LAOS · SOUTHEAST ASIA
Gilded, green, and gloriously unhurried.
From the temples of Luang Prabang to the karst lagoons of Vang Vieng, the capital on the Mekong and the turquoise pools of Kuang Si. Tours, cruises and day trips the length of the country.
Unmistakably Laos
The Laos that stays with you.
Tours and viewpoints are everywhere in Southeast Asia. A dawn rice offering to the monks, a hillside of turquoise pools, and a slow boat up the Mekong are the things travellers leave Laos still thinking about. Build the trip around them.
Before sunrise
The Dawn Alms
Every morning in Luang Prabang, before the heat arrives, hundreds of monks file out of the temples in single file to collect rice from kneeling residents. The Tak Bat is centuries old, quiet, and unstaged. Watch respectfully from across the street, or join a guide who will show you how to take part without intruding.
- 1 Luang Prabang: Foodie Walking Tour & Monk Blessing
- 2 Luang Prabang: Almsgiving Ceremony Offering
- 3 Luang Prabang Foodie Walking Tour and Monk Blessing
The colour of the water
The Kuang Si Pools
Limestone turns the runoff a milky turquoise you have to see to believe, then stacks it into tier after tier of swimmable pools in the forest south of Luang Prabang. Climb to the main fall, swim the lower terraces, and meet the rescued moon bears on the way in.
- 1 Luang Prabang: Cruise to Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls
- 2 Luang Prabang: Afternoon Kuang Si Waterfalls & Sunset Cruise
- 3 Day Trip to Kuang Si Waterfalls
Up the river
The Mekong & Pak Ou
The slow way is the whole point. A wooden boat noses up the Mekong to two riverside caves stacked with thousands of Buddha images left by pilgrims over four centuries, usually with a stop at a whisky-making village on the way. Few rivers are still travelled this gently.
- 1 Half Day Mekong Cruise to Pak Ou Caves (Morning / Afternoon)
- 2 Luang Prabang: Kayak Tour to Pak Ou Caves
- 3 FULL DAY – Kuang Si Waterfall, Kayak on the Nam Ou / Mekong River, Pak Ou Caves
Start here
The day most travellers book first.
Whatever else you fit in, this is the experience most people put at the top of a Laos itinerary.
The classics
The Most Popular Tours in Laos
Kuang Si, Pak Ou, the Vang Vieng lagoons, the Luang Prabang temples. The experiences travellers come to Laos for.
By place
Pick a stop on the river road.
Luang Prabang for the temples and the dawn alms. Vang Vieng for the karst peaks and the lagoons. Vientiane for the riverside capital. Nong Khiaw for the quiet north.
By activity
Or pick what you came to do.
A Mekong cruise if you want the slow view. Kayaks and caves if you want the karsts. Cooking classes, a balloon at dawn, a walk through the temples, and the rest.
Getting around
Three ways to cross Laos.
Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane sit in a line down the country. How you travel between them sets the tone of the whole trip.
The karst country
The Vang Vieng playground.
Blue lagoons, river caves and ziplines strung between limestone towers on the Nam Song. The three Vang Vieng adventures we’d send a first-timer to.
On the water
Slow days on the Mekong.
The river is the oldest road in Laos. Cruises up to the Pak Ou caves, golden-hour sailings, the long drift downstream. Three we’d happily give an afternoon to.
Hands on
Make something to take home.
Lao cooking runs on sticky rice, river herbs and a charcoal grill. Spend a morning in a kitchen and you leave knowing how it is done. Three classes worth booking ahead.
Beyond the towns
Into the northern hills.
Past the river towns, Laos rises into jungle ridges and hill-tribe villages. Treks out of Nong Khiaw, rides through the rice country, viewpoints you earn on foot. Three for the days you want to move.
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