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Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a city in north central Laos, consisting of 58 adjacent villages, of which 33 comprise the UNESCO Town Of Luang Prabang World Heritage Site. The city's name translates to "Royal Buddha Image". It's known for it's well preserved architecture, religious and cultural heritage and nature sights. The city lies along the Mekong River and features the Phousi Hill. You'll find beautiful temples throughout the city as well as markets and other businesses common in tourist areas. This was probably my favourite place in Laos. The pace of life is slow and the city really is charming and feels more authentic than many other popular tourist cities.
Phousi Hill is a hill in the middle of downtown Luang Prabang. The hill is about 100 meters tall and offers a great view of the city and river. This is a favourite spot for many to enjoy the sunset. There are two different paths up and it should take no more than 30 minutes going up for the average person. Tickets cost about 2 usd. Directly next to the hill you'll find Luang Prabang's market and night market which is a good area to look for souvenirs and have some great food.
Kuang Si Falls is one of the most beautiful natural landmarks in the whole country. From a 50-metre height, the turquoise coloured water falls into a series of shallow pools before flowing downstream into the jungle river. It only takes about 20 minutes to climb to the top and should be very doable for the average person. It's located about 30 km from the town itself and requires some type of transportation. At my hostel they offered a shuttle minibus to take us directly there. We found a group of people from the hostel to fill the van and headed out there. Right by the falls is a sun bear sanctuary where you can see the bears which are unique to this region of the world.
One interesting activity that is very popular here is to go bowling. The main reason for this is that all other nightlife options close at midnight so for many who want to continue partying the bowling alley remains open for a few hours more. Aside from just bowling they also have an archery range and some other activities. It's very affordable from what I remember and makes for a very memorable night out.
The Bamboo Bridge is about 100 meters long and crosses the Nam Khan River. The bridge is only really accessible during the dry season which is from November to April. In the rainy season the river level rises and the bridge often gets at least partially destroyed. The locals keep it up to date every year and restore it for use during the dry season. It's a very scenic spot to visit. I didn't actually cross the bridge while I visited because part of it was underwater so it wasn't safe but apparently on the other side of it is a much quieter villages named Ban Xieng Lek (the Weaving village) and Ban Xiang Khong (the Paper village). The 5000 kip (0.30 usd) cover fee helps support the locals who fix the bridge each year.
I highly recommend visiting the night market in the town center for a delicious plate of barbecued meat, rice or noodles and papaya salad. Many of the places are buffet style and you can choose the different foods you'd like to try. Aside from the great night market on the main market street you'll find some sit down restaurants ranging from local cuisine to international cuisine. I recall having good Mexican food at Amigos restaurant but after searching for it on google maps it seems to be closed temporarily. Some local favourites include papaya salad, Luang Prabang fish noodles, buffalo stew, coconut rice pancakes and barbecued meat.
