Jewel of Indochina, Luang Prabang

Laos like most of its communist neighbours was a mysterious place hidden under the iron curtain of communism for the better part of the last century. But with the communist regime gone Laos has opened its doors for the tourists and the place that has become the landmark of tourism in the country is Luang Prabang. The cultural capital of Laos in the misty hills over the Mekong River is visited by thousands of tourists each year.

Forgetting to Laos you’ll have to fly to Vientiane the capital of the country. From Europe, you can take a direct flight to Vientiane with Lufthansa which flies frequent flights to the country from Frankfurt. Air China, Thai Airways and China Eastern also offer direct flights to Vientiane. Lao Airline is the national airline of the country and flies frequent flights from many major airports of the region and also provides connecting flights to Luang Prabang airport. The city is on the border of Thailand and China and is easily accessible from the border crossing.

The first thing that will strike you when you get out of the airport is the battle raging between the shops and guesthouses for the space in the town and each one of them will want you to stay at their place but it is a good idea to book your hotel in advance while you are in Vientiane or at least do it from the airport, otherwise you may end up paying more for fewer services. But as you get away from this messy area, you will see a sight that you will not forget for a long time to come, Mt. Phousi topped with the Stupa of Wat, a gold-covered structure glittering in the sunlight. If you couple it with the lush wild surroundings of this ancient temple you get a great opportunity for taking some memorable pictures for your album back home.

Mt Phousi is located in the center of the city and a view from the top of the mountain is stunning, a mix of the shinning sunroofs of temples, buildings from the French colonial era and the multi-ethnic residents of the city is what makes Luang Prabang such a great place to visit and this is precisely the reason why UNESCO has made it a world heritage site in 1995. So if you are looking for a South East Asian vacation Luang Prabang is a must see place.