Luong Prabang
Daylight
Variety of Wats (Half Day)
Luong Prabang has a variety of Wats (or temples) scattered throughout town (some that you will stumble upon without even trying). You can spend all day traveling from Wat to Wat if you can’t get enough of these unique structures with varying internal decorations and buddhas. A few of the popular Wats to explore are Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Mai, and the Royal Palace. Grab a map from whatever Hostel you are staying at and plan a route to see all the recommended Wats.
Pak Ou Caves (Half Day)
Down the Mekong River about 25 km (~1 hr), you will reach a set of caves known for their Buddha sculptures. Scattered throughout these caves are hundreds of miniature Buddha’s amongst a few more extravagant larges ones. You can take a private boat to these caves and it won’t break the bank. We had the whole boat to ourselves and had some fun enjoying the ride. You can also ask to stop at Whiskey Village on the way. This is a tourist shopping hub with a variety of homemade liquors (many of which have snakes or other insects inside the bottle) and other clothes and local goods.
Kuang Si Falls (Half Day)
We were planning to check out this beautiful waterfall and scenery with good hiking and potential natural swimming pools. Once we arrived, we learned August was in the middle of monsoon season and most of the hiking trails were shut down for the season after being flooded. The waters also get overflown and fill with dirt and lose their natural blue color. We were disappointed we had to learn this the hard way, so don’t make the same mistake we did!
Giving of Alms (30 min)
At sunrise, a collection of Monks from all the surrounding Wats in town gather and walk through the town center collecting donations from the citizens. There are strict rules about participating, so make sure you discuss it with a local before attending. We were unable to join for this event.
Utopia (1-3 hours)
One of the most popular restaurants in town. Not only do they have good food and a variety of drinks for a good night out, but they are also located along the Nam Khan river and have a nice outdoor atmosphere. There is a patio overlooking the river with many Thai Three Fold Triangle cushions on the floor so you can lay down and read a book, or have a meal and drinks while relaxing. Utopia also offers morning Yoga classes, which we did not have a chance to attend.
Zurich Bread Company (1 hour)
Very cool and unique looking restaurant/bakery with a good selection of coffee and western breakfast options.
Bamboo Bridge (0 min)
You may find some other travel blogs or websites recommending you to check out the Bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan River, but as of August 2019, this bridge has been destroyed. If you don’t believe us, we got this sad photo….
Red Cross Massage Studio (1.5 hours)
At a very affordable price, we each got a one hour massage at Red Cross. This is one of the more popular massage houses in town, and there were a lot of locals as well as tourists here getting massages. They also provide tea afterward to keep the relaxation going. Lockers are available to lock up your stuff.
Evenings
Sunset on Mount Phousi (1-2 hours)
This hill in the center of the city is seen as the heart of the city and is a popular location for sunset amongst all tours and locals alike. You can get a full panorama view of the city from the highest local peak. At just around 300 steps, it will take around 20-30 min to get to the viewing point. Because this is so popular, every tourist in town will be here for sunset, we would recommend getting there early to get a good spot for sunset (especially if you have a tripod and want a good photo). This would also be a good place to meet other tourists or talk with locals.
Night Market (1-2 hours)
The daily Night Market starts after Sunset and goes for 3-4 hours. You can find it outside the Royal Palace on Sisavangvong Road although it is hard to miss. Seemingly out of nowhere hundreds of tents are placed and souvenirs are offered to tourists all night. There is a good variety of souvenirs and you can spend quite a lot of time looking at all the options. Most of the owners are willing to negotiate, so try your luck! We purchased bamboo straws to help eliminate our plastic straw usage.
Khaiphaen (1.5 hours)
Local restaurant serving popular local dishes. We ordered a few small dishes and loved each one, we were very impressed with the local flavors and quality of food. Along with other restaurants in SE Asia, Khaiphaen teaches students how to serve, cook, and learn how to have a job. Most of these young kids come from bad areas with limited opportunities. These local restaurants in bigger towns have used tourism to benefit their economy and provide opportunities for surrounding villages. This became a common theme, and we were happy to support them.
Sisavangvong Road
Further beyond the Night Market on Sisavangvong Road is a variety of restaurants and shops. With nice patios, a lot of tourists get a good view of the street and grab some drinks/food and people watch. We were also impressed with the unique style of clothing that most of the shops had, so you can spend some time shopping, although the prices were steeper than expected.
