Travelling to Laos has been high on my list of things to do since I arrived in Indonesia. I’ve been interested to experience it for myself and find out what it has to offer (this turns out to be quite a lot). For a start, Laos is a lot more relaxed than any other country in Indochina I’ve visited (at times it can feel too quiet). Regardless, it has been a great few weeks. Here, I’ll share some traveling highlight of Laos.
1. Vientiane
This capital city has a lot of bad reviews. Most of my friends said that they didn’t enjoy their time in Vientiane. They have a point, there is not much to see in the city, but exploring a new place is always exciting.
Don’t miss the Ho Phra Keo museum. It certainly has some great things from the past to wander around. Phra Tat Luang is a must as well. Arrange to visit Tat Luang during the day when the suns shines bright, it will certainly make the site more beautiful.
I would say if you don’t really have time, better avoid the concrete monsters of Buddha Park, which is located around 25 km from the city center of Vientiane. Patuxai in the city center, which literally means Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph is also not very victorious.
2. Vang Vieng
This is well-known as the party town of Laos and a backpacker hub. For that reason, a lot of traveler prefer to skip Vang Vieng. Don’t! Trust me, Vang Vieng is worth checking out just for the beautiful surroundings.
You can go trekking, cycling around the town and villages, visit some caves or just chill out and enjoy life passing you by. The city itself is surrounded by a lot of rice fields and rugged limestone mountains.
3. Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is so laid back and relaxed. You can pretty much do all of the main tourist sites in the city within a day. There are also a few sites outside of the city, with the Tat Kuang Si waterfall being the most rewarding place to visit.
4. Phonsavanh
It is a great addition if you have extra time to explore Laos. A lot of people go for the plain of jars, which also interesting, but actually there are a lot sites that you can explore if you are really interested about the UXO clearance. This capital city of Xieng Khouang province has a lake, hot springs and some waterfalls to explore.
