What to see in Laos: 9 must-sees
Discover what to see in Laos: 9 must-see destinations, from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Predominantly natural and UNESCO heritage; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
Natural(3)
Follow the paths climbing beside the Kuang Si waterfalls, about 30 km from Luang Prabang, where the water drops 28 meters into turquoise pools open for swimming. Cross the wooden bridges over the lower cascades, watch the monkeys in the jungle and visit the nearby bear rescue center. Arrive early to avoid the groups, and use the stalls at the entrance for a bite before heading back into town.
Explore Pha Daeng Island, in the Mekong River facing Luang Prabang, and walk its sandy beaches ringed by riverbank greenery. Follow its trails, watch waterbirds and native plants, and contemplate the river's current from the shore. Access is by boat, which keeps the place quiet and little visited. Ideal for a morning of easy walking and reading the Lao river landscape, with views of the hills framing the kingdom's former capital.
Sail the brown waters of the Mekong, the longest river in Southeast Asia, then walk its banks between fishing villages, river markets and rice paddies that shift with the rainy season. Board a wooden boat at dawn, watch birds and riverside greenery, follow trails by rock formations and waterfalls, and end the day with grilled fish facing the current.
UNESCO Heritage(2)
Stroll Luang Prabang, the city inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, where 33 temples of tiered roofs line up along the Mekong River. Walk Sakkaline Road at dawn to watch the monks receive rice offerings, climb the steps of Mount Phousi to the golden stupa and follow the night market of the main street. Between French colonial houses and wooden monasteries, every corner keeps centuries of Lao Buddhist tradition.
Follow the paths between the 2,000-year-old stone jars of Xiangkhouang — hundreds of megalithic vessels scattered over rolling hills, still debated as graves or funerary play. Walk sites 1, 2 and 3, declared UNESCO heritage, with their carved stone lids and fields marked by the bombings, where buffalo now graze and pines grow, in a landscape of plains and mountains that invites slow walking.
Religious(2)
Walk Wat Xieng Thong, the religious jewel of Luang Prabang built in 1560 beside the Mekong, where the tiered roofs almost brush the ground. Study the Tree of Life mosaic on the rear facade and the golden doors narrating Ramayana scenes. The ensemble, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, still houses monks who pray at dawn. Enter barefoot and in silence, and look up at the colored mirrors set into every column.
Enter the Pak Ou Caves, north of Luang Prabang, where the Ou River meets the Mekong. Walk the two limestone grottoes, Tham Ting and Tham Theung, which keep some 2,000 small wooden Buddha statues, many brought by pilgrims over the centuries. Climb the steps to the upper cave and observe the figures set among rocky formations. The boat ride from Luang Prabang covers about 25 kilometers upstream, with views of villages and cliffs. Wear comfortable shoes and respect the sacred character of the site.
City(1)
Immerse yourself in Vientiane, Laos' capital, where the Mekong sets the pace of the afternoons and the riverside promenade fills with stalls as the sun goes down. Visit Pha That Luang, the golden stupa that is the symbol of the nation, and Patuxai, the victory arch with views over the central avenue. Buy textiles and Lao coffee at the Talat Sao morning market, walk temples such as Wat Si Saket, with its thousands of Buddha images, and dine at the restaurants by the river. Here life moves slowly, among monks, bicycles and colonial cafés.
Beach(1)
Discover Vang Vieng, the small riverside town on the Nam Song, about four hours north of Vientiane. Ringed by limestone mountains rising over rice fields, it invites you to float down its calm water on a tyre, explore caves such as Tham Chang and bathe in blue lagoons. Its sandy river beaches, bamboo bridges and bars by the water set the town's slow rhythm, while at sunset hot-air balloons drift across the sky between the karst towers.
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