LUANG PRABANG
LUANG PRABANG
Luang Prabang, once the royal seat of the Lan Xang Kingdom or “land of a thousand elephants”, is a sleepy town nestled in a mountain valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Khan Rivers. Considered as the center of Lao culture, the city offers a fascinating glimpse into the Buddhist religious practice and traditional lifestyle of the various hill-tribe groups in this northern region. The town is endowed with a picturesque landscape of palm lined riverbanks, ornate golden temples, and ancient monuments amongst the backdrop of the towering Mt. Phousi. It is no wonder that UNESCO declared Luang Prabang as a World Heritage Site in 1995 describing it as an "outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries."
The town center has an outstanding range of restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops. With a population of 16,000 inhabitants, the town is relatively quiet with little activity and a non-existent nightlife. Due to the increasing popularity of Luang Prabang, the town can be inundated with tourists, especially during peak travel season. Nearby attractions include Pak Ou Caves which houses thousands of Buddha images, Kuangsi Waterfall and several cotton-silk weaving villages.
Getting here: There are direct international flights from Bangkok, Hanoi, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap, Kunming. There are daily domestic flights (40 minutes) from Vientiane. By road, it is a 9 - 10 hour drive from Vientiane and 6-7 hours from Vang Vieng.
