Laos
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a beautiful, charming and chill city, the former capital of Laos, with 2 rivers running through and intersecting surrounded by mountains. Lots of French architecture and traditional Lao wooden homes. Beautiful temples with large grounds every few blocks. We loved seeing all the monks wondering around town. We spent 3 weeks here volunteering with Greenlion.
Favorite activities in LP
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Alms giving or watching
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Garden of Eden Laung Prabang - Jewelry making
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Kuang Si Waterfall*
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Luang Prabang yoga - Sunday night 90-minute yin and sound bath class
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Massage - BanLao Spa
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Mount Phousi
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Night market*
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UXO visitor center
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Watching the sunset (look under favorite bars/restaurants)
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Visiting the various temples particularly if there was chanting or drumming
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* More information on these activities can be found in our Volunteering adventure week.
Favorite bars (see details below)
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T56 - Happy hour 5pm - 7pm. Any cocktail 2 for 1 (180,000 KIP, $9.5). Nice sunset view.
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La Catina - live music Thursday and Saturday
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Mookata Asian Grill - Happy hour starts at 4pm. Think it is the best on the Main Street if you want beer. Draft Beer Lao (little less than a pint) 20,000 Kip
Favorite restaurants (see details below)
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Lanzhou Hand pull noodles - Freshest noodles in town! We liked number 10 and 4.
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Manda de Laos - hidden gem. Serene oasis at the edge of the historic downtown. Perfect evening. Fabulous ambiance, good food and service. Great for a special occasion as it is pretty pricey by Lao standards. Make online reservation In advance and ask for a table on the terrace overlooking the Lily pond.
Favorite Gelato
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Gelato del Lao - on the main street. Flavors change frequently. We were definently regulars.
Visited 3 other cities
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Vang Vieng - active paradise
Missed and would come back to visit Nong Khiaw. Friends did a one night overnight hike and said sunset and sunrise were great! Sleeping in permanent tent wasn’t bad. Bathrooms scary but for one night it was doable.
Activities
There is a fair amount to do in Luang Prabang and easy day trips. We also just loved to walk around the town, stop for a coffee, enjoy the river views, mender around the temples. Below are some of our favorite activities.
Alms giving or watching
Amy is obsessed with the monks, so this was probably her favorite activity even though at times it felt touristy. We went twice once to give alms and another time just to watch. We enjoyed both perspectives. Must get up early but worth it.
The morning, we gave alms ($15pp) we left our guesthouse at 5am. Many organizations "sell" you a spot to sit on the sidewalk and provide what you need (e.g., shases, sticky rice, cookies, etc.). Our host prepared everything for us and got us situated.
Four temples of monks with up to 20 monks each passed by where we were sitting between 5:40am - 6:10am. We sat on the street of the night market. The monks walk on that street and sections on the street perpendicular to that. We really had to be on our game to keep up with the pace and give to each passing monk. We were told to wear clothes that covered below our knees and shoulders, were dressed in a sash, and sat barefoot in small chairs lined up on the sidewalk.
We were given sticky rice and packaged cookies/crackers to put in each monk’s bowl as they passed.
We made a wish before as we would be getting good karma for giving alms to the monks.
When the monks passed we weren’t allowed to talk to them, not that there was any extra time to talk.
Took very quick work to get a blob of sticky rice and cookies into their bowls as they streamed by. Monks were first, followed by novices (9-19 years old). What they are given in the morning is their main food source for the day in addition to the donated food that others cook for them at the temple. Monks aren’t allowed to cook. They also aren’t allowed to eat between noon and 1am. They like having cookies/crackers with their coffee or tea when they first wake up.
Garden of Eden Laung Prabang - Jewelry making. Wonderful find. They are super nice and we were able to make some amazing necklaces since Amy has enough rings (although rings were very popular with others). We did the Silver workshop 10g ($49). Which really did take 3-4 hours so give yourself enough time. Larry did most of the work Amy helped as needed. We made 5-star pendants as gifts and one stamped heart necklace for Amy. Definitely book in advance to secure a spot. Mornings were less busy than afternoon.
Process starts with heating up your grams of silver, dipping into cool water, pounding the silver blob, and usings a machine manually to get the silver into a flat rod. You do this over and over until the artists says it looks good and the artists approves.
Then you stretch it out into a rod. It is a very manual process.
When the wire is at the right length you bend it into shape
We were thrilled with the outcome. They also give you either a silver chain or black leather cord to go with the pendent.
While it bakes in the oven you are given a huge foot bowl to enjoy while looking out over the river.
Yoga studio that offers 3 classes ($10 for 60 min class, $12 for a 90 min class) a day of different types of yoga. Afternoon classes at Sena Steak House. We took a wonderful 1.5-hour class - Yin yoga and sound bath on Sunday nights. They did both disciplines at the same time. We expected them to be separate. The teacher ran the vibrating bowl down our backs when in pose and/or played the bowls throughout the class. We loved this. Get there a little early to secure a spot near the sliding doors to the deck (a bit cooler due to fan). She really tries to squeeze all participants in and not turn anyone away.
