfortable" solution of choosing private transport. As a last solution, we could also consider bus and / or plane trips for certain routes. However, we decided to first consider doing our tour with a English speaking driver-guide or with a Private Driver + a French speaking local guide on certain sites only (see our contacts below).
15-day tour in Laos - Reminder of my itinerary
- Day 01: Luang Prabang
- 02 Day: Luang Prabang - Pak Ou
- Day 03: Luang Prabang - Kuang Si
- Day 04: Luang Prabang - Tad Sae
- Day 05: Luang Prabang - Nong Khiaw - Muang Ngoi
- Day 06: Muong Ngoi - Pak Ou - Luang Prabang
- Day 07: Luang Prabang - Thick
- Day 08: Pakse - Bolovens Plateau
- Day 09: Bolovens Plateau
- Day 10: Bolovens Plateau - 4000 islands
- Day 11: Khone Islands
- Day 12: Khong Islands - Siem Reap
- Day 13: Siem Reap - Angkor Temples
- Day 14: Angkor Grand Circuit
- Day 15: Siem Reap - Tonlé Lake
Why an agency or a local French-speaking guide in Laos?
First of all, in principle, I prefer to make the local agencies well-established countries or small agencies rather than large global tourism groups which often tend to exploit locals. I believe that it is more normal that the economy resulting from the tourism of a country returns directly to the country and thus benefits the inhabitants of the countries that I visit. In addition, in terms of skills, a local agency will know its country and its tourist sites better than an international tourism agency ...
Benefits of a local guide
Un local guide will save time for its customers. Indeed, in general, he knows all the tricks, will book tickets in advance, will know around what time it is best to visit the site, will know the transport times and will combine everything to optimize your time ...
Un English speaking guide will communicate to you information, comments, anecdotes which will make the visits much more interesting and entertaining. Finally, he can give you opportunities to discover his country outside of the tourist classics. It can personalize and make your trip unique and unforgettable.
Finally, the last reason I usually go through a local agency is because their services are often cheaper than with tourist agencies established in France or in Europe ...
How to find an agency or a local French-speaking guide in Laos?
For our 15 days tour, given the distances to be covered, the most practical is to combine a French speaking local guide on some sites + a cprivate driver for the whole route. So I looked on travel forums and on specialized websites to get a list of local agencies or independent guides serious and reliable that can meet our needs.
Rather than contacting as many agencies and guides as possible, I eliminated from my list those whose ratings were not good… Then for the others, I submitted the same draft itinerary and asked them for a precise and detailed estimate.
Upon receipt of the quotes, I was able to compare, discuss, explore certain points and, for some, negotiate the price. As it takes a long time, I will give you the email addresses of the only agencies and guides that I contacted:
- Ly from Amica Travel: nguyen.ly@amicatravel.com
- Sandrine from Laos otherwise: contact@laosautrement.com
- Thom from Tonkin Voyage: thom@tonkinvoyage.com
- Thongsavanh Lu: muanglaotour@gmail.com
- Phouy guide in Luang Prabang: phouy@gmail.com Tel. +856 20 52323300
- Bounpheng: bp.sivilay@gmail.com
- Huong from Motaiba: info@motaiba.com
I kept the best agency for the end since I can affirm that it is theMotaÏba agency who was able to best meet our expectations even if in the end we did not take an agency ...
Huong from Motaiba: info@motaiba.com - www.motaiba.com - www.facebook.com/motaibatravel
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