Laos Destination Guide
One of the highlights of a trip to Southeast Asia, Laos offers a pristine landscape, intact culture and relaxed and freindly people. If you are taking the overland passage from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, you can explore the many limestone caves of Vang Vieng enroute, or go tubing in the waterways in that area. Around Phonsavanh in Xieng Khuang Province is the mysterious Plain of Jars, a large area of land littered with stone jars weighing from 600kg up to 6 tons and thought to be about 2000 years old. Little is known about their origins or what they were used for.
Those who make the effort to explore Laos will be well rewarded with stunning landscapes, friendly people and unique glimpses of a country hardly changed for over a century.
This Laos Destination Guide gives some information about what there is to see and do in Laos. General travel information about Laos can be found by visiting our Laos Country Guide page. A great way of seeing the highlights and exploring the country is on a fascinating Laos tour.
Things to See & Do in Laos
From Thakhek, Savannakhet and other parts of the country, more adventurous travellers can venture into and even camp in one of Laos' 20 National Biodiversity Conservation Areas, the home of several endangered species of rare birds and wildlife including tigers, bears, monkeys, deer and elephants.
Safety note: Check with a tour operator or other knowledgeable sources before hiking or camping anywhere in Laos to be certain it is not an area that may have UXOs - unexploded ordnance from past wars.
Follow the links below or scroll further down the page for details on some of the interesting tourist attractions in Laos:
Luang Prabang
There is also a good selection of accommodation, restaurants and shopping venues there. Outside of Luang Prabang are waterfalls, caves and some interesting villages, one famous for excavated jars and rice wine and another for its cotton and silk handweavings. See our Luang Prabang city guide and pages for more information.
Vang Vieng
The scenic town of Vang Vieng lies approximately mid-way between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Not only does it offer an ideal opportunity to break up the journey between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, but it is a great destination in itself. With the beautiful Nam Song River running alongside the dramatic karst limestone mountains, the scenery is breathtaking.
A wide range of tours and activities are available here, including kayaking, trekking, white-water rafting and rock-climbing. For those looking for something a little more peaceful, why not try tubing, or simply relax by the river with a good book and cool Beer Lao? See our Vang Vieng Destination Guide for more information.
Vientiane
A little outside the city centre is the country's most important national monument, the Pha That Luang, which symbolizes both Lao sovereignty as well as its Buddhist foundation, and is the site of the full moon temple festival in November.
As Laos' biggest city, Vientiane has the widest selection of restaurants, busiest nightlife as well as its best shopping. See our Vientiane City Guide and pages for more detailed information and to book accommodation in Vientiane.
