A popular saying goes that Cambodians plant rice, Vietnamese pick it and Laotians listen to it grow, referring to the lifestyle of this small landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos is the last stronghold of innocence. A stress-free, deeply Buddhist country where haste or ostentation is frowned upon. Even in its most cosmopolitan and touristy city: Luang Prabang.
Located in the north of the country, capital of the province of the same name, Luang Prabang is the cultural and religious capital of Laos with around 77,000 inhabitants. A colonial town nestled among jungle mountains where 60 years of French colonization have left a historic center of gridded streets and teak houses where traditional Laotian architecture and European influence mix to create a setting reminiscent of a Marguerite Duras or Graham Greene novel is worthy. Combine this with the nearly 40 temples scattered across the city, full of stupas, sloping roofs and magnificent gold plaques – many of them remnants of the looting and destruction by Chinese pirates more than a century ago – and you have an unimaginable goal that brings together almost everyone Excellence a traveler looks for in Southeast Asia.
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It’s easy to get around Luang Prabang. The old town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, consists of just three parallel streets with corresponding perpendicular streets on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and its tributary, the Nam Khan. In the absence of panoramic buses (which are neither available nor expected), the best way to start the visit to get an overview of the city and its surroundings is to climb the 329 steps of Phou Si Hill, a peak around the The city was founded in the 7th century. From above you can admire the brownish bed of the Mekong flowing gently south, the jungle mountains that surround the city and the rice fields that cover the floor of the valleys with their electric green. Phou Si is a sacred and symbolic place for Luang Prabang because the stupa that crowns the hill houses the ashes of Buddha, brought from India in 1804. Hundreds of devotees climb there to make their offerings. Hundreds more are also rising, but for less spiritual reasons. It has become fashionable for some time among backpackers who come here to go to Phou Si to watch the sunset. “The best sunset in Luang Prabang!” say all the travel guides. The result is that in high season (November to February) the steps of the stupa collapse with so many people that it is difficult to find a free place and even more so to enjoy the moment.
The Phou Si Stairs start on the main street, Sisavangvong Road – which you’ll pass hundreds of times during your stay – right in front of the Wat Mai Temple and the Royal Palace. Laos was a monarchy until 1975, when communist guerrillas overthrew Sisavang Vatthana, the last monarch, and sent him to a re-education camp, where he died in 1978. Until then, the royal family lived in this property with clearly French influences in 1904, which is now one of the city’s main tourist attractions. The complex is very austere and has nothing to do with the concept of a palace of a European court, but it is interesting to explore it barefoot and with shoulders covered and trousers down to the knees. [como uno debe vestir para entrar en el resto de templos] to experience up close what life was like in a Southeast Asian royal court. Of interest are the throne room decorated with hundreds of Japanese glass figurines and the collection of personal belongings of the last monarch and his family.
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Exterior view of the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang. Alamy photo
On one side of the palace is the Haw Pha Bang Temple, one of the most emblematic temples as it houses the Pra Bang Buddha, an 83 centimeter high statue that, according to legend, is 2,000 years old and has become the city’s most sacred symbol and from which it takes its name. On the other side is the old National Theater.
As mentioned earlier, this is the religious capital of the country and has more than 40 temples. Impossible to see them all. So if you want to summarize, I recommend two. One of these is Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham – simply Wat Mai to friends – the largest of all and one of the oldest (dating back to the 18th century), located on the same main road, not far from the Royal Palace. Its four-story roof makes it distinctive. The other is Wat Xieng Thong, the so-called “Golden City,” a series of 16th-century stupas, temples and chapels. A must-visit to learn more about the importance of Luang Prabag in the history of Laos. Despite a long history of looting, renovation and expansion, it still retains the essence of those distant times. It was the site of royal coronations for centuries. The temple at the entrance on the right, with a spectacular facade with figures carved from teak wood in an intense golden color, houses a funerary carriage with seven snake heads that was used in royal funerals.
Aerial view of Wat Chom Pagoda on Phou Si Mountain. Diy13 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Luang Prabang used to be full of tourists as it is one of the usual stops on any trip to Southeast Asia. And I say it in the imperfect indicative because I just came back from there and strangely enough I wasn’t there. The post-Covid recovery plaguing the world does not seem to have reached Laos yet. Although the high season is now beginning, the restaurants on the banks of the Mekong were completely empty at night. There were no queues at the Royal Palace or other attractions and you could walk through the night market without any hassle or pressure. The Laotian interlocutors I interviewed were unable to explain the reasons. The fact is that, unfortunately for traders and restaurateurs, Luang Prabang was sweet in early November. You could go to the terrace of Mekong Riverside, one of my favorite cafes, at lunchtime and find a free table to enjoy a cold Beerlao, right at the confluence of the Nan Khan and the Mekong with unbeatable views. Or watch the sunset stress-free on the banks of the Mekong.
After the disappointments I had experienced on previous visits, I did not dare to watch the Tak-Bat ritual on Sisavangvong Road. Tak Bat is the tradition of giving alms to Buddhist monks in nearby temples. Every morning they go out in long lines, armed with large bowls, to receive the contribution that their neighbors give them, usually boiled rice. The monks live on these alms. The fact is that the spectacle was so visual and colorful – long rows of orange robes in the chiaroscuro of dawn with the gold leaf of the temples as a backdrop – that agencies began selling it as an experience for tourists. And as always, things got out of hand and lately there were more tourists on Sisavangvong Road at dawn than locals and at roadside stalls selling to tourists alongside boiled rice, chocolate bars and other impure foods that the monks refused. The tradition of Tak Bat is for the monks to be given something to part with, but made at home rather than purchased in a store. I don’t know if there were many tourists attending this show on the main street during the days I was in Luang Prabang. I decided to do it in a neighborhood further away from the center, where the monks also go in search of their daily food, but there were only neighbors on the sidewalks.
One of the streets of Luang Prabang Old Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alamy Stock Photo
With or without tourists, Luang Prabag is a must-see in Southeast Asia. Spend at least three days on it. Not just in the city, but also in the surrounding area. A boat trip to the Pak Ou Caves on the Mekong is a must. These two rock shelters are considered sacred, so travelers and merchants of all times left Buddha statuettes in them to ask for good luck on their journey. They are the ones who decorate the two cavities in their hundreds today. The main cave is just a few meters above river level. For the second stage you have to climb about 200 steps leading off the wall to the left. It is advisable to bring a flashlight as it is larger than the first and does not have lighting; but the experience is more authentic because hardly any tourists come.
Another must-visit is the Kuang Si Waterfalls, an hour’s drive southeast of Luang Prabag, with a series of rocky outcrops and waterfalls, one of which is more than 50 meters high, and pools where you can bathe in a natural park that The park also has a private black bear recovery center.
The Kuang Si Falls is an attractive tourist spot near the city of Luang Prabag. Sean Kelly / 500px (Getty Images/500px Plus)
If you have the luxury of choosing your own dates, Boun Lai Heua Fai, the Festival of Lights, is the most fascinating time to visit Luang Prabang. A religious festival in which all the temples and monasteries are decorated with thousands of candles and lanterns and in which there are processions through the streets and along the river with illuminated floats. A metaphor for wisdom and enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition. Boun Lai Heua Fai is celebrated during the full moon of the twelfth month of the Lao lunar calendar, which usually falls in late October or early November.
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