Luang Prabang

Arriving into Laos, for the first time since our trip began we had the luxury of time. After a jam packed itinerary in Thailand, we’d set aside a full 4 days to recuperate in Luang Prabang: more than enough time to see this small city. Afternoon naps were back on the cards!

Our inbound flight set the scene for this relatively untouristy country; on a plane with capacity of 72, we were 2 of only around 10 passengers. We arrived ahead of schedule, made it to our hotel within minutes and as we were settling into our room, we saw our first drop of rain in over a month. This was a real tropical thunderstorm as well, definitely a sign we should be having a lazy day. In fact, there were a number of torrential rain showers during our time in Luang Prabang. Each time we were lucky enough to be inside.

Night Market

We’d heard rumours of another night market so when finally we emerged from our room, this was our first stop for food. A Lao pork noodle broth ‘Khao Piak’ was our meal of choice, followed by some mini coconut pancakes which seem popular in the region. The market looked particularly scenic in the twilight, with Wat Mai overlooking  the Western end of the street.

Kuang Si Waterfalls

Since the rain had been so heavy, we decided the next morning would be perfect to see Kuang Si waterfalls in full flow.

The falls are located about 30km from Luang Prabang. To get there, the return journey and entry fee came to under a fiver – an absolute steal for such a stunning national park which rivals Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes for beauty.

After rushing around in the humid jungle to catch the views before hoards of tourists arrived, we went for a swim in one of the lower falls to cool off. The water was chilly but very refreshing! While we were swimming, we became aware of something tickling our feet: turns out the falls are a natural fish spa! This came as quite a surprise, but having not taken any massages in Thailand this was the next best thing.

The area around the falls was home to a bear sanctuary and some scenic forest. To warm up after our swim, we climbed up the waterfall and found some lovely boardwalks over the river at the top. There were raft trips to the source of the river as well which sounded appealing, but we opted to contine exploring on foot instead.

Old Quarter

For our third day, some city sightseeing was on the cards. Our first sight was a bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan river, which gets destroyed in the wet season and rebuilt each year.

As it seems is the case for much of South East Asia, Luang Prabang is another UNESCO world heritage site.

Interestingly, Luang Prabang actually means The Place of the Buddha. So it came as no surprise that the nearby Old Quarter would be full of temples. Our favourite of these was Wat Xieng Thong, one of Laos’ most significant monasteries which was built in the 16th century.

Not far away was a small but lovely public garden, from which another seasonal bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan could be seen.

Phou Si Hill

We rounded off the day by ascending the 355 steps of Phou Si Hill for sunset. Situated right in the middle of the city, this hill offers 360 degree panoramic views over Luang Prabang, as well as the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers.

It was about 4:30pm when we reached the summit and there were maybe a dozen or so visitors at that point. But over the next hour, literally hundreds of tourists began to take over this tiny peak. Thankfully we had a good vantage point, but it was hard to believe just how many new arrivals there were. Especially considering how sparse Luang Prabang’s tourist population had seemed!

For dinner that evening we decided to go somewhere a bit fancier than the local street market. Enticed by a laid back ambiance and the offer of free cocktails with a main meal, we ate at the newly established Yuni Yupoun Restaurant. James had a local fish curry and Mariya tried Laos’ unofficial national dish of ‘Larb Moo’, a pork salad served with noodles. Both meals were very tasty.

We opted to spend our fourth and final day in Luang Prabang by the hotel pool, having seen most of what the city has to offer already. Weatherwise this was the best day we’d had so far in Laos, so it seemed like a natural choice.

As much as we love travelling, there’s no denying that it gets tiring, particularly given the timescales we have in South East Asia. Even during our beach week we didn’t allow ourselves the luxury of a full day off. Such a treat to be able to chill and put our feet up for an entire day!