Travel from Phnom Penh to Pakse

There is no train line from Phnom Penh to Pakse in Laos, but you can travel there direct by minivan. It’s a journey of nearly 600 km which takes all day. The views on the way from Phnom Penh to Pakse, however, are good and make the journey seem shorter than it really is.

Travel Times to Pakse

There is 1 daily direct minivan service from Phnom Penh to Pakse which you can book online.

• The exact arrival time of the service may vary because it is difficult to predict exactly how long it will take for all the passengers to pass through passport control.

Buy Tickets to Pakse

Use the Search Box below to buy your tickets from Phnom Penh to Pakse.

NB: After booking make sure you print out the electronic booking voucher to show the transport operator before you board the service.

Phnom Penh AVT Bus Stop

• Asia Van Transfer services to Pakse depart from Koh Tral Street (Street 65), Phnom Penh.

Pakse AVT bus stop

• The final stop for Asia Van Transfer services from Phnom Penh to Pakse is Street no. 24 in Pakse town centre.

About Pakse

Pakse is the largest town in Southern Laos, located mostly inside a bend in the Xe Don River at the point where it flows into the Mekong River. Pakse is a transport hub where long distance bus services arrive and depart from and an access point for the nearby Bolaven Plateau and onward travel to the Si Phan Don or 4,000 Islands. region in Laos.

Pakse receives a relatively large number of tourists and whilst the town itself has few attractions to visit it does have good facilities for tourists, unlike many other provincial towns in Laos where the standard of the hotels and restaurants can be disappointing and the lack of English language skills makes them less accessible to foreign visitors. Pakse, by way of contrast, has an established tourist district around Road No.13, some very pleasant riverside bars, and a range of hotels, some reaching the same standard as you might expect of branded hotel chain.

The journey by bus and ferry from Pakse to Don Det, in the 4,000 Islands region, takes around 3 hours 30. If you want to tour around the Bolaven Plateau, however, you really need to hire your vehicle or go on a tour. You can get a bus onto the Bolaven Plateau but you won’t see much because of the time it takes you to walk between the popular places to visit.

The Bolaven Plateau has lots of waterfalls, villages and scenic viewpoints which are spread out across a large area. Most visitors choose to go for 2 days staying in Tad Lo for the night before heading back to Pakse the next day via a different route.

Next read about Travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh