LUANG PRABANG AT A GLANCE

Tours | Attractions | History

Luang Prabang Hotels - Up to 75% discount under published rates |

A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Luang Prabang is situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, and was chosen as the seat of the empire during the 14th century under the Lan Xang kingdom (The Land of a Million Elephants).  No journey to Laos is complete without a pilgrimage to this ancient capital city.  As the heart and spirit of Lao culture, the city preserves a remarkable number of gilded Buddhist monasteries, temples, and pagodas where monks in saffron-colored robes continue to live and worship. Luang Prabang is just barely waking from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution.  Poor roads and old vehicles have made travel difficult in Laos, even today.  For the first time in history, a road has been paved all the way from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.  Buses leave daily, headed in both directions.  A more relaxed way to arrive is by slow boat up the Mekong, which has long been the major form of transportation.  Boats from Huay Xai, on the Thai-Lao border, or from Vientiane can take days, but the reward is cultural interaction.  Along the river, small villages with thatched huts on stilts are untouched by progress and the outside world.  When it gets dark, your boat captain will simply pull over and negotiate a price with villagers to sleep in their house.  Luang Prabang has only 16,000 residents and few concessions to 20th-century living, save for infrequent electricity and a few cars and trucks.  Its main tourist attractions are its historic temples - 32 of the original 66 built before French colonization still stand - and its lovely setting encircled by mountains at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers.  Old Luang Prabang has been likened to Shangri-La, this old provincial capital of Laos.  The streets of Luang Prabang are a blend of both Lao and French styles.  Along the way, you can stop in a refurbished restaurant, once a whitewashed French colonial administration building, and sit under the wide veranda, feeling the cool breeze of high ceiling fans.  Teak houses line the quiet roads, or are perched high on stilts along the Mekong River.  Many have easy-sloping roofs, with intricate carvings above the doors to let in light, and shutters that swing open above hardwood floors.  In 1995, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in conjunction with local authorities has steadily been restoring traditional Lao and French colonial architecture.  Over 600 buildings are currently classified as historical, and the refurbishing includes a resurrection of traditional building techniques, which the UNESCO team had to learn anew.  Two stone-masons, aged 75 and 85, provided the recipe for traditional Laotian mortar: stew buffalo-hide for nine hours, add crushed yang bong bark, tamarind seeds, chopped rice straw (soaked in water for two days), some markfen leaves, khi bi resin, and a measure of sugar-cane juice.  Pour them all together into a mix of lime and Mekong sand, and stir!  Luang Prabang is undergoing a renaissance that makes it a great place to visit.  Monks' dwellings, or Koutis, have been restored to their original form or rebuilt using local materials.  Several of the many pagodas have also been refurbished, and are now providing secondary education for children of poor families - the saffron-robed novices you see around town.  Even the Buddhist clergy are helping to preserve Luang Prabang's heritage by reviving traditional art skills such as stencil painting, enameling, gilt work and religious sculpture.  Luang Prabang has an extraordinarily high number of well-preserved, active temples, which attests to the spirituality of the people living in the area.  You can explore secular buildings of traditional Lao and French colonial design.  The entire town can be seen in two days on foot or one day by bike.  Start early and break for a long lunch, as the sun and jungle heat can become severe.  By five in the evening, the shadows are long and you can resume your touring, perhaps walking to the top of Phou Si, the hill in the center of town, to watch the sun push behind the mountains, exhaling a slow breath of orange light across the Mekong River.  Sights include the Royal Palace Museum, Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Wisunalat.  Just 25km (15.5mi) along the Mekong River are the famous Pak Ou Caves, some of which are filled with Buddha images; 29km (18mi) south of the town are the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls.