Start in Luang Prabang and give it three nights: the temple peninsula, the morning market and the falls at Kuang Si. North is the mountain half, with Nong Khiaw on the Nam Ou and treks around Luang Namtha. South is the river half: Vang Vieng's karst, Vientiane, then the Mekong past Thakhek and Savannakhet to Pakse, Champasak and the islands at Don Det. Do not skip the Plain of Jars at Phonsavan. Go November through February, when the rains have gone.
2 Laos city guides
Fun fact
The Mekong runs roughly 1,900 kilometres through Laos, more of the river than any other country carries, and forms much of the border with Thailand before crossing into Cambodia. Laos is the only country in Southeast Asia with no coastline.
Stereotypes, sorted out
The realityLan Xang, the kingdom of a million elephants, was founded in 1353 and held the middle Mekong for three and a half centuries. The language is close to Thai and the script is its own. A French protectorate added a second architecture, so one block can hold a wat, a shophouse and a baguette stand.
The realityLaos holds four UNESCO World Heritage sites: Luang Prabang (1995), the Khmer temples of Vat Phou (2001), the Iron Age jars of Xiangkhouang (2019) and Hin Nam No National Park (2025), its first natural listing. The hammock is available. It is not the itinerary.
The realityBetween 1964 and 1973 more than two million tonnes of ordnance fell on Laos, the most per head of any country in history. About a third of the cluster submunitions failed to explode, and they have killed or injured tens of thousands since. Clearance takes decades. Stay on marked paths.
The realityThe riverside bars closed in 2012 after a run of deaths, and the swings and zip lines went with them. Now it is a climbing, kayaking, caving and ballooning town under some of the best limestone in Southeast Asia. Tubing returned, regulated. The karst was always the reason to stop.
The realityLaos is long and mountainous. The railway put Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang a couple of hours apart, but it covers one corridor. The Plain of Jars, the Bolaven Plateau and the Mekong islands each still cost a full day of travel each way, and most visitors never reach them.
Cultural notes that actually help
- Greet with a nop, palms together at chest height, and a small bow. It is offered to elders and to monks first, and a handshake is fine in business. Returning it matters more than getting the height exactly right.
- Monks are not to be touched by women, and that includes handing something over directly: put it down and let it be picked up. At the dawn alms round in Luang Prabang, watch from across the street, stay quiet, and do not use a flash. If you are not giving, do not stand in the line.
- The head is high and the feet are low, in the literal and the social sense. Do not touch an adult’s head, do not point your feet at a person or at a Buddha image, and tuck them behind you when you sit in a temple.
- Shoes come off at temple buildings and at the door of a home, and often at a guesthouse. Shoulders and knees stay covered in a wat, for everyone, and the sarong offered at the entrance is there to be worn.
- Sticky rice is eaten by hand, from the shared basket, and you take a small ball and dip. Put the lid back on the basket when the meal ends. It is a small courtesy and it is noticed.
- Baw pen nyang, roughly no problem, is the working temperature of the place. Raising your voice to fix something loses face for both sides and gets you nothing. Patience is a technique here, not a virtue.
- This is a one-party state and the etiquette follows. Do not photograph military sites or personnel, do not push political conversation on people who have to live with the answer, and treat the flag and the national symbols as you would a temple.
Famous Lao faces
Setthathirath
Mattie Do
Alexandra Bounxouei
Souvanna Phouma
Sisavang Vong
Phoumi Vongvichit
Fa Ngum
Anouvong
Kaysone Phomvihane
Marisa Darasavath
Outhine Bounyavong
Souphanouvong
Douangdeuane Bounyavong
Dara Kanlaya
Daoviang Butnakho
Sunisa Lee
Bryan Thao Worra
Khamvong Insixiengmai
Bounxeung Synanonh
Must-try Lao food
Padaek
Fermented fish, the deep note under Lao cooking and what sets its papaya salad apart.
Sai oua
Pork sausage with lemongrass, lime leaf and galangal, sold by the coil at market grills.
Khao poon
Rice vermicelli in clear or coconut broth, with herbs and greens added at the table.
Khao soi
Not the Thai curry noodle: flat rice noodles under a tomato and minced pork sauce.
Lao-lao
Village rice whisky poured for guests. The bottle with something coiled in it is real.
Khao niaw
Sticky rice steamed in a bamboo basket, eaten by hand, and at the centre of every meal.
Jeow bong
Sweet, smoky Luang Prabang chilli paste, often with strips of dried buffalo skin.
Jeow mak len
Roasted tomato pounded with chilli, garlic and coriander. The mildest everyday dip.
Laap
Minced meat or fish with herbs, lime, chilli and toasted rice powder. The national dish.
Tam mak hoong
Green papaya pounded with garlic, chilli, lime and padaek. Hotter than the Thai version.
Naem khao
Crispy rice balls crumbled with fermented pork, peanuts and herbs, wrapped in lettuce.
Ping kai
Flattened chicken in lemongrass and garlic, grilled over coals. Roadside food at its best.
Ping pa
Whole river fish stuffed with lemongrass, salt-crusted and cooked upright over fire.
Or lam
Buffalo or chicken stew with eggplant and sakhaan, a vine that numbs the tongue.
Mok pa
Fish minced with lemongrass, dill and rice powder, steamed in banana leaf until set.
Khao nom kok
Coconut rice pancakes from a dimpled pan, in pairs, crisp outside and molten within.
Nam van
Cold sweet coconut milk over jackfruit, tapioca and jellies, from a plastic cup.
Beerlao
The national lager, brewed with jasmine rice, and the default drink.
Bolaven coffee
Grown on the volcanic plateau above Pakse. Drunk strong and sweet over condensed milk.
