Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Laos → Luang Prabang

Location: North Central Laos

Time Required: 1 day

Red Tape/Notes: None.

What’s Nearby?: Mount Phousi, Alms Giving Ritual, Kuang Si Waterfalls

One of the most visited sites in Laos, much of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to it’s well-preserved architecture and religious and cultural heritage. It served as the royal capital and center of government for the Kingdom of Laos, which spanned from 1947 until the Pathet Lao takeover in 1975, but was luckily spared from significant damage during the Second Indochina War. The city is home to a large number of Buddhist temples and monasteries, and is generally a very pleasant town for enjoying on foot, due to the interesting architecture, a large number of shops and cafes, and a lively night market. Popular sites with tourists include Mount Phousi and the Kuang Si Waterfalls, as well as the sunrise Alms Giving Ritual, when hundreds of monks from the many temples and monasteries walk the streets collecting alms (all three of these are covered in separate posts). Many visitors also take trips to the Royal Palace Museum in the center of town, the Pak Ou Caves (two caves about two hours north of Luang Prabang which contain hundreds of Buddha statues) and the Tad Sae Waterfalls (similar to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, but only accessible by boat and best during and just after the rainy season, from August to November). Cave lovers may also consider using Luang Prabang as a jumping off point for a trip to the Oudomxay Province where you’ll find one of the most extensive cave systems in Laos (and the 9th largest known system in Southeast Asia): Chom Ong Cave, with 13.5 km of passages to explore.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Laos → Luang Prabang