Border bounce to Huay Xai, Laos
Knowing where the closest borders are to you when in Thailand, especially if planning to stay awhile is very necessary. If you are looking for a cheap and easy border to bounce near Chiang Mai , Thailand (or northern Thailand in general) then Huay Xai, Laos is one of your best options.
Border bounce vs Visa run
I will start out by explaining the difference between a border bounce and a visa run.
A border bounce is simply hopping over to another county by land or foot to reset your visa on arrival or extension thereafter and get right back into Thailand. This can be done in a day or longer depending on the country you enter (Malaysia for example will have you stay a night or two before entering back into Thailand).
A visa run is a trip you make to another country where you visit for an extended amount of time. While you are in that country, you would apply for a Thailand visa which would grant you a longer stay.
How to border bounce from northern Thailand..
Take a 6 hour bus from Chiang Mai Terminal 2 to Chiang Khong, Thailand which sits on the Laos border connected by Laos’ newest friendship bridge no. 4.
You can book your bus ticket for 350 baht per person on http://greenbusthailand.com using the english version of the website (could take a few minutes to load so patience is required). If you rather book in person, head directly to the bus station near Central Festival mall at the northeast side of Old City.
You will want to book your bus tickets ahead of time to ensure your spot on the bus AND the return trip back. If you wait until the last minute, you risk having to stay more days than you planned or leave later than you wanted. The bus only departs once a day in the morning from each location so seats can fill up fast especially during peak season.
Prepare to spend at least one night on the Mekong River.
If you would like to look at other modes of transportation or do not mind paying a few extra bucks to skip having to use the greenbus website, you can also book your tickets through the 1,2Go website here. http://12go.co
In my case, I needed to border bounce to a country that would allow me to get back to Chiang Mai quickly as we had another trip planned. We opted to stay on the Thailand side of the Mekong (Chiang Khong) due to it being our first ever border run and wanting to ensure a seamless return back to Chiang Mai.
We chose to stay in Chiang Khong Teak Hotel which is beautiful and peaceful 5 star hotel that included free full service breakfast. It was also near a 24hour restaurant, right on the river and had options for massages, hot springs and swimming which provided lots do to in the small town over the weekend.
Hopping over the border and into Laos
Hopping over the border was painless. The bus will drop you off at a bus stop alongside the road in Chiang Khong where tuktuk drivers are ready to take you to the border. We paid 150 baht per person for the ride and didn’t think twice about another mode of transportation after sitting on the bus for so long
When we arrived at the border, I pulled out baht to pay for any fees we might incur crossing over. There is an atm in front of the gate before you enter the passport services checkpoint.
Leaving the Thai side, there were no fees. We filled out departure/arrival papers, got stamped out and went straight up to the bus counter where we paid 30 baht per person for the bus to take us across the bridge.
Once we crossed over the bridge, we walked to the Laos immigration counter where they had departure and arrival forms to fill out. We paid 1700 baht per person (an extra few bucks if you did not bring your passport pictures) and were then stamped into Laos.
As soon as we got stamped in, we walked out of the gate and straight back into the entrance to stamp back into Thailand. From there, we got on the bus and headed back over the bridge for another 30 baht per person.
All in all, it took about an hour to complete the border bounce. There were 15-20 people exiting Thailand into Laos with us and more than half of them stayed in Huay Xai, Laos for the weekend.
When we got back over the bridge, we used the taxi service to take us to our hotel about 20 minutes up the river and enjoyed the rest of our weekend walking around the small town and resting from the hot sun in cute local cafes.
Overall we enjoyed the efficiency in the trip, the welcoming energy of the locals and the ease in hopping over the border for a safe return.
