We spent a good part of the last few days travelling, notably via slow boat, so we’re quite happy to relax for a couple of days. We have two days to ourselves in Luang Prabang before two friends from France and Belgium will join us for two weeks. We only have one task: find an accommodation for the four of us. The guesthouse we have for the first two nights doesn’t really convince us, so we venture out to find a different one for the other five nights we plan to stay in town. There are so many guest houses and hotels, and many look quite similar and are pretty from the outside. Inside it’s a bit different – simple, dated, elegant, kitsch, all is available. It’s low season so there are a lot of options. We settle for a hotel located in a very nice area, in walking distance to everything. Job done!
Luang Prabang is such a beautiful town, it’s a real pleasure to just walk around and get lost in the streets. The centre is bordered by the Mekong river to the south and the Nam Khan river to the north. It is protected by UNESCO. The town is filled with restaurants, cafes, and bars and it has an excellent night market – yes, it is quite touristy, but much of what is on offer is local or at least from Laos. The food part is fairly small, but the noodle soup is worth coming back to – which is what we did several times.
Together with our friends, we also explored the surroundings: we took a scooter to the Kuang Si waterfalls. They are about 40 minutes from Luang Prabang and are definitely worth the trip. The landscapes on the way are already stunning and we found a herd of buffalo taking a mud bath.
The first thing you see when you arrive at the waterfall are bears. Yes, real bears. But not to worry, they are behind bars. This is the bear rescue centre, giving a safe home to mistreated and abused black bears and sun bears.
Only a couple of minutes walking, and you arrive at the bottom of the waterfall, where you can already take a dip. But we want to see the rest of it first, and keep walking. The waterfall is absolutely stunning, after a every corner a new, beautiful basin. Once on top, we decide to follow the trail going up behind the waterfall, which turns into a bit of a hike – all of us are wearing flip flops. Oops! It’s feasible (as long as it didn’t just rain) but not recommended. 😉 after almost an hour we are back at the waterfall and ready for a well deserved swim. The water is freezing, but you get a free fish spa. As soon as you step into the water, tiny fish start nibbling at your feet (mostly) – super funny feeling.
Before heading home, we want to stop at the Laos Buffalo Dairy farm, which is only a few minutes away from the waterfall. There are many buffalos in Laos, but they are used for work, not for dairy or meat. Now that they are not needed as much anymore, the people of Laos Buffalo Dairy are attempting to show that their milk can produce delicious products. They rent most of the buffalos from locals. We arrive shortly before closing time, but they agree to give us a quick tour. We feed, pet and brush some buffalos, which are very friendly.
The next day, we have something very special lined up: a full day with the elephants of MandaLao conservation. We will write this day up in more detail, so for now we just want to say that this was definitely one of the most amazing days of our trip. MandaLao is 100% no riding – they offer treks of different lengths and with different focus. You feed the elephants bananas, which is how you become friends – then you can pet them and walk with them, at their pace.
On our last day in Luang Prabang, we take our time to visit the sights of the town, which we haven’t really examined in detail yet. The centre is so pretty, you discover something new whenever you turn a corner. One of our favourite places was the Non Sikouhnmang temple, because three puppies were living there.
At the end of the afternoon, we brave Mount Phou Si to go watch the sunset.
There is one thing left to do: Luang Prabang is famous for the almsgiving ceremony every morning. Hundreds of monks walk the streets collecting alms from devotees, mostly sticky rice. To see this, you have to be out and about at around 5.15am. Eyes half closed, we head to the Main Street, only to see that this old tradition has been turned into a tourist business. Locals try to sell us rice for the monks, and we even see some tourists participate. We head towards more quieter corners, notably the street of our hotel, and notice that the hotel itself – actually, our balcony! – is one of the best places to watch the monks.
After the monks have disappeared, we have time for breakfast and are ready for our bus to Vang Vieng.
Activities
There are plenty of things to do in and around Luang Prabang. Walking around, you’ll find plenty of temples and beautiful buildings and streets.
Kuang Si Waterfalls
About half an hour by scooter from the centre of Luang Prabang, tuk tuks and minivans can also take you there. On the way, stop at the Na Khoun Cafe – lovely scenery. Entrance fee around 2€, includes waterfalls and bear rescue centre. You can walk, bathe, eat (there are a bunch of restaurants/shops at the entrance and one next to the waterfall). If you plan to do the trail on top of the waterfall, best to wear something a bit sturdier than flip flops.
Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm
You pass the farm about 10 minutes before you arrive at the waterfall. You can do different tours (check their website), try and buy ice cream and cheese. The basic tour is around 5€. The project is foreign owned but includes the local community. Personally, we are not sure that Buffalo dairy is the way to conquer malnutrition, and that the cheeses appeal much to locals, but the project is interesting, so go and see for yourself. If only to pet a buffalo 🙂
Mount Phou Si
Brace yourself for the steps. This almost approaches the ascent to Mount Tapyas. The view is certainly beautiful at any time of the day, but most people come for sunset. We were travelling off season and it got quite crowded. There is limited space, so if you’re set on seeing the sunset in high season, go up early. If you want to avoid crowds, choose a different time of the day (maybe sunrise, since you’re getting up for the almsgiving anyway?). You can walk up from different spots, we started at Wat Siphoutthabat, which is lovely.
Alms giving
Every morning, hundreds of monks walk the streets of Luang Prabang to collect food. The purpose is not to show their pretty robes to tourists but it’s actually what they live on. It has become somewhat of a tourist draw, and locals make a business by selling rice to tourists so they can participate in the almsgiving. Personally, we think that you shouldn’t do this unless you are a Buddhist and therefore assume that the blessing of the monk is important to you. Would you go to a Catholic Church and receive the communion just for the fun of it? Probably not. Anyway, that’s everyone’s personal decision. We tried to be as discrete as we could and took some beautiful pictures. The street of our hotel (see below) is a perfect spot, if you want a temple in the background you can head to Vat Non Sikouhnmang (where the puppies are). If you stay at the same hotel, get a double room with balcony and watch the monks from right up there! The monks appear around 5.30am.
MandaLao Elephant Conservation
As said, we will write a little bit more in detail, we have so many great pictures and spent the most wonderful day. For now, let’s just say that we highly recommend this place, and not just for it’s strict no riding policy and conservation efforts. If you can, take the full day – the half day goes by in the blink of an eye. The full day costs $150 per person including pick up, lunch, boots, raincoat, water…
Luang Prabang Yoga
Very nice evening classes at Sena Restaurant. They also do morning classes at Utopia Bar. 4-6€/class depending on duration.
Food
Nightmarket
The food section is pretty small at this market. We have three favourite foods there: noodle soup, dumplings, and little coconut pancakes. Voila, three course dinner for about 3€/person. We also tried the vegan buffet, it was good but nothing too outstanding – it would be a great option if you are really starving and crave heaps of carbs (which is relatable). On the other end of the night market there are 10 stands that sells fruit shakes and sandwiches – also very good.
Cafe Toui
This may have been the best “fancy” restaurant meal we have had during our trip. Excellent Lao cuisine, the tofu version of the traditional Larb salad is amazing.
Kaephan
We particularly enjoyed the crackers made from Kaephan, which is a type of algae. Good veggie options.
Saffron Coffee
Excellent coffee and breakfast.
Dyen Sabai
Wonderful setting across the bamboo bridge. Very cosy. Most people eat the hotpot there, other food is ok.
Indigo Cafe
Very good bakery.
Convenience store across from the hotel
We had breakfast there a few times, the owner lady is so wonderful. Really good coffee.
Na Khoun Cafe
About half way between Luang Prabang and the Kuang Si waterfall. Really beautiful setting.
Shopping
Luang Prabang is a great spot for souvenir shopping, there are plenty of shops with different price ranges.
Nightmarket
The night market is, of course, touristy, but there are many nice things, and especially a good choice of products made locally.
Passa Paa
Of all the shops, we liked this one most. The products are made by Hmong people (one of the main ethnic groups of Laos) and are simply beautiful.
Where to stay
Frangipani Inn
We stayed here for two nights (15€/night) and it was ok. Rooms are cute, bathroom is a bit awkward. We mostly left because the organisation was chaotic and there didn’t really seem to be someone managing the online bookings. We had booked a double room and were first taken to a twin room, then – as we asked to change – to a triple room (which had a double bed, so it was fine). The next day they then asked us to change to a double room. If we had stayed on, we would have had to change another two times in 5 days – while booking.com still claimed that the double room was available for the entire duration. It’s certainly ok to stay here for a couple of nights, maybe email or calling will get better results.
Pakhontong Villa
This hotel is located in a typical Luang Prabang villa. We stayed for five nights (18€/night). Rooms are comfortable and good size, nice rain shower. We also liked that the staff was very friendly and seemed more professional than in Frangipani and some of the other hotels we visited in our search. As said, the monks come by here in the morning. Nice breakfast spot across the street, Kaephan, Saffron Coffee and Cafe Toui are very close by. They have a sister hotel, Saynamkhan, which overlooks the Nam Khan River – if you can get a river view room, try this one.
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