🇱🇦Laos

Luang Prabang's old town

A UNESCO-listed town at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, its streets lined with gilded temples and French colonial buildings. Each morning before dawn, rows of saffron-robed monks walk the streets collecting alms, a ritual visitors can watch respectfully from a distance. The town's night market and riverside cafes make evenings just as appealing.

Kuang Si Falls

A multi-tiered waterfall outside Luang Prabang, its turquoise pools formed by limestone deposits and ideal for swimming between cascades. A steep trail climbs beside the falls to the main drop at the top. A bear rescue center at the entrance adds an easy stop before or after the hike.

Pak Ou Caves

Two caves set into a limestone cliff above the Mekong, filled with thousands of Buddha statues left by pilgrims over centuries. The journey there by slow boat along the river is as much a part of the experience as the caves themselves. It's typically combined with a stop at a village known for producing lao-lao rice whisky.

Plain of Jars

Thousands of massive stone jars, some over 2,000 years old, scattered across a plateau in northern Laos, their original purpose still debated by archaeologists. The area also carries a heavier history as one of the most heavily bombed regions during the Vietnam War, with ongoing unexploded ordnance clearance. Only cleared sites, marked by white and red stones, are safe to walk.

Vang Vieng's karst landscape

A small town surrounded by dramatic limestone karsts and the Nam Song River, once known primarily for a wilder party scene that has since calmed considerably. Hot air balloon rides at sunrise, cave exploring, and tubing down the river are now the main draws. The scenery here rivals better-known karst regions elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

That Luang, Vientiane

A gold-covered Buddhist stupa considered the most important national monument in Laos, believed to enshrine a relic of the Buddha. Its stepped design carries deep religious symbolism, and it appears on the national emblem. The surrounding plaza hosts a major festival each November.