Things to do in Laos

25 things to do in Laos

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Swim beneath Kuang Si Waterfalls

  A turquoise cascade tumbles through jungle into cool limestone pools perfect for swimming. Walk past the sun bear rescue centre at the base to reach the most photogenic tier, where water spills over milky-blue travertine terraces.

  Kuang Si, Luang Prabang Province

• Watch sunset from Mount Phousi

  Climb the 328 steps of this central hill for a 360-degree panorama over Luang Prabang's rooftops, the Mekong, and the surrounding mountains. Arrive early to snag a spot near the golden stupa at the summit.

  Luang Prabang

• Visit the Plain of Jars Site 1

  Hundreds of massive stone jars, some weighing over 10 tonnes, litter a plateau in Xieng Khouang. The largest open site includes jars up to 3 metres tall and a bomb-crater landscape scarred by the Secret War.

  Phonsavan, Xieng Khouang Province

• Tour Pha That Luang at golden hour

  Laos's most sacred Buddhist monument rises as a gilded stupa encircled by cloisters of seated Buddhas. The layered structure is said to contain a relic of the Buddha and is the national symbol on Lao currency and the coat of arms.

  Vientiane

• Explore Pak Ou Caves by boat

  Two limestone caverns at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers house thousands of discarded Buddha statues left by devotees over centuries. Take a slow boat upstream from Luang Prabang through karst scenery to reach them.

  Pak Ou, Luang Prabang Province

• Drink Lao coffee on the Bolaven Plateau

  Cool highland air and volcanic soil produce some of Southeast Asia's best arabica and robusta beans. Visit smallholder farms around Paksong to sample fresh-roasted coffee straight from the source on terraces overlooking waterfalls.

  Bolaven Plateau, Champasak Province

• Laze on Don Det in the 4000 Islands

  This laid-back island in the Mekong's braided channels has no cars, hammock-strung guesthouses, and rice paddies that stretch to the river. Rent a bicycle to loop the island and watch dolphins surface at dusk.

  Si Phan Don, Champasak Province

• Admire Wat Xieng Thong's mosaics

  The gilded sweep of this 16th-century monastery roof and its enormous Tree of Life mosaic on the rear wall make it the most beautiful temple in Laos. Inside, a royal funeral carriage sits among lacquered columns.

  Luang Prabang

• Walk beneath Patuxai's arches

  Vientiane's answer to the Arc de Triomphe sits at the end of Lane Xang Avenue, decorated with Hindu-Buddhist motifs and guarded by nagas. Climb to the top floor for a panoramic view over the capital's low skyline.

  Vientiane

• Observe the morning alms-giving ceremony

  Before dawn, saffron-robed monks walk barefoot through Luang Prabang's old town collecting sticky rice from kneeling residents. Hundreds of monks from dozens of monasteries process silently past French colonial shophouses.

  Luang Prabang

• Hike to the Nong Khiaw Viewpoint

  A steep, muddy 45-minute climb rewards you with sweeping views over the Nam Ou River valley and jagged limestone peaks. The sunrise version requires a headlamp and steady footing on slippery laterite.

  Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang Province

• Paddle through Tham Kong Lo Cave

  A 7.5-kilometre river cave so tall it swallows longboats whole, with headlamps revealing cathedral-scale limestone formations. The emerald-green river inside is considered sacred by locals.

  Khammouane Province

• Tube the Nam Song River in Vang Vieng

  Float downstream on inflated inner tubes through a landscape of sugarloaf karst towers and jungle. Rope swings and riverside bars punctuate the lazy two-to-three-hour drift back to town.

  Vang Vieng, Vientiane Province

• Tour the Royal Palace Museum (Haw Kham)

  Built in 1904 for King Sisavangvong, the palace blends French Beaux-Arts and Lao motifs. Highlights include the Phra Bang gold Buddha, the throne hall's mirrored walls, and royal regalia from the last monarchy.

  Luang Prabang

• Wander among the statues of Buddha Park

  Over 200 Hindu and Buddhist concrete sculptures crowd a meadow beside the Mekong, including a giant reclining Buddha and a pumpkin-shaped building you enter through a demon's mouth to climb to a rooftop viewpoint.

  Xieng Khuan, Vientiane

• Learn at the COPE Visitor Centre

  This sobering museum documents the unexploded ordnance crisis and the prosthetic limbs COPE manufactures for UXO survivors. Interactive exhibits explain the devastating scale of America's secret bombing campaign.

  Vientiane

• Do the Gibbon Experience in Bokeo

  Sleep in treehouses 40 metres above the forest canopy and zip-line between platforms over primary jungle. Wild gibbons, black bears, and clouded leopards inhabit the protected reserve surrounding the course.

  Bokeo Nature Reserve, Bokeo Province

• Explore the Vieng Xai Caves

  These 480 limestone caves sheltered the Pathet Lao leadership and 23,000 civilians during the American bombing campaign. Guided tours reveal a hidden city with hospitals, a theatre, and government offices carved into the rock.

  Vieng Xai, Houaphan Province

• Witness Wat Phou at dawn

  A pre-Angkorian Hindu temple complex climbs a mountainside in Champasak, with sandstone sanctuaries framing a sacred lingam-shaped stone. The axis aligns perfectly with the summit of Phou Kao, giving it Khmer spiritual geometry.

  Champasak, Champasak Province

• Stare up at Tad Fane Waterfall

  Twin streams plunge nearly 120 metres into a gorge in the heart of the Bolaven Plateau, making this one of Laos's tallest waterfalls. A canopy-level viewing platform lets you peer directly into the spray at the cliff edge.

  Dong Hua Sao, Champasak Province

• Ride the Mekong slow boat to Huay Xai

  A two-day journey on a wooden longboat drifts past teak forests, remote villages, and limestone bluffs between Luang Prabang and the Thai border. Passengers share the deck with rice sacks and chickens on a 300-kilometre river corridor.

  Luang Prabang to Huay Xai

• Browse Luang Prabang Night Market

  Hmong and Lao artisans lay out handwoven silk scarves, mulberry-paper lanterns, and silver jewellery on Sisavangvong Road's pedestrian strip. Sample grilled Mekong fish and purple sticky rice from steaming food stalls at the far end.

  Luang Prabang

• Marvel at Khone Phapheng Falls

  The largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia is a roaring cataract of braided rapids across the Mekong near the Cambodian border. Irrawaddy dolphins frequent the pools above the falls, and fishing boats teeter on the edge of the torrent.

  Si Phan Don, Champasak Province

• Eat laap and drink Beerlao riverside

  Lao minced-meat salad pounded with toasted rice, fish sauce, lime, and herbs is the national dish, best paired with an ice-cold Beerlao at a Vientiane Mekong riverside stall. Watch the sun drop behind Thailand across the water.

  Vientiane

• Kayak the Nam Ou River

  Paddle through towering limestone gorges between Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi, passing caves, sandbars, and riverside villages with no road access. The karst scenery rivals Ha Long Bay but sees a fraction of the visitors.

  Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang Province