Get Lost in Laos

The Real Deal: Round trip airfare, 14 nights' accommodations, and local transportation from $1,399 per person

When: Depart Sept. 7, 2006; Oct. 5, 19

Gateways: Los Angeles, Portland (Ore.), San Francisco, Seattle; New York City (add $100)

Details: Hotel taxes and some breakfasts are included; budget about $8 daily for meals. Additional airport taxes and fuel surcharges total $210 per person. A $135 cash payment is made to the trip leader on arrival to cover local expenses. Visas are required for U.S. citizens: the Thailand visa is free and is obtained upon arrival at the Bangkok airport; the Laos visa is $35 and can be obtained upon arrival or in advance by contacting your local embassy. The group is limited to 18 people

Book By: July 31, 2006

Contact: Adventure Center, 510/654-1879, adventurecenter.com

The escorted tour includes round-trip airfare to Bangkok, Thailand, on award-winning Cathay Pacific and a 14-night stay. After a first night in Bangkok--home to both ancient temples and flashy skyscrapers--the group takes an overnight train and spends a night in Thailand's second-largest city, Chiang Mai, known for its night markets. Next is a night in the Laotian border town of Houay Xai and then a boat ride through the jungle to Pakbeng for one night.

Travel again by boat to Luang Prabang, a charming World Heritage site with 500-year-old wats (temples), for a two-night stay. The next two nights are spent near the Plain of Jars, a field strewn with thousands of large mysterious stone jars. After a two-night stay in Vang Vieng, a riverside town with rice paddies and caves, head to the laid-back capital, Vientiane, for one night, before boarding an overnight train back to Bangkok for the final evening.

Be prepared to live like a local! This trip is for hearty souls and calls for lots of walking and an openness to a variety of sights, smells, and foods. No-frills accommodations are typically double rooms in modest, family-run properties. Local transportation is by bus, overnight train, a riverboat on the Mekong, tuk tuks (three-wheel motorcycle taxis) and songtheows (pickup trucks). The train's air conditioned sleeper carriages are outfitted with bunk beds.

Visit adventurecenter.com for a detailed, day-by-day itinerary and tips on what to pack. Rremember you'll be lugging bags along train platforms and into boats, and storage space can be limited.

The lowest round-trip fare we've found between Los Angeles and Bangkok is $804 (China Airlines) in early September. For only about $600 more, Adventure Center supplies two weeks' accommodations, all the transportation, and an English-speaking guide.

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