Laos travel guide

Where the Mekong River meets the Nam Khan river lies one of the most charming cities in Asia. The old town of Luang Prabang is an ancient capital packed with golden temples, old French colonial houses, and even a royal palace. Though it is fast becoming a mandatory stop on the Southeast Asian trail, it is still tranquil and fairly unspoiled with quiet backstreets and hidden temples just a block away from the French bakeries and cafes on the main street. In the evening, the friendly monks overcome their shyness to practice English with the passing travellers, and, at dawn, they sway down the streets in long orange rows to collect alms from the locals. It is almost too easy to fall in love with Luang Prabang.

A little trading town made from bamboo and concrete on the bank of the river Ou. No attraction stands out, but a stroll through the little market or along the river will make time pass. Crossing the suspension bridge brings you to the Khamu village of Ban Nam Tum. Most travellers stay only one night in Muang Khua on their way to/from northwest Vietnam (especially Dien Bien Phu). The Lao/Vietnamese border at Tay Trang is only 75 km away, but seventy-five rough kilometers through amazing mountain hills.

Muang Ngoi (or more correct Muang Ngoi Neua) is a little fisher village on the banks of Nam Ou River, which now doubles as a tranquil traveller hub. There is no access by road, only river, so the silence can be overwhelming - until the power generators kick in for a few hours in the evening and the roosters' early start in the morning. The village is spread along a single dirt lane and has a spectacular setting among rows of bubble-shaped mountains that disappear into the mist. There several caves in the area (Tham Kang and Tham Pha Kae) as well as a waterfall (Tad Mok). During the Vietnam War, the area was heavily bombed by the Americans in their failed attempt to destroy the Ho Chi Minh trail. Today, huge bomb fragments are used as morbid garden decorations and fencing. The little village is slowly evolving as an adventure destination with trekking, fishing, cave tours and the mandatory tubing on offer.

Muang Sing used to be the biggest opium market in the Golden Triangle. Today, you can still be offered some of the black stuff in the street, but the new market is now for other stuff, like live frogs on a string, fried insects and rice wine by the bucket. Ethnic tribes come in from the surrounding hills to buy and sell their goods, making the morning market a colorful event and a great opportunity to mingle with so many different tribes at once. People from H'mong, Lao Lu, Thai Dam and Akha are among the usual crowds, but you need some practice to tell them all apart.

Nam Ha Protected Area is not only covered by the jungle but also rivers, grassland, fields of dry rice, small villages on stilts for Nam Ha is inhabited by some of Laos' ethnic tribes. UNESCO is involved in developing ecotourism in Nam Ha, like trekking, river rafting and village stays, so travellers can visit this magnificent area and local communities can benefit from it. The area ranges from lowland to peaks over 2000 m and boasts an impressive range of roaming animals like Asian elephants, cloud leopards, leopards, and even tigers - but don't count on seeing any of these. Birds, on the other hand, are plenty and with a bit of luck (and a good guide) it should be possible to spot a few.

Sleepy Nong Khiaw is a small town on the riverbanks of Nam Ou River. It's centred around the road bridge for Rte 1 and is a transport hub for both road and boat travels. But instead of rushing through, stay at one of the riverside bungalows and enjoy the imposing setting among jungle covered limestone mountains. Not much is going on in town, but there is the usual range of Lao actions like trekking to caves, waterfalls and ethnic villages. Locals sometimes refer to Nong Khiaw as Muang Ngoi Mai, not to be confused with Muang Ngoi Neua (or just Muang Ngoi) further upriver.

The sacred Buddha caves at Pak Ou consist of two caves, where Buddhists for centuries have come to pray and place Buddha sculptures in hope of merits. They sit in a steep limestone cliff face right above where the Mekong River meets the Nam Ou river. The upper cave is dark and almost empty, since the old Buddha statues have been eaten by termites. The lower cave is open and is the famous one. Every surface is littered with big and small Buddha statues. It has been estimated that the cave has once contained more than 6000 statues, though the number is probably closer to 100 today thanks to souvenirs hunters and thoughtless tourists.

Pakse is slowly developing into a charming travel hub. Beside being used as a gateway for the neighbouring countries (yes all of them: Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia) and an access point to the Four Thousand Islands further south, it works nicely as a base to explore the rich surroundings. Within a day, you can visit the Khmer ruins of Wat Phu Champasak, peek over the highest waterfalls in the country and go coffee tasting on the Bolaven plateau. A cheap rental scooter can even bring you around on the multi-days Southern Loop. Back in Pakse, you can relax down at the Se Don or Mekong river with a mandatory Beer Lao in your hand. How easy can it be!

In 2004, a local guy found a cave up on a steep cliff face. When he crawled through the narrow cave entrance, there was more than just stalagmites inside the cave. 229 Buddha statues in various sizes were looking at him. Nobody knows for sure when and why they were placed, which just adds to the magic. Today, the cave is a popular pilgrimage place for locals and monks alike. They come to pray, splash water, bang the gong and do other quirky rituals. The drive from Tha Khaek goes through picturesque rice paddy fields with nice views of the limestone mountain range in the distance.

Besides being the national symbol, the Pha That Luang is the biggest, holiest and shiniest stupa in all of Laos. The story goes that in the 3rd century BC a stupa was erected here which contained a bit of Buddha's ribs. Whether that is true is doubtful, but a stupa has for sure been standing here since mid 16th century. Since then, it has many times been reconstructed due to invasions and fires, and the one that stands today is the result of two French reconstruction from 1900 and 1930s. The layout follows, of course, a Buddhist numerological design where every level or feature have some symbolic meaning. But you can easily enjoy it without knowing all the details.