An UNESCO heritiage town - Luang Prabang (Luang Prabang)

Member Name: michelleleatham

Product:	Luang Prabang
Date:	07/08/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful town with plenly tosee and do

Disadvantages: The journey getting to Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is one of the most visited towns in the country of Laos. It is an UNESCO Heritiage listed town, so hopefully it won't get too developed in the future. There is a lot fo French influence in this town, meaning lots of freshly baked bagettes and bakeries. A much appreciated break from all the rice in the rest of South East Asia.

If coming to Luang Prabang from the border town of Huay Xai, you have two options to transport - a high speed boat which takes one day or a slow boat which takes two bum-numbing days. We had heard that the speed boats can be very dangerous so we opted for the slow boat. However, we realised that we had made the wrong decision as we sat on a deserted beach at the side of the Mekong river watching our slow boat sinking infront of us as numerous speed boats sped past us untouched. So I would probably recommend people to get the speed boat to Luang Prabang.

Whilst in Luang Prabang I would recommend a visit to Kuang Si. The easiest and cheapest way of visiting is to hire a tuk tuk for the day - remember to bargain down the price. At Kuang Si there are some gorgeous waterfalls in a forest area. At the entrance to the waterfalls there is also an enclosure housing rescued Asian bears. Reading about how the bears are treated when they're in the wild is awful and sometimes you can't help but feel that they're better off being in enclosures, at least they are safe from poachers there. Walking through the forest it won't be long until you come across a beautiful turquoise pool with a small waterfall, safe for swimming in if you need cooling down. It is about an hours walk until you reach the main waterfall, which is stunning. You can climb upto the top of the waterfall if you are feeling adventerous and aren't frightened of heights - the views are spectacular from the top. A beautiful spot to spend a day!

In the centre of Luang Prabang there is a large hill with a temple on top, called Phu Si. I would recommend not attempting to climb this during the midday heat, as you will be likely to pass out before reaching the top with 640 steps - it is a challenge after the sun goes down with the humidity. Even though the temple at the top is tiny, the climb is worth it just for the views overlooking Luang Prabang - beautiful.

There are plently of accommodation and eating options in Luang Prabang which will suit every budget. The night bazaar in the centre of Luang Prabang is also nice to visit.

Summary: A beautiful town to visit in Laos.