Laos🇱🇦

Laos in my opinion is a very underrated country, which you should add into your South East Asia itinerary. We spent two weeks exploring the country, but you can do the main places in a week, if you are short on time. We decided to take the slow boat from Chiang Rai, Thailand, which took two days and was a very interesting and long, but fun experience! A blog which explains the slow boat and how we did it, will be here. The best time to visit Laos is when it is cool and dry. We went in April when there was a huge heat wave and crop burning, so it was very hot and musky. Crop burning is an annual agricultural practice in South East Asia, which is when farmers intentionally cause fires to burn crops to clear and prepare fields for new crops to be grown. Once we were in Laos, we got mini transfer buses from place to place and then walked or hired mopeds to get around to explore.

Luang Prabang

🏨Sunrise Riverside Pool Hostel
After arriving in Luang Prabang from the slow boat, we spent four days exploring the city. There are loads of different hostels to choose from so definitely do your research beforehand. We ended up staying at Sunrise, because the people we met on our slow boat were also staying there, so we thought it would be fun to stick together. We ended up travelling with these people for a majority of the two weeks.

Mount Phousi Hill
Climb the steep steps to the top of Phousi Hill to see a gorgeous panoramic view of Luang Prabang and the Mekong River. It can take around twenty minutes to get to the top, with the best time to go at sunset, as you can see the sun set perfectly in the distance. However, when we went the sky was quite foggy from all the Crop Burning. It was still amazing though!

Kuang Si Falls
The main sight in Luang Prabang is to visit the Kuang Si Falls, which are famous for its clear, turquoise, multi-tiered natural pools. Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds which normally arrive from 10am. We hired mopeds from our hostel and got to the falls around 9am after an hours drive. We then spent the whole day exploring the three layers of the falls and swimming in the different pools.

Laos Buffalo Dairy
After Kuang Si Falls, stop off at the Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm to feed thier buffalo’s and try their delicious ice cream. All their products are made from Buffalo milk, making them taste incredibly fresh. We each had different ice creams to share and then our friends got a cheese platter as well, which they said was just as good!

Other things to do in Luang Prabang:

SaSa Sunset Cruise
Take a sunset cruise on the Mekong River. We booked it with SaSa and got a couple complimentary drinks with the ticket. We then spent two hours playing cards and having some drinks, whilst watching the sunset.

Bowling Alley
The bowling alley in Luang Prabang is a bar famously known for its sociable games of bowling, whilst also being the only bar in the area open until 2am. Everyone goes there to go bowling, and have a few drinks as it is a fantastic place to meet other backpackers.

Eden Jewellery
If you have the time and budget, do a Silver Jewellery class with Eden Jewellery. I was able to make two silver rings and it was a really fun way to spend the afternoon.

Night Market
Spend one evening to go to the night market and browse the different handmade crafts and souvenirs before stopping at the food stalls to try different local cuisine dishes. The night market is located on Sisavangvong road, which is close to Phousi Hill. We went most nights there for delicious, cheap food.

Alms Giving Ceremony (Sai Bat)
Sai Bat, also known as the alms-giving ceremony is a silent, sacred ritual where the local community gives food offerings to monks that walk through the streets at sunrise. This daily spiritual practice represents a reciprocal relationship, where the locals will acquire good karma for supporting the monastic community.

Wat Xieng Thong & Pak Ou Caves
Take a tour and visit the 16th century temple, famous for its portrayal of Lao architecture. Then take a boat trip to the caves, which are full of thousands Buddha statues.

Vang Vieng

🏨Vang Vieng Chill House Hostel/ Mad Monkey

Hot Air Balloon
The main activity to do in Vang Vieng is to do a hot air balloon ride at sunrise/sunset. Laos is the cheapest place in the world to do this and it was incredible. We booked this activity through our hostel, which cost us £99 each and we spent thirty minutes in the air at sunrise. It is pretty nerve-wracking, I did feel completely safe during it but you do have to wonder how safe it is, if it is that cheap to do!

Niam Xay Top View
Another activity is to drive to this viewpoint and do the hike to the top. The drive is about forty five minutes from the centre of Vang Vieng. You then hike about an hour to the famous viewpoint of a moped overlooking Vang Vieng. It is a pretty steep hike, with a lot of rock scrambling and during the heatwave, it was a pretty tiring hike, however, the views at the top were worth it!

Blue Lagoons 1, 2, 3, 4
The last main activity to do is spend a couple days hopping from different Lagoons. Vang Vieng is known to have five main, if not more lagoons that you can go to and swim in. We went to three different ones, which were recommended to us. Lagoon 3 and 4 were by far the best ones, they were huge, had loads of lounging seats and rope swings to use. Lagoon 2 is pretty good as well, it is quite large and has different areas to relax, whereas Lagoon 1 is the main one that most people go to, so it can get crowded really quickly.

Tubing
Even though we did tubing in Thailand, which is what Pai is known for, we also decided to do it in Laos. The main reason we did this was because we had made a good group of friends who all wanted to do it. However, we were told beforehand, that it isn’t really well organised and can be dangerous if the water is very strong and high, so do your research on who to go with! As we went during the heatwave, the water wasn’t rough at all, so we had a really fun day overall!

Full Moon Bar
This is a very popular place to go to in the evenings. It is a very sociable bar, full of backpackers looking for a fun night out. Research and check out the bar at your hostel before you go!

Sandwich Stalls
Vang Vieng is famous for its delicious sandwiches. You can find stalls which sell them everywhere and they will not let you down. It is a perfect meal for dinner as they are very generous on fillings. Some sandwiches can even rival the Bahn Mi‘s in Vietnam, which is saying a lot because they are incredible!

Vientiane

There isn’t a lot to do in Vientiane, but we spent two days here before catching our flight out. Sadly, I was really ill when we were here, so I didn’t manage to go out to explore. Ned, however did get out and here are some recommendations:

• Pha That Luang - A massive gold Buddhist stupa that is a must see in Vientiane.
• Mekong River - Walk along the riverfront in the evening, browsing the different stalls and market and watch the sunset.
• Cooking Class - Try a Laos cooking class to learn how to make traditional street food, such as Laap or Khao Piak Sen.
• Temple Hopping - If you have time, you can rent a moped and visit the different temples within the city centre.
• Patuxai Victory Gate - A monument to remember those who fought for independence. It has a viewpoint at the top, which overlooks the city from up high, offering panoramic views.

Overall, Laos has been one of my favourite countries that we have visited in South East Asia, with some highlights being Kuang Si Falls and the Hot Air Balloon in Vang Vieng. The overall experience was definitely made better with the group of friends we made, as we were with them for nearly the whole two weeks. But the country as a whole is definitely worth visiting, so make sure to add at least one week here, you won’t regret it!