Laos

10 things to do in Luang Prabang

By The Married Wanderers On March 15, 2017

10 Things to do in Luang Prabang

1. Wander through the pastel streets of this UNESCO World Heritage town

2. Watch the sun set over the Mekong River

Every night before dinner we would buy a cold beer and search for a new spot. The views of the lowering sun over the blue, then orange, then purple Mekong River were magical.

View from the River Side Sunset Restaurant

View of the local fisherman down on the beach

3. Visit the Kuangsi Falls

An aquamarine paradise and one of the best natural wonders we have ever seen!! We are still in slight shock from it all to be honest! It’s something out of a fairytale and yet, completely natural!

And the magic continues with endless waterfalls and crystal pools to explore. The size of this place (and the fact that we left town at 7:30 and arrived at 8:10) allowed us to have a few completely private swims. These moments were indescribable! Heads up: Most tours and taxis leave town from 10am so arriving any time after 10:30 will be a bit of a fail! From 9:30 it already started to get quite full. So if you’re able to wake up early, hire a scooter and brave the cold water – you will thank yourself forever!!!

4. Shop till ya drop at the Night Market

Yes that is a scorpion and cobra in Rudi’s drink !!

5. Walk from one Bamboo Bridge to the next

On the Maps.Me App we found a ‘Bamboo Bridge’ quite close to the Utopia Bar. This first bridge was great, but the best part was the walk from this bridge to the second bridge where the Nam Khan River joins the Mekong River. The walk was 2kms of amazing fruit shakes, beautiful restaurants and incredible views of the local fisherman. The second bridge can be viewed from the Botanical Garden which honestly could not have been a better setting! The beauty of this town is endless…

6. Admire the beautiful architecture surrounding the Luang Prabang Museum

7. Find the Secret Pool at the top of Kuangsi Falls

We are really not about disrespecting safety rules – they are there for a reason. But just incase you’re wandering, here’s how we got there: At the main big waterfall you will see a path to the left or the right – take either all the way to the top. You will know you’re at the top as you will see a wooden fence that people go stand at to look over and take pictures (it’s to the left of this picture). If you are standing there looking over the waterfall then walk right until you see this sign. Here you can actually see the pool below! Now the hard part – how the heck to get down?? My word did we run around all over the place looking for a route. The old routes that seemed quite easy in a few YouTube videos we watched have been fenced up – so as far as we know, the only way down is to rock climb down directly right of this tree (it’s as if the sign was showing us the way). Absolutely don’t do this if you’re not comfortable!

But wow – this moment, leaning over a series of turquoise waterfalls in the middle of a jungle with butterflies at our hands and fish by our toes – we felt overwhelmingly thankful. Thankful to blog posts for letting us know this spot existed, thankful that not everyone reads blog posts allowing us to be alone, and thankful for the tough decisions we made together that lead us to this exact piece of heaven in Laos!

8. Eat yourself crazy at the Veggie Buffets

$2 for all you can eat (or how much you can fit in a bowl)!

9. Watch the young Monks play in the Nam Khan River

10. Have a cold drink or a cool nap at Utopia Bar

GoPro Movie – 10 things to do in Luang Prabang

Where to Stay in Luang Prabang

We stayed right on the Mekong River at the Beuaykok Jieng Guesthouse, just a 5 minute walk away from the night market. The room had an ensuite bathroom with hot shower, WiFi and a fan. They don’t have a website but you can search here to view all accommodation options in Luang Prabang.