Bus is a convenient way of travel no matter whether you need to get to a neighboring town a couple of hours away or venture further afield crossing the whole country. Whatever your budget, buses have you covered. Express buses offer the most affordable ticket price for travellers who have very little money to spend. VIP options are geared toward those who do not want to compromise on comfort. Before you jump on a bus, make sure you choose the type of service which suits you best. For a long-haul trip look for a VIP or first-class coach which provides non-stop service to your destination or just call a minor number of stations along the way. Express or local buses in many cases may prove an acceptable choice for shorter trips, but longer rides are often not the best buy. Study the timetable before going as many long-haul destinations are served by night buses, and some offer wider seats or sleeper berths for such travels. Make an online reservation for your bus ticket with Green Paradise. Other travellers’ reviews will help you to choose the best ticket and coach class.
Green Paradise Popular Stations
The main stations covered by Green Paradise’s buses include:
Green Paradise Pakse
Green Paradise 4000 Islands
Meiling Restaurant
Chong Mek Bus Terminal
Hatstaykhoun Boat Station
Vang Vieng Soutchai Office
Chong Mek LA
Vientiane Southern Bus Station
Green Paradise 4000 islands
Green Paradise Top Destinations
Green Paradise buses ply a number of routes and here is the list of some of the most popular ones:
One of the best things about bus travel is that you can almost tailor-make your trip adjusting it to your requirements for privacy and comfort. Different classes and types of buses cater to the different needs of travellers. The cheapest trips are normally offered by standard-class buses. They may be called local, express or ordinary. These are a good choice for shorter trips. Sleepers or VIP coaches are good both for longer and overnight trips. They may offer berths or wide soft reclining seats, sometimes with built-in massage options, blankets, soft drinks, and snacks, or more substantial meals on board or during toilet or refuelling stops. Travelling by night buses allows you to save on a hotel room, but to ensure the most comfortable ride do choose the class of your bus wisely. Prices always depend on the distance you ride and the type of coach. For some, even shorter trips, it is worth investing some extra money and buying a seat on a VIP bus as it can save you twice as much time as you spend travelling by an ordinary bus.
Travel by Bus: Pros & Cons
Pros of Bus Travel
Bus is the best choice to get to destinations that are not connected by rail or planes. The network of buses often covers almost the whole country, and their routes are well and long-established.
Opposite to air travel and sometimes rail travel, taking a bus does not require arriving at the bus station much in advance. Check-in, even on international routes, does not take much time. Luggage allowances are usually very traveller-friendly, and the fee for extra luggage, if limits are set, is normally not very high.
Bus tickets can be more affordable compared to air or fast train tickets. There is always a choice of ticket classes for all pockets. Cheaper standard options may be a bit slow and do not offer top comfort, but anyway acceptable and bring you to your destination. On longer routes, toilets or toilet stops as well as snacks, water, and sometimes toiletries and blankets are almost always included in the price.
If you are ready to spend more, some VIP coaches offer seating comparable to business class on a plane with wide soft reclining seats, blankets, fewer passengers, and many other perks to make your trip a pleasant journey.
Cons of Bus Travel
Newer intercity bus terminals are very often located out of the city close to bigger highways to allow buses to avoid city congestion. Unfortunately, it may create extra challenges for travellers, too. Getting to such a terminal may be a problem as in some destinations there are restrictions on vehicles allowed to enter the terminal, and you will have to use special carriers to get there. This results in higher costs as prices may be inflated. Also do calculate extra time if you are travelling during rush hours, especially if you are not familiar with the traffic situation at your starting point.
Buses are probably the means of transport which runs out of schedule more often than trains or planes. They are heavily dependent on the road situation which sometimes can be unpredictable – accidents, road construction works, detours, etc. This is especially true for travels during weekends, high season, or national holidays. Do keep this in mind and do not plan tight connections.
Travelling on certain routes or during the most popular periods may require advanced booking. Bear in mind that it is not always possible to show up at the bus station and hop on the next bus – tickets may well be all sold out, so organize your trip accordingly.
Green Paradise PakseGreen Paradise 4000 IslandsMeiling RestaurantChong Mek Bus TerminalHatstaykhoun Boat StationVang Vieng Soutchai OfficeChong Mek LAVientiane Southern Bus StationGreen Paradise 4000 islands
Green Paradise Company Reviews
J
Jakob
Everything worked out fine :)
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Mar 25, 2024
J G
James G
Arrived 2 hours late for a 4 hour journey despite driving like crazy
Bus 1st Class Sleeper, Green Paradise, Jan 18, 2024
M D
Martine D
From Pakse to Don Khone
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Dec 28, 2023
M G
Maria G
We traveled by sleeping bus + mini van from Vientiane to Nakasong and Don Khong.
