Top Sights
1. Kuang Si Waterfall
The Kuang Si Falls or Kuang Xi Falls, alternatively known as the Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls, is a three-tiered waterfall with a 50-meter drop. Beneath the falls are a series of pools where you can go for a swim. There are wooden huts where you can change your cloths. In the same area is the Pak Ou natural caves that overlook the Mekong River. There are two caves: Tham Ting and the Tham Theung housing thousands of Buddha statues that locals have gifted over the centuries.
2. Vientiane
Vientiane, Laos' national capital, mixes French-colonial architecture with Buddhist temples such as the golden, 16th-century Pha That Luang, which is a national symbol. Along broad boulevards and tree-lined streets are many notable shrines including Wat Si Saket, which features thousands of Buddha images, and Wat Si Muang, built atop a Hindu shrine. Vientiane night market is a fun excursion.
3. Si Phan Don
The Si Phan Don is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern tip of the country. Si Phan Don is dotted with numerous islands, known as 4000 islands, half of which are submerged when the Mekong River is in flood. You can take a ferry to any of the islands and stay in local guesthouses. The city of Pakse is a good base to plan your trip here.
4. Kong Lor Cave
Tham Kong Lo or Kong Lor Cave is a karst limestone cave in Phu Hin Bun National Park, in Khammouane Province. You can take a boat trip through the cave system which stretches over 7 kilometers, one of the longest in the world. Other activities in the national park include a walk through the local village of Kong Lor.
5. Khon Phapheng Falls
The Khone Falls and Pha Pheng Falls together form a waterfall located in Champasak Province on the Mekong River in southern Laos, near the border with Cambodia. At 35,376 feet wide, it is the widest waterfall in the world. Walking paths allow you to observe the cascading waters.
6. Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of Luang Prabang Province in northern Laos, lies in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Inhabited for thousands of years, it was the royal capital of the country until 1975. It’s known for its many Buddhist temples, including the gilded Wat Xieng Thong, dating to the 16th century, and Wat Mai, once the residence of the head of Laotian Buddhism.
7. Nong Khiaw Viewpoint
Nong Khiaw is a village in the Luang Prabang Province of northern Laos. It's on the Nam Ou River, where tour boats and kayaks travel. Close by, narrow footpaths wind through jungle and ascend steep limestone cliffs for expansive views. Tham Pha Thok is a series of limestone caves that served as a shelter during the Second Indochina War. Small villages dot the nearby forested mountains and rice fields.
8. Wat Phu
Vat Phou is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. It is at the base of mount Phou Khao, some 6 kilometres from the Mekong in Champasak Province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries.
9. Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden
Botanical garden featuring bamboo, orchids & other local flora, plus a cafe in a picturesque locale. The gardens showcase plants that were traditionally used in medicine or for ceremonial purposes. To get to the botanical garden, you take a boat ride from Luang Prabang which is included in the ticket price. The boat returns to the city every hour
10. Dong Hua Sao NBCA
Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area is a national protected area in Champasak Province. This forested park rises from the Mekong river lowlands eastwards into the Bolaven Plateau. It is an ecotourism destination. The French planted coffee and cardamom here.
11. Bokeo Nature Reserve
Bokeo Nature Reserve is a protected area created to protect its population of the black-cheeked gibbon, discovered in 1997 which was previously thought to be extinct. The area is characterized by a mix-deciduous forest and mountainous terrain. Asian elephants and wild water buffalo migrate through the reserve; bears and tigers are also present. Home to the Gibbon Experience conservation project.
12. Luang Namtha
Louang Namtha, M. Luang Nam Tha is the capital of Luang Namtha Province in the north. The city lies on the Tha River. Luang Namtha is a popular tourist destination, and a base for treks, biking to the surrounding hill tribe villages. The Luang Namtha Museum is in the town
13. Nam Ha NBCA
Nam Ha National Protected Area is a national protected area. This mostly forested park is home to a variety of ethnic groups and diverse animal and plant species. The park is an ecotourism destination.
14. Phonsavan
Phonsavan is the capital town of Xieng Khouang Province. It’s a gateway to the Plain of Jars sites, named for their clusters of giant, millennia-old sandstone jars, which have unclear origins. Muang Khoun, the old provincial capital, has a 16th-century Buddha statue in its Wat Phia Wat temple ruins. The surrounding hilly landscape features the Ka Waterfall and the limestone Tham Xang Cave.
15. Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng is a small town north of Vientiane, on the Nam Song River. It's surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves. Tham Poukham, to the west, is a cave with a blue-green lagoon and a reclining Buddha statue. North is the deep Tham Nam Cave, which has a spring at its entrance. Nearby, Tham Xang Cave has a stalactite resembling an elephant. The town is home to 16th- and 17th-century monasteries.
16. Huay Xai
Ban Houayxay, also Huoeisay, Houei Sai or Huay Xai and, is the capital of the Lao province of Bokèo, on the border with Thailand. It is known for its Mekong River cruises as you can take a boat from Huang Xai to Luang Prabang. It is also the gateway to Bokeo Nature Reserve which is known for its spectacular Gibbon Experience.
