Trip: November 2017
Below is our Top 5 Things To Do in Luang Prabang, Laos is part of the Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series. These lists are favorite activities, eats, and drinks from our travels around the world—in no particular order.
After reading many horror stories about the bus from Hanoi to Luang Prabang we splurged for the $150 flights. We only planned to stay two nights, because we were excited to get to Northern Thailand, but within two hours of landing we extended our stay for a night.
1. Sunset drink spot
One of the best views in town to watch the sunset below the mountains is at the dock alongside the river, where many of the tourist cruises originate from and the ferries shuttle locals and their motobikes across the Mekong. We found a lovely Laotian woman selling ice cold beers and walked down the stairs to sit and watch the sunset. Best view, best prices and night after night the sunset was spectacular.
2. Kuang Si Waterfall
We learned about this waterfall of cascading turquoise through the travel guide of instagram and knew immediately we wanted to check it out. We took the advice we read in other blogs and arrived early to avoid the crowds but it was still a bit cool to go swimming, although we did anyway. We followed the advice from this blog and found the ‘secret’ swimming hole, which at 10am we had all to ourselves. Tip: If you’re looking up at the waterfall from the bottom, the path to the ‘secret’ swimming hole is on the right side. The blog link above will lead you the rest of the way.
3. Noodle Soup at Night Market
The soup probably has an official name but it is only known to us as vegetable soup. It was the first stall we came upon at the night market and while it looked delicious, we thought we should see what else was available. After walking through the entire market we came back to the corner and learned how to order soup. You grab a basket, fill it with all the different kinds of vegetables and proteins you want, then hand it to the woman doing the cooking. We usually had to wait a bit because the place was popular but before too long she has cooked up a delicious vegetable filled flavorful soup. We opted to make one big soup that we shared the first night—and then again the second night when we returned.
Google Maps / Trip Advisor (Night Market)
4. Le Banneton
There are subtle French influences throughout Luang Prabang but the least subtle and most welcome were the croissants in this bakery. Everything was baked fresh in house of course. Before heading out on our boat trip on the Mekong we picked up a loaf of bread and a few more croissants to tide us over. I had the pan au chocolat and Jason the plain croissant. We eat our fair share of pastries and don’t normally write about them here, which tells you they were pretty spectacular. (Apparently we were too busy eating because we didn’t grab a photo)
5. Mekong Boat Trip
We spent a lot of concentrated effort deciding if we should travel clockwise or counter-clockwise through SE Asia. Our main concern was that most of the boat trips on the Mekong start in Chiang Mai and then flow downriver to Luang Prabang. We weren’t totally sure it would be possible in the reverse. It was, the only difference being an extra 2 hours of travel time against the current of the Mekong. We did the DIY version, as was well detailed in this blog, and it was totally worth it. It was two long, peaceful days sitting on a boat and staring at the beautiful countryside of Laos, then Thailand. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks and a good book to pass the time. While it may not be the most entertaining activity, it was a beautiful way to get from A to B.
Google Maps – Slow Boat Terminal
Honorable mentions
For only spending three days in Luang Prabang, there was a lot we wanted to include on this list. We enjoyed yoga one morning and drinks one evening at Utopia, practicing on their huge deck that overlooks a tributary of the Mekong. Gorgeous. We also enjoyed strong coffee and delicious falafel sandwiches at Saffron Coffee. Make sure to sit on their deck overlooking the Mekong (are you seeing the theme?). Our favorite view of the city was hiking up to Phu Si Temple for sunset. Although this place is not Luang Prabang’s best kept secret by a long shot, it was an amazing view of the city and mountains and worth all the sweaty jostling with other tourists.
Top 5 Things To Do in Luang Prabang, Laos is part of Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series, which offers our best travel recommendations from around the world.