Field notes: Northern Laos by high-speed train

I tripped over dung, stumbling through layers of paper-dry leaves as I dodged an oncoming elephant.

“Elephants never step in their own poo!” my guide Mr Yeng underlined. Neither do they shatter the peace of the forest floor. “The reason they don’t make much noise is they don’t have kneecaps. They walk like a ninja,” Mr Yeng told me.

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Mr Yeng’s encyclopaedic know-how of Asian elephants accompanied me as we followed 57-year-old Mae Sahn, and younger Mae Lamb, on foot as they brunched on bananas, acacia and sugar cane in teak and rosewood forest. I was at MandaLao, a sanctuary for protected pachyderms outside the beautiful temple town of Luang Prabang, in northern Laos.

During my stroll with the elephants, I learnt these female jumbos are two of 500 captive Elephas maximus in Laos. Only a dwindling 300 or so remain in the wild. MandaLao rescues elephants from the logging trade or from elephant riding tourist camps, and the sanctuary’s plan is to ensure this endangered mammal’s long-term survival.

Elephants are symbols of sanctity and prosperity in Laos and were revered by the region’s ancient kings. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the country’s high-speed train, which opened in 2021, is named ‘Lane Xang’ meaning ‘Land of a Million Elephants’.

And it’s this railway that I’m here to explore.

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I start my journey in the south, in capital Vientiane, where the railway begins. The tracks travel 257 miles through the rugged limestone peaks of northern Laos all the way to the Chinese border, cutting travel times to an nth of what they used to be on the packed buses that twist around high-altitude serpentine mountain roads.

Vientiane is often overlooked by travellers, but I love its vibe: French-style cafes, great coffee, street food stalls, exquisite temples, and buildings of colonial rule. And I love to explore its low-key, funky bars and river promenade, facing a wide bend of the Mekong River, during its humid nights.

Luang Prabang doesn’t have all the elephants – in fact, I begin my first morning in Vientiane by discovering two life-like statues of trumpeting Asian eles, garlanded in marigold necklaces, guarding the walls of Wat Chan, a large Buddhist temple facing the Mekong.

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I returned to the trainline for my journey to Vang Vieng. The Lao-China Railway Service is super sleek, highly organised, and runs like clockwork. Airport-style security means no liquids are allowed through. Queues (with no jostling) are formed for first- and second-class carriages when the Tannoy calls for boarding. Passengers then walk on to the platform and are asked to wait by a marshall before carriage doors open. There’s zero pushing and shoving. Stewardesses help with large luggage. The carriages are spacious and ultra clean, and each wagon has two spotless loos (one squat and one sit-down).

The train snorted as it ducked into tunnels and my short journey to Vang Vieng was peppered with the sound of Lao, Thai, and Chinese answering their pinging mobile phones.

My home in Vang Vieng was the Riverside Boutique Resort, the loveliest hotel on the sage-green Song River. From here the views of the lofty limestone peaks which surround Vang Vieng are sublime. The sunsets are worth the trip alone. But so is the mulberry mojito served at the organic farm upriver with its garden sloping down to the water.

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The train zoomed past contoured paddy fields, golden stupas, buffalos chewing the rice cud and over wide rivers to take me to Muang Xai in the far north. Muang Xai was little visited by tourists before the train drew in for the first time in December 2021. Today, it’s the gateway for mountain walks to visit ethnic minorities with two very beautiful places to stay.

I stayed at beautiful and stylish Nam Kat Yorla Pa. A riverside retreat, with an infinity swimming pool overlooking bamboo jungle, its spacious wooden bungalows buried in the greenery are perfect hideaways in these northern mountains.

From here I trekked to Hmong, Khmu, and Akha minority villages with my guides. In the Khmu village of Ban Phavie I tried my hand at a local task – banging a coal lump-sized seed perforated with holes to release nuts – Maku nuts for market.

The locals were speedy, focused, and efficient. I didn’t quite have the knack as I thumped a seed down on a pillar without much success! Later my guide made me a Maku nut and avocado sandwich. The Maku nut butter tasted like peanut but has a more intense flavour.

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Back on the train south to Luang Prabang I spoke to passengers who told me the new train was good for business. Another said it was quick and exciting and great news for Laos. The train to the UNESCO-protected town was busy with Thai tourists, Lao passengers and a handful of foreigners.

Journeys are so quick, there’s very little time to settle on board. From Muang Xai to Luang Prabang, it’s a 45-minute glide.

The ancient heart of Luang Prabang unfurls along a slim finger of land poking out into the chocolatey waters of the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. Tiny streets of gilded temples, wooden homes, and French colonial buildings are sheltered by betel nut and coconut palms. And creamy frangipani petals perfume the air. It’s dreamy and addictive. I spent my days visiting Buddhist temples, museums, food markets, coffee shops and bars. It’s a place I can return to time and time again and still find something new along a brick lane.

At the Sofitel Luang Prabang, where I stayed in a room fit for royalty, staff invited me to a baci ceremony. A baci is held to celebrate anything from a recovery from illness or to wish someone good luck for a journey. The ritual is centred on calling the souls to return and anchor in the body. A baci with offerings and flowers and white cotton threads for my wrists was celebrated in my honour with hopes expressed for my safe return to Laos. I’ve been visiting Laos since 2005 and I know that I’ll be back in Luang Prabang soon. The promise of the baci is strong.

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To keep exploring Laos, read about our global head of operations, Tyler's, family adventure through Thailand and Laos – crossing the border via the Mekong.

Vietnam Airlines fly from London Heathrow to Vientiane daily via Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

About Field notes

Field notes are personal snapshots from our team’s travels - whether it be journalists or Inside staff members – it’s real moments, real places, real experiences. They go beyond the guidebooks, capturing the little details that make a destination special: the steam curling from a street-side bun cha noodle stall, the laughter of locals sharing a festival tradition, the hush of a forest temple at dawn. Through firsthand stories and sensory insights, Field notes bring you closer to the heart of a place, just as we experienced it.

About Claire

Claire Boobbyer is a multi-award winning travel writer, journalist, editor and photographer specialising in travel to Southeast Asia and Latin America. Claire has written for The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller, Wanderlust and many more. You can read more about Claire’s trip through Laos by rail in The Telegraph: The high-speed train opening up the wonders of Laos.