Travel to Laos

Less than a decade ago, Laos was largely unknown to Western travelers. Since the Lao People's Democratic Republic reluctantly reopened its doors in the 1990s, a steady flow of visitors has trickled into this old-fashioned country. Visitors to this least populated Southeast Asian country will be rewarded with sights of a rugged natural landscape and ethnically diverse people where not much changed since French explorers set foot here more than a century ago. Laos's life-line is the Mekong River, which runs the length of the landlocked country and in places serves as a boundary with Thailand and Burma. Set on a broad curve of the Mekong, Vientiane is perhaps Indochina’s most modest capital city. To the north, Louang Prabang was once the heart and soul of the ancient kingdom of Lane Xang and today it is Laos's most enticing destination, with a spellbinding panoply of gilded temples and weathered shops. In between, Vang Viang is set in a spectacular landscape of rice paddies and karsts. Further south, near the former royal seat of Champasak, lie the ruins of Wat Phou, one of the most important Khmer temples outside Cambodia. South again, the countless river islands of Si Phan Don lie scattered across the Mekong, boasting scores of traditional fishing communities and the chance to spot the rare Irawaddy dolphin.