Highlights of Southern Laos
The picturesque World Heritage town of Luang Prabang in northern Laos is justifiably renowned, as are the spectacular, karst formations of scenic Vang Vieng. The strategically placed, riverside capital Vientiane also, inevitably, sees a regular flow of visitors but many of the other wonderful sites Laos has to offer remain consistently off-the-beaten-track. Our brief rundown of some of the lesser-known highlights of southern Laos includes a selection of varied destinations that, in our opinion, deserve inclusion on any tour of this small, Southeast Asian country. (The far-flung Plain of Jars – another UNESCO World Heritage Site – certainly fits the off-the-beaten-track tag, due to its difficult-to-access, remote location but that’ll have to wait for a highlights of northern Laos post.)
Landlocked Laos is a similar size to the UK, so no great travel distances are involved, however, some 90% of the country is mountainous, the road infrastructure frankly isn’t great and consequently, what appears to be just a short hop on the map, can often take a long while to cover on the ground. The new high-speed rail link from Vientiane now provides easy access to much of the central north although in the southern half of the country, you’re still at the mercy of local road conditions. (Yes, there is a flight from the capital to Pakse in the far south but that misses out half the country so where’s the fun in that?) Anyway, we’d say that part of the country’s charm is that it still remains one of the least developed and most adventurous of Southeast Asian destinations. In no particular order, here’s a few of our highlights of Southern Laos.
Hin Boun
Strictly speaking central, rather than southern Laos, this region of Khammouane Province is home to some of the most spectacular landscapes to be found, not only in Laos but anywhere in Southeast Asia. Yet, as we mentioned above, while a few visitors will hop on a southbound flight or night bus to Pakse, this entire, awe-inspiring, central region is simply bypassed by the vast majority of tourists.
Limestone scenery of Hin Boun Konglor
Although Laos’s swathes of limestone mountains create myriad caves in every corner of the country, if you only visit one of them, then Konglor Cave should be it. Located in the Hin Boun area, Konglor is actually an underground river rather than a cave and connects the hollow centre of a mountain range with the outside world. Imagine a doughnut-shaped feature with a ring of shear limestone cliffs encircling an open, flat centre whose farms and villages are accessed by a 7-kilometre natural tunnel. A surreal sight for visitors travelling up the tunnel in narrow boats would be passing a boatload of local women heading to market or even the Beer Lao delivery boat emerging from around a bend in the passage.
The entrance to Konglor Cave is partly obscured by rocks and trees The Boloven Plateau
Located in the south, central region of the country, the spectacular Boloven Plateau would likely be your first port of call if you’ve skipped the above and flown directly to Pakse. This cool, upland area is famous for coffee plantations, minority villages and dramatic waterfalls and a day tour of the area provides essential viewing.
Wat Phu
The majestic, Angkor-period ruins of Wat Phu are the south’s only World Heritage-listed site and as such a shoo-in for a highlights of southern Laos selection. The ancient temple sits on terraces at the foot of a mountain overlooking the Mekong River with the surrounding temples and ancient city featuring vestiges dating from as early as the 6th century right through to the late 12th. The charming, nearby town of Champassak, with its old French villas and riverbank setting, is also well worth a visit.
The largely intact lower galleries at Wat Phu date to the 11th century. Huay Tomo
If UNESCO-listed Wat Phu is already somewhat off-the-beaten-track, then the evocative jungle ruins of Huay Tomo (or Wat Tomo, Wat Umo – the site has many names) – are even more so. The ruined 10th-11th century Hindu sanctuary is actually part of UNESCO’s Vat (sic) Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements listing and lies a short distance further south on the opposite, eastern, bank of the Mekong yet very few visitors see fit to include the moss-covered ruins.
Huay Tomo in the rainy season The Four Thousand Islands
The bucolic scenery of this vast inland archipelago is the south’s biggest draw and Don Det with its proliferation of budget chalets, is just about the only destination, in high season at least, that can be described as busy. Don Det is just one of the myriad islands, although 4000 is rather a random total, as some of the smaller ones come and go as water levels in the Mekong rise and fall. Our Laos small group tours include a night on Don Kong – the largest and one of the most northern islands – as well as a 2-night stay on Don Khone, located at the far southern tip of the archipelago. Don Khone possesses several excellent accommodation options as well as several old French structures, including remnants of the railway line that used to traverse the island. A leisurely boat journey, weaving through the islands, takes us from one island to the other.
Don Khone with Cambodia in the distance Khone Pha Pheng and Liphi Waterfalls
At this point, split into a labyrinth of smaller channels and islands, the mighty Mekong measures an astonishing 11 kilometres in width. The southern end of the archipelago, which forms the border between Laos and Cambodia, is marked by an abrupt, 20m or so drop-off, meaning that the entirety of the river tumbles over a series of falls and cascades before continuing its way into northern Cambodia. While not particularly high, the resulting falls form the World’s widest as well as one of its largest in terms of water volume; far more than Victoria Falls or Niagara, yet very few people have even heard of it.
Khone Pha Pheng falls on the Laos-Cambodia border On All Points East Tours
Our Laos small group tours offer three options for visiting the far south: The Mekong Adventure, Laos Far North to Far South and Emerald Triangle. The former two are identical as far as the south goes and travelling overland from Vientiane also include Hin Boun and Konglor with the former, shorter version kicking off in Vientiane and the Far North starting in Luang Prabang. The Emerald Triangle is a Thailand and Laos tour and takes you overland through off-the-beaten-track Isan – northeastern Thailand – before joining the Lao section in Pakse. All three continue over the border from the 4000 islands and follow the course of the Mekong through northern Cambodia to Phnom Penh.
