If you ever find yourself in Laos, be sure to visit Luang Prabang. This has been one of my favourite spots on my trip so far. The town is incredibly picturesque and there’s something for everyone. We spent 5 days there and had the best time both partying and chilling. I also apologise in advance if there are heaps of spelling mistakes in my writing. Keeping on top of the correct spelling for all these places in SE Asia is a little tough, I also forget the names of places like 5 minutes after I’ve been told. Any ways...
Here are my top 10 recommendations for Luang Prabang:
1. Sunrise Hostel - With a great terrace and beautiful view of the river, this hostel is perfect for chilling out and making new backpacker friends. There’s no loud music that plays all night every night, so you’ll definitely catch a good nights sleep.
Costing only £4 a night to stay in a dorm (including breakfast), it has a pool to cool down (not the nicest pool in the world but it does the job) and free WiFi. The dorms are kept clean and the staff are all very lovely and welcoming. You can also buy cheap bottles of big beer Laos from the reception!
2. Utopia - Zen by day, groovy by night, Utopia is a top hangout spot in Luang Prabang and is very popular amongst travellers. The staff are all legends and the food and cocktails are delicious. During the day, it’s a perfect place to read a book, do yoga, or enjoy a breakfast overlooking the river.
At night, fairy lights and lanterns light up the place and you can make the most of happy hour. It is a bit on the expensive side (for Laos any ways), but I guess you pay for the atmosphere as well. However, it closes at 11:30pm... if it stayed open all night and turned into a riverside club where you could watch the sunrise, I honestly don’t think I’d ever leave! Unfortunately, I don’t think Laos law would allow that:(
3. Mount Phousi Sunset - Hands down one of the best sunsets I’ve seen in a while. Just make sure you get there earlier rather than later as it gets pretty crowded. We left it a little too late and had to sprint up the steps and caught the sunset just in time. We were absolute sweaty messes. The best part of the sunset is after the sun goes behind the mountain any ways...the sky was on fire.
4. Luang Prabang Bowling Alley - This peculiar place is popular amongst the rowdy tourists (especially us Brits) because it’s pretty much the only place that stays open past 11:30pm. Open until 2:30am, you can drink extremely cheap vodka that will definitely leave you feeling rough the next morning. It was one of the strangest bowling experiences I’ve ever had (from what I can remember) but so much fun nonetheless.
5. Kuang Si falls - A very popular waterfall in Luang Prabang. It takes about 45 minutes to get there from the centre of town and you can either get a tuk tuk or book a bus, easy to do! I’ve never seen a waterfall with water this blue...so incredibly stunning and brilliantly refreshing. Make sure you climb higher up to see the top waterfall as well...we got a bit carried away taking pictures and missed that bit. Typical.
6. Tad Sae falls - This waterfall is much less touristy and just as amazing. It’s wider than Kuang Si so much easier to climb up. It takes about 30 minutes to get there in a tuk tuk (cheaper if you’re in a big group) and then you take a short boat ride to the falls. We also trekked for 30 mins through the Laos jungle (wear buckets of bug spray) to get to the very top, where there’s a smaller secluded part of the waterfall which is very peaceful and lovely.
7. Café Sinouk - This little place is so cheap and so bloody delicious. It’s on Sisavangvong road, the main strip of town where most of the restaurants are. Highly recommend the coconut chicken, best meal I’ve had so far!
8. Night market - You’ll come across a lot of night markets when travelling through SE Asia... and they all start blurring into one. The food part of the night market in Luang Prabang is great. We went down the food alley way and found this vegetarian all you can eat buffet. You pay 20,000 kip (£1.85) and can literally stack your plate as high as you want. I couldn’t really walk after my meal.
9. La Pistoche Swimming Pool - A great place to chill and have a drink at the swim up bar. The bartender started pouring us free tequila shots at 4pm! What a legend.
10. UXO museum - UXO stands for “unexploded ordnance”. Between 1964 and 1973, during the Vietnam war, over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos by the Americans. The local people call the cluster sub-munitions “bombies” and they remain a threat today because up to 30% failed to detonate.
Young children playing outside can mistake the bombs as scrap metal and get killed or seriously injured when they detonate. The Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme aims to clear areas of unexploded bombs so the local people can live free of danger. It was a very sobering experience and I learnt so much about the history of Laos. Highly recommend and it’s free admission!
That’s it for now! Of course there are plenty more highlights, but those are mine. Feel free to leave comments and questions below, would love to hear from you guys. Also, make sure to subscribe below so you can be updated by email every time a new post is published:)
Big love,
Belle x
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