Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to go
Set on a broad curve of the Mekong,
Vientiane
is Southeast Asia's most modest capital city.
It lacks the frenetic buzz of Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, but has transformed itself since
the 1990s, and is home to an increasingly cosmopolitan food scene. Robbed of its most splen-
did temples in battles with Siam long ago, Vientiane is better suited to long lunches and lazy
walks by the Mekong than it is for breakneck tours of monuments and museums. Few tour-
ists passing through the capital miss a chance for a half-day journey out to
XiengKhuan
, its
riverside meadow filled with mammoth religious statues, one of Laos's most bizarre sights.
From Vientiane, it makes sense to head north to
Vang Vieng
, a once-sleepy town set in a
landscape of glimmering green paddies and sawtoothed karst hills. A great spot for caving,
kayaking, rock climbing and long walks in the countryside, the town is also notorious for its
wild tubing scene, and although things have quietened down a little in recent years, it still
remains the country's party capital for young backpackers. From here the mountainous old
Royal Road to Luang Prabang rollercoasters through some of Laos's most stunning scenery.
The more intrepid can indulge in a muddy expedition through Laos's northwestern frontier,
stopping off in the remote outpost of
Sayaboury
, home to a large portion of the country's
diminishing elephant population.
The gilded temples and restored French-Indochinese shop houses of tiny, cultured
Luang
Prabang
possess a spellbinding majesty that make this Laos's most enticing townscape.
Though the city is filled with tourists, the dusty side streets, Mekong views and quiet morn-
ings still lend plenty of charm. Most visitors combine a stay here with a couple of day-trips,
to the sacred
PakOuCaves
, two riverside grottoes brimming with thousands of Buddha im-
ages, and to beautiful
Kuang Si waterfall
, the perfect spot for a refreshing dip on a hot day.
A few hours north up the emerald Nam Ou river from Luang Prabang is the quiet town of
Nong Khiaw
, picturesquely surrounded by towering limestone peaks and a great base for
trekking and kayaking in the region. Just a little further up the river, isolated
Muang Ngoi
is
a popular travellers' spot, where it's hard to drag yourself away from the temptation of spend-
ing your days soaking up the views from a hammock. Following the river even further north
is one of the greatest highlights of a trip to Laos, passing through stunning scenery on resol-
utely local boats to get to
Phongsali
, from which you can explore further into the isolated far
north, or join an overnight trek to local hill-tribe villages.
Improved roads means that it's now a lot easier to explore the
farnorth
, which boasts more
spectacular landscape and is home to a patchwork of upland tribal groups. The easy-going
town of
LuangNamtha
is the main northern centre for treks and kayaking trips into the mag-
nificent Nam Ha NBCA, visiting hill-tribe settlements en route. Just four hours by road from
Luang Namtha is
Houayxai
, on the Thai border, from where you can join a slow boat down
