Visiting Laos: itinerary, seasons and practical tips

The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, Laos is lived along the Mekong: monks' processions at dawn in Luang Prabang, the Kuang Si waterfalls, the karsts of Vang Vieng and hammocks on the 4,000 Islands. An unhurried journey, now made easier by the train.

Why visit Laos?

Laos combines two UNESCO World Heritage sites listed in the 1990s, Luang Prabang and Vat Phou, with the Plain of Jars added in 2019, and river landscapes that remain largely undeveloped. Less visited than its neighbours in Southeast Asia, it is now quicker to explore thanks to the railway opened in late 2021 between Vientiane and the Chinese border.

What to discover in Laos?

Luang Prabang and the northern Mekong

The former royal capital, UNESCO-listed in 1995, sits on a peninsula between the Mekong and the Nam Khan. Three nights let you watch the monks' alms round at around 5.30am, climb Mount Phousi at sunset and reach the Kuang Si waterfalls, some thirty kilometres away. Many travellers arrive from Thailand on the slow boat, two days on the river from Huay Xai with a night in Pakbeng. Up the Nam Ou, Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi offer two or three days of hiking between villages and limestone cliffs.

Vientiane and Vang Vieng

Vientiane, a quiet capital on the Mekong, can be seen in a day: the golden stupa of Pha That Luang, Si Saket temple and the Patuxai arch. Since late 2021 the train linking the city to China reaches Vang Vieng in about an hour and Luang Prabang in roughly two, against a full day by road before. Vang Vieng has turned the page on the boozy tubing parties of the 2000s: people now come for two or three days of kayaking on the Nam Song, caves and hot-air balloon rides over the karst peaks.

The Plain of Jars and Xieng Khouang

Around Phonsavan, hundreds of stone jars more than two thousand years old are scattered across the hills, and their exact purpose is still not established with certainty; the site has been UNESCO-listed since 2019. The province was also one of the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, and unexploded ordnance remains: never leave the paths marked by clearance teams. Two days are enough for sites 1, 2 and 3. Phonsavan is seven to eight hours by bus from Luang Prabang, or a domestic flight away.

The south: Champasak, Vat Phou and the 4,000 Islands

The south is explored from Pakse. The Khmer sanctuary of Vat Phou, UNESCO-listed in 2001, climbs the foot of a mountain near Champasak, about an hour's drive away. Further down, the Mekong widens into a maze of islands, Si Phan Don, where Don Det, Don Khon and Don Khong offer three or four days of cycling, hammocks and waterfalls, including Khone Phapheng, the widest on the river. The border with Cambodia is very close, making it easy to continue to Stung Treng and on to the temples of Angkor.

The Bolaven Plateau

East of Pakse, this plateau at around 1,000 metres offers welcome cool air and grows most of Laos's coffee, which you can taste on the plantations themselves. Its waterfalls, including Tad Fane and Tad Yuang, are visited on a two- or three-day loop by scooter or with a driver, staying overnight in Tad Lo or Paksong. During the rainy season, from May to October, the falls are spectacular but some dirt tracks turn to mud: stick to the main road at that time of year.

Cities to visit in Laos

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Unmissable in Laos

Nine sites that mark out a journey from north to south, from the old royal capital to the Mekong falls.

Kuang Si Falls

Tiered milky-blue pools in the forest some thirty kilometres from Luang Prabang, with a bear rescue centre at the entrance.

Wat Xieng Thong

A 16th-century temple at the tip of the Luang Prabang peninsula, famous for its sweeping low roof and its tree of life mosaic.

Mount Phousi

A hill of just over 300 steps in the heart of Luang Prabang, topped by a golden stupa and very popular at sunset over the Mekong.

Pak Ou Caves

Two caverns in a cliff where the Mekong meets the Nam Ou, filled with thousands of Buddha statues and reached by boat.

Pha That Luang

Vientiane's great golden stupa and national symbol, shown on the country's coat of arms, flanked by two monasteries open to visitors.

Kong Lor Cave

An underground river about 7 kilometres long running through a limestone mountain in Khammouane province, explored by motorised canoe in the dark.

Khone Phapheng Falls

The widest cataracts on the Mekong, near the Cambodian border, whose roar explains why the river was never navigable all the way to the sea.

Vat Phou Sanctuary

A Khmer temple older than Angkor, terraced up a mountainside near Champasak, with basins, galleries and stairways lined with frangipani trees.

Tad Fane Waterfall

A twin fall plunging more than a hundred metres into a wooded gorge on the Bolaven Plateau, seen from a dedicated viewpoint.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang?
Two days on the Mekong, six to eight hours a day, with a night in the village of Pakbeng halfway. Bring a cushion, food and a warm layer for the morning: the benches are hard and the mist on the river is chilly.
Do you need to book the Vientiane-Luang Prabang train in advance?
Yes. Tickets are issued in your name on presentation of a passport, and trains fill up fast in high season and during holidays. Buy them several days ahead through the operator's official app, at the station or via an agency, and arrive early for the security check.
Is the Plain of Jars safe despite unexploded bombs?
The sites open to the public have been cleared and their paths are marked with white and red markers. The risk begins as soon as you step off them. Stay between the markers, pick up no metal objects and visit the clearance organisation's information centre in Phonsavan to understand the scale of the problem.
Can you swim at the Kuang Si waterfalls?
Yes, in the pools marked as permitted, usually those at the lower part of the site. Some areas are off limits to protect the limestone formations. Arrive at opening time to avoid tour groups, bring modest swimwear, and expect murkier water in the rainy season.
Don Det or Don Khon: which of the 4,000 Islands to stay on?
Don Det has most of the guesthouses and riverside bars and is livelier. Don Khon, linked by an old French railway bridge, is quieter and gives direct access to the Li Phi falls. Both are easy to explore by bicycle, one from the other.
How do you watch the Luang Prabang alms round without disturbing it?
Stand on the opposite pavement, stay silent and do not use flash. If you wish to give, buy sticky rice from a trusted vendor, sit down with your shoulders covered and do not touch the monks. Avoid following the procession or stepping into its path for a photo.
Is Vang Vieng still worth a stop?
Yes, provided you come for the outdoors. Since the riverside bars were closed in the early 2010s, the town has focused on kayaking, caves, climbing and the blue lagoons nearby. With the train, it fits easily between Vientiane and Luang Prabang for two or three nights.

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