There are lots of massage places and cheaper prices than this one, but this one had proper massage tables (others we went to laid on a mattress on the floor without neck support), professional masseuse, and for American prices at $35 for a 90-minute aromatherapy massage very reasonable. It is located in a very nice hotel. They took us no problem without an appointment. They started by scrubbing our feet.
Then we went upstairs to a private room for our massage with a bathroom including a shower (even a shower curtain!) so we could rinse off after the massage. Clean room. Comfortable massage table. Professional treatment. We left very relaxed.
Mount Phousi
A 100-meter-high sacred hill located in the center of Luang Prabang, offering 360-degree views of the city, Mekong River, and surrounding mountains. Lit up at night, so is a good reference point you can see from many places to help you figure out where you are. To get to the top you need to climb 300+ steps. Cost per person 30,000 KIP. Gets crowded at sunset and sunrise.
Before getting to the very top you see various temples and Buddhas. And the Buddha Footprint, even bigger Larry’s feet. View from the top. We went down the stairs on the opposite, royal palace side. Definitely less steep.
UXO Visitor Center
Learn about the US’s largest bombing campaign from 1964-1973 in Laos. Over 2 million tons of ordnances were dispersed. That translates to a B52 plane load of munitions every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 9 years. Unfortunately, there are still unexploded bombs dispersed throughout the country, presenting a risk to farmers and their families. It took us about 20 minutes to read the information posters in the one room museum and to watch a short film that explains the issue and what is being done mitigate the threat. Free.
Visiting various temples / Wats
No shortage of temples to visit in Luang Prabang. Some are free, some have an entrance fee. Loved when we were able to catch the monks chanting or drum beating. Be respectful and cover your shoulders and knees.
Royal Palace (Haw Kaum, Golden Palace) - Luang Prabang National Museum
Entrance fee - 60,000 Kip per person. When you get in, go first to the locker rooms to the left side of the site to leave behind any packs or water bottles. Also if you are wearing shorts or a sleeveless shirt, you must rent cover up clothes (10,000 Kip per item) to enter the palace. We needed to rent 4 pieces 🤣. We weren’t able to take any pictures in the palace but interesting to see the various rooms with furniture, gifts from other countries, and read the various stories. We spent a good hour on the grounds walking around and looking in the temple.
Bars / Restruants
We absolutely loved watching the sunset or having a beer on the main street and people watching. No shortage of bar options. Food is fresh, flavorful and inexpensive for western standards. Can specify the spice.
Ship’s Wheel
Inexpensive beers with a wonderful view of the sunset. Get there early to snag a chair along the deck, but not too early, as you will be in direct sun. There is also a deck below the main deck that looked very cozy - cushions and blankets to sit on.
525 Terrace Bar
If you want a good cocktail this is a nice place to go watch the sunset. Very relaxed. View was more obstructed than Ship’s Wheel with the benefit of more shade.
T56
Happy hour 5pm - 7pm. Any cocktail 2 for 1 (180,000 KIP, $9.5). Nice view. Probably our favorite.
Lanzhou Hand pull noodles
Freshest noodles in town! We liked number 10 and 4.
Mookata Asian Grill
Happy hour starts at 4pm. Think it is the best on the Main Street if you want beer. Draft Beer Lao (little less than a pint) 20,000 Kip. Loved sitting outside to look at beautiful view across the street.
Yuni Youpoun
A good place on the Main Street of Old Town for cheap happy hour and comfortable people watching.
Manda de Laos
Hidden gem. Serene oasis at the edge of the historic downtown. Perfect evening. Fabulous ambiance, good food and service. Great for a special occasion as it is pretty pricey by Lao standards. Make online reservation In advance and ask for a table on the terrace overlooking the Lily pond. It was so good we came a second time for Valentine’s Day ❤️. Loved the banana flower salad, wok fry buffalo and vegetable larb
Little Lao Culture Club
Located right on the Main Street in historic downtown. We ate outside on the street and people watched, since the inside looked tight. The food was very flavorful. Excellent service. There was music playing next to us on the sidewalk was a bit annoying, but not bad enough to get us to move inside. Bonus: gave us a complimentary glass of bubbles to celebrate our anniversary.
Upstairs had a cool cocktail lounge. We didn't have a drink there but look pretty cool.
La Cantina
Mexican restaurant we didn’t eat at but visited at 8pm for dessert (excellent chocolate fondant), drinks, and live music. Had met Brett Perkins, an American song writer, who organized live music Thursday and Saturday nights at 8pm - 10pm. We became regulars sitting outside, playing cards with the other volunteers and listening to the music.
Popolo Restaurant
If you need a break from Lao food and want some Italian this is a great option.
