If you are looking for a more authentic South East Asian country to visit, with less tourism, then look no further than Laos. We loved our 4 weeks in Laos. We started in Luang Prabang and went all the way South to the Cambodian border. What a gem of a place!
Map of some key places we visited
Luang Prabang – set on the mighty Mekong River
View from our room
Breakfast fit for a Queen – what a way to start the day
No shortage of “Wats” in Laos
They are quite magnificent!
Some lovely traditional buildings
Typical SE Asia – markets everywhere
With all kinds of local delicacies on offer
They love their pork!
and fish
and frogs
The food is great with plenty of spice if you want
We kept to the more traditional food but so tasty – even better washed down with the local beer – Beerlao
There were some cool waterfalls just outside Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang was just a top place to hang out for a few days
This is where we stayed – top spot
Wander about in the wonderful town of Luang Prabang for at least 3 or 4 days – it was without doubt our favourite town in Laos
Always love the kids
Lovely Loa Ladies – all dressed up
Tuktuk driver having a nap in his hammock
Chilling on the steps at home
We left Luang Prabang and hit the road by bus down to Vang Vieng. Local buses are great and very cheap.
The past reputation of Vang Vieng was that young travellers would come to town, go tubing on the river and party big time. That reputation has now gone in part by the government stamping the unruly behaviour out! Being in our 50’s that certainly wasn’t our plan. You can still go tubing and now hot air ballooning.
We hired scooters and explored the countryside
There are some great little walks
Caves to explore
The infrastructure is basic but adequate
We love just observing the locals going about their daily life
The older generation
and the younger ones
Schools out
A cold beer on the Mekong
We then moved onto Vientiane – our least favourite town. The guide books mentioned it was more charming then we discovered with French influence to be seen everywhere. Sorry Vientiane – you didn’t do it for us!
There was still some grand and interesting architecture
No prizes what this reminds you of
Cycling along the Mekong in Vientiane – Thailand on the other side
Life on the Mekong
Cycling is always our favourite transport mode to explore
We love local markets
The food in Laos was great – and the local beer
Lots of fresh produce
A must visit
Not sure why they are dressed up but a lovely couple
Market on wheels
After Vientiane we set off for a long bus journey into the interior of Laos to stay in the small village – Lak Sao.
Our bus to Lak Sao
A few views from the bus along the way
Life in Laos is simple and mainly rural
In Lak Sao we stayed in some bungalows which seemed to be in the middle of no where – but fantastic.
Our digs in Lak Sao
Rural and mountain views
The landscape and setting is wonderful. A few travellers make the journey but it is not swamped by tourists. Just how we like it!
Lak Sao is a tiny village
The main attraction is the Dragon Cave which you negotiate through the mountains on a boat. The cave entrance is hard to spot.
You head through the cave on this long boat
You walk in some parts
Until you see light at the other end
Our driver
and Helle
We hired some bikes and went on a little tour of our own
Checked out some local villages
Village school
The lads
A farmer herding his cattle
This chap was digging for something?
It was just fun cycling the country lanes
Not everyone likes to be photographed
Time to move on South to Thakhek. This is our hotel which is a grand building and was a top place to stay.
View from our balcony – lovely mosiac tiles.
Another great area to explore on scooters with very high rock faces
We enjoyed a few walks
There are caves galore in Laos – I love a good cave
Around Thakhek is a rock climbers paradise. Apparently there are 521 bolted routes and 60 boulders to climb.
Layback Bar
The roads are empty and rock climbing is a big thing in Laos
We bussed further South and ended up almost in Cambodia – on an island called Don Det. It is on the Mekong River and fabulous. Small villages everywhere and you can only get to the island by boat. The collection of islands are affectionately called “1000” islands!
The sunsets over the Mekong were glorious
Just chilling on the Mekong late in the afternoon with a cold beer watching the sun go down in 30 degrees is my kind of holiday
Grab some bikes and explore
Always enjoy engaging with the locals
The tracks were rustic and charming
Refreshments on the ride – and they were always good
We spent 3 days on Don Det – just a fabulous place to relax and explore. Again a bit off the beaten track so not a huge number of tourists. But as always the local brew and food was top notch and cheap!
View from our room
A common mode of transport around the islands
If you get to Laos the islands in the South are a must – we loved them. Our final stop on our Laos excursion was to visit Wat Phou which is the Angkor Wat of Laos – okay the poor cousin but worth the trip getting there.
The car ferry to get you there!
Bags on board and we were off
We cycled out to the old ruins – some dating back 1000 years
After a day out in the ruins we were treated to another spectacle.
Our last breakfast before heading off back home to NZ
What can I say more about Laos. If you want an authentic, cheap South East Asian experience – observe its history, culture, the mighty Mekong as its lifeline, wonderful people, food and great landscapes – then go visit Laos. But don’t leave it too long or you might miss out on the real deal!
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