Luang Prabang, the former capital of ancient Laos, today is a small, laid-back town and home to countless ancient temples. While Luang Prabang is the number one tourist destination in Laos, it sees far less visitors than other cities in Southeast Asia.

Wat Pa Phai in Luang Prabang

The Kuang Si Waterfalls are located less than one hour by motorbike away from Luang Prabang in Laos. Understandably, they get many visitors, but the place feels not overcrowded since it boasts with many smaller and larger waterfalls over the length of more than one kilometre! These falls were one of my favourites.

Kuang Si Falls

The Plain of Jars boasts thousands of ancient jars scattered around the fields which are thought to be ancient burial sites. As many cool places in Laos, the Plain of Jars is quite remote, but once there, a motorbike makes for a convenient way to reach the sites that are scattered in the area around Phonsavan. It is important to stick to the marked paths though since the area has a very sad recent history: During the Vietnam war, American planes dumped more than two million tons of bombs on Laos and the Plain of Jars was one of the areas that saw the worst impact. While the sites of the Plain of Jars have been cleared of bombs, countless bomb craters remain and many people in the area are dying every year from unexploded bombs.

Sunset over Plain of Jars

The area around Vang Vieng boasts countless caves and viewpoints, but at one point a local tour guide started promoting a swimming spot as the "blue lagoon". It became such a hit with the ever-increasing number of tourists that countless other "blue lagoons" popped up. While some lagoons now see large tour groups pulling in, this one called "Blue Lagoon 4" is one of the lesser-visited lagoons and made for a fun day chilling in the water and jumping off the rope swing.

Blue Lagoon 4 in Vang Vieng

Nong Khiaw is a laid-back village in rural Laos. A highlight was the climb to Pha Daeng Peak from where we watched an amazing sunset. The next day, we took a small boat further up the river.

Captured	January 10, 2020
Location	Luang Prabang, Laos
Camera	BuyNikon D5500
Lens	BuySigma 18-35mm F1.8
Exposure Time	1/50s
Aperture	f/5.6
Focal Length	18mm
ISO	100

Pha Daeng Peak in Nong Khiaw

Nearby Photos

Wat Pa Phai in Luang Prabang

Kuang Si Falls

Sunset over Plain of Jars

Blue Lagoon 4 in Vang Vieng