Laos moves at river speed.
Jade pools under the limestone at Kuang Si, karst and kayaks at Vang Vieng, a boat out on the Mekong at six. Which of them earn the day, what they cost, and who runs them well.
The seven to lock in early.
First visit or fifth, these are the days people fly home talking about. The terraces at Kuang Si before the buses, a slow boat under the karst, an evening learning laap from a cook who grew the herbs out the back.
Cruise to Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls
Cruise Luang Prabang to Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Falls, with Ban Xang Hai tastings, lunch with elephants, and guided door-to-door service.
From $48 per person
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Jade water, all afternoon.
Thirty kilometres south of town the Nam Si drops through limestone into pools the colour of bottle glass. Most trips take in the rescued bears at the gate, then leave you to swim your way up the terraces. The good ones go early or go late, and skip the hour when every minibus in the province arrives at once.
Slow north or the karst middle?
Most first trips get about a week, and the shape of it comes down to how far north you go and how fast you move. Here are the three ways people actually split Laos, each one already reviewed and priced.
Temples and river
The slow north
from $48 · 1,769 reviews
Stay four nights in Luang Prabang and barely touch a road. Morning market at six, the falls one day, the caves upriver the next, and a boat out at five when the Mekong turns the colour of tea. Best on a first visit, and for anyone who would rather look than sprint.
See the Luang Prabang tours →
Water and karst
The adventure middle
6 - 8 hours · from $30 · 410 reviews
Vang Vieng sits under limestone towers with a green river running through the middle. Kayaks on the Nam Song, tubes through the caves by headlamp, a zip line over the canopy, and balloons up at dawn while the mist still fills the valley. Best for anyone who fidgets on a boat.
See the Vang Vieng tours →
Further upriver
The far north
from $50 · 81 reviews
Past Luang Prabang the Nam Ou narrows between cliffs and the villages stop having roads. Boat in, walk between hamlets, sleep in a homestay, ride the current back down. Best for a second week, or a first one if you already know you like the quiet.
See the Nong Khiaw trips →
The river takes the evening.
Laos does not do late nights, it does long dusks. Boats push off the Luang Prabang landing around five, the sun is behind the far bank twenty minutes later, and everybody walks back up to the night market for grilled fish and a cold Beerlao.
Sticky rice, then everything else.
The morning market sells river weed, buffalo skin and eleven kinds of chilli, and by dusk the same lane is grilling it. These walk you through both ends of the day with somebody else doing the ordering.
Bamboo, silk and a slow afternoon.
Luang Prabang still weaves, dyes and folds things for a living. Three hours at a loom or a bamboo bench is the cheapest good souvenir in the country, and you go home with the thing you made.
Thirty-odd temples, one small town.
Luang Prabang was a kingdom long before it was a UNESCO listing, and the peninsula between the Mekong and the Nam Khan still keeps monastery hours. Wat Xieng Thong at opening, Mount Phousi at dusk, and the dawn alms round, which is a daily act of merit rather than a show: watch from across the street, kneel only if you are giving, and put the camera away.
Laos, place by place.
The country runs along one river and about two days of road. Luang Prabang for temples and falls. Vang Vieng for karst and water. Vientiane for the Buddha park and the border. Nong Khiaw for when you want the map to run out.
Pick the kind of day.
Twelve ways to spend one, from three hours at a cooking bench to a whole day on the water. Everything behind each door is already reviewed and priced.
Mekong Cruises12 tours
Kayaking & Rafting17 tours
Trekking & Homestays14 tours
Lao Cooking Classes10 tours
Weaving & Craft11 tours
Balloon Flights7 tours
Lagoons & Tubing12 tours
Food & Markets15 tours
Zip Lines8 tours
Alms & Baci Ceremonies7 tours
Farms & Sanctuaries6 tours
Trains & Transfers11 tours
The days that need a whole day.
Some of Laos is a morning away and some of it takes everything you have. The falls south of Luang Prabang, the caves two hours upriver, the karst valley down Route 13, and the villages on the Nam Ou where the road simply stops.
Three days in the north.
Nobody sees Laos in three days, but you can see Luang Prabang properly and still get one long day on the water. This is the order that works when the flight lands in the afternoon.
Day 1
Walk the peninsula
The strip between the two rivers is a kilometre long and holds most of the temples. Wat Xieng Thong first, Mount Phousi for the sunset, then the night market on Sisavangvong for dinner.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Out to the falls
Leave by nine, the bear sanctuary at the gate, then swim up the terraces before the afternoon minibuses land. Back in town with time for a boat at five.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Upriver and back
Two hours up the Mekong to the caves at Pak Ou, several thousand Buddha images stacked in a cliff, and a whisky village on the way home. The current does the return trip.
Plan day three →
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