3 NIGHTS IN LUANG PRABANG

ARRIVING IN LUANG PRABANG

We’d arrived in Luang Prabang, our first major town in Laos and it was time to settle into some of the local culture.

Leaving the boat, we jumped onto a tuk-tuk to take us to the hostel -Vongprachan Backpackers Hostel.

We checked in, showered and changed and headed out to find something to eat.

The cuisine is typically Asian, with curries, noodles and rice dishes being the mainstay. There’s a French influence in Laos, however, due to it being colonised from Siam in 1893. As a result, you find a lot of traditional French pastries and breads available throughout Laos and baguettes served with most meals.

After dinner we headed for a few drinks at a few bars around the town. Most things in Luang Prabang close by 11.00 PM – except for an out of town bowling alley which is open until 3 AM – so we headed back to the hostel after last orders.

FRIENDLIER DOGS!

The next morning, I decided to go for a run through town and alongside the banks of the Mekong river. There were great views here and fortunately I wasn’t chased by any dogs this time!

Mekong river view

Feeling refreshed I took a walk through town, walking past a variety of vendors selling fruit and other produce to passers by

I met up with my travelling buddies in a cafe on this main street and for the majority of the afternoon I hung out here, drinking Dark Lao beer – which is ace by the way – and catching up on the blog

Chilling at a Luang Prabang cafe

LUANG PRABANG NIGHT MARKET

That evening we headed out to the night market, which lined the main street of Luang Prabang. There was an epic alleyway offering buffets of selections of Laos cuisine. Y0u paid 15,000 KIP (around £1.50) for a plate and chose what you wanted from what was on offer.

The sights and aromas of this area of the market was one to definitely take in and there was a hustle and bustle around the place, that you typically expect from Asia’s street food markets:

Luang Prabang Food Market

Leaving the food market, we wandered back up the main street. Here there were dozens of street vendors selling their various arts and crafts. There was so much variety and the vibrance of the market gave a great chance for some street photography:

Luang Prabang Night Market

Later that night, after leaving the night market, we headed for cocktails and food at a place called Utopia. If you’re ever in Luang Prabang then this is the place you must go to. Great music, great vibe and very chilled out.

DO GO CHASING WATERFALLS!

The next morning we headed to the Kuang Si waterfall. These waterfalls are situated around 30km South of Luang Prabang, so we took a minibus ride to get there.

This was probably the most beautiful sight I’d seen, since starting my travels and if you ever get to Luang Prabang you simply must go to see this!

Kuang Si Waterfalls

The waterfalls have several tiers, each of which collects into a beautiful crystal clear pool, before the water heads downstream.

Kuang Si Waterfall Tiers

Above the top tier is a cascading 50 metre drop, which you can hike up to the top of. This isn’t for the faint hearted, as it’s quite a tough climb and very slippery, so make sure you have decent footwear, or you might end up tumbling down the rocky slopes!

What I didn’t realise at the time though, was that there’s two ways up. An easy way and a hard way. Without knowing, I took the hard way up.

I took the easy way down.

Tip – if you want the easy way up, take the route to the left of the waterfall!

One thing to note on the way down though, is that you have to deal with this set of steps which the water flows over and this can be quite slippy. Take your time, it wouldn’t be a nice fall!

BEAR SANCTUARY

I wasn’t aware beforehand, but the sight of the waterfalls is also home to a bear sanctuary, where Asian black bears are kept that have been rescued from poachers.

BAMBOO BRIDGES

Heading back from the waterfalls, we stopped by at a bar across the other side of the Mekong river.

We had to cross this fairly lengthy bamboo bridge, which made me feel a lot like Indiana Jones. No crocodiles below though.

MOUNT PHOUSI

The next morning we were heading down to Vang Vieng, but before we did I wanted to get a glimpse from the top of Mount Phousi.

This was a temple, that overlooked the town of Luang Prabang and I was hoping to make it to the top in time for sunrise.

Mount Phousi as seen from the streets of Luang Prabang

Sadly I got there too late for sunrise, but I still hiked up to the top, which was certainly worth it for the views.

There was also some interesting sights to see on the way up!

Overall, a great 3 day stay in Luang Prabang and definitely worth checking out if you’re in Laos, if only for the waterfalls!

Time to move on though, onto Vang Vieng!