Pakse & Champasak

Gateway to southern Laos: the World Heritage Khmer temple of Vat Phou, coffee plantations and waterfalls on the Bolaven Plateau, and the jumping-off point for Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands).

Pakse, capital of Champasak Province, sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Xe Don rivers and is the gateway to southern Laos: about 40 km south is Champasak, home to the World Heritage Site of Vat Phou; 50 km east the road climbs to the Bolaven Plateau at around 1,000 m; and a further 2.5 hours south lies Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands, listed as a separate destination). The town itself has few sights — beyond Wat Luang, Dao Heuang Market and sunsets on the Mekong, the one must-see is the Golden Buddha on the hilltop at Phu Salao across the river. There are three classic ways to explore: first, spend a night in the old town of Champasak, visiting Vat Phou and the Hong Nang Sida ruins in the early morning and cycling around Don Daeng island; second, rent a motorbike for the Bolaven Plateau loop, stopping at waterfalls such as Tad Fane, Tad Yuang, Tad Champee and Tad Lo, and touring coffee plantations around Paksong; third, continue south from Pakse to Si Phan Don. The best season is the cool months of November–February, and the Vat Phou Festival takes place in February; the May–October rainy season brings the fullest waterfalls but muddy mountain roads, and March–April is hottest. Getting there: Pakse Airport has flights from Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Bangkok and elsewhere; sleeper buses run from Vientiane; and from Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand it's about 3 hours via the Vang Tao border crossing. Allow 3–5 days.

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