The Sleeping Bus in Vientiane left on time at 8pm. The bus was a bit run down, the ride sometimes bumpy and the bed quite small, but overall everything was fine. If you are traveling as a couple, 1 bed (= 2 tickets) is ok, otherwise it is better to book 1 bed per person alone (= 2 tickets). There were 2 blankets and 2 pillows in the bed. There were staff on the bus who made sure that everyone got off at the right place. There was free water and a refreshing towel for everyone.
When we arrived in Pakse in the morning, the minivan was already ready to leave and set off straight away. After a few stops, we drove to Nakasong. There is a short distance to the harbor, where you can buy a ticket for the trip to Don Det (20,000 kip) and Don Khong (30,000 kip) (as of December 2023).
We can recommend the trip with Green Paradise.
This review was autotranslated
Bus Sleeping Bus + Mini Van, Green Paradise, Dec 11, 2023
A
Aini
We were a little bit Lost In Nakasang end where to go, which boat to take, is the boat trip included in the ticket etc. The minivan left us 200 m from the boat, no instructions provided.
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Dec 5, 2023
J L
Joanna L
I booked 2 seats to make sure I won’t have to share my bed. Really confortable trip 👍
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Oct 18, 2023
E M
Elenor M
Important to know: I was told to go to Green Travel in Pakse for 7pm. When I arrived there, the place was shut and I was left on the curb in the dark, not knowing what was going on and unable to get in contact with Green Travel or 12Go Asia. However, a tuktuk driver will come and pick you up to take you to the bus station. This was not communicated to me, and I felt people should know that is going to happen so they don’t feel unsafe.
Not the fault of the company or driver, the road conditions are just insanely bumpy and when adding that to being squished next to a stranger not much sleep was achieved. It can’t be helped and is just a part of travelling.
Bus AC Sleeper, Green Paradise, Oct 10, 2023
P R
Patrick R
The real price to cross thé river was 20 000 kips eatch
And Green paradise avoice us 50 000 kips eatch
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Sep 30, 2023
M V
Marie V
Old bus, with rain insi
Bus Sleeping Bus + Mini Van, Green Paradise, Jun 24, 2023
B D
Betty D
Nice driver, air-conditioned van but not too much. Just a little lost on arrival
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Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Apr 22, 2023
N D
Nancy D
We were picked up by driver from hotel and taken straight to Don Det which wasn’t what we were told would happen. We were told we would go to office first so planned to get food and water from the shop by the office before the trip so we ended up going without.
However the journey was much shorter than it advised so we were fine. We arrived an hour ahead of time after getting the boat from the mainland.
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Apr 22, 2023
I
Ida
Be careful when booking if you’re booking one of the local busses or a VIP bus. We have booked a local bus that took 12 hours (including two breakdowns of the bus), smelled strange, was rather old and uncomfortable (no proper seats but bunk beds) and did not go faster than 60 km/h. Bring some time and patience when booking a local bus and lower your expectations.
Bus Local, Green Paradise, Mar 25, 2023
A W
Abbey W
Arrived 4.5 hours late, the coach had no curtains so was boiling hot in the sun. Had air con but not very effective. Two people to a ‘bed’ which as average sized westerners was not very comfortable. We made many stops. One stop we were at for close to two hours, no indication as to how long we would be there, whether it would be long enough to eat a proper meal, so went for the whole 10.5 hour journey on only crisps. They also allow locals selling giant, very pungent sticks of meat on board every few hours which is not pleasant for us as vegetarians. Fortunately there was still a hotel open for us to check into as it was gone midnight by the time we arrived.
Bus Local, Green Paradise, Mar 15, 2023
S L
Sin-Ganh L
The departure is too later. No one will/can tell when the minivan come to me up. I just wait and finally more then a hour too late
Van Regional 14pax, Green Paradise, Jul 4, 2022
J B
Joseph B
we are french and were surprised by the quality of the support of the company ... we made the trip pakse don khone go back to laos and our agent organized the teansports to the little ferry and tuk tuk to airport calling us on whatsapp to check that everything was fine ... we dream that such a service could exist in France ... thanks again Souvanh!!! And 12Go!...
This review was autotranslated
Bus Minivan, Green Paradise, Feb 21, 2020
N D
Nicol D
Driver did not bring us to the boat deck. Had to walk in very hot sun.