Pakse — The Mysterious Fairy Land in Laos

Located in the southern Laos and at the confluence of Mekong and Xe Don River, Pakse is known as the capital city of Champasak province. The city has the harmonious charming beauty of mountains, lush forests, romantic rivers and peaceful villages.

Besides, Pakse was once the royal capital of Champasak Kingdom until the establishment of Laos Kingdom in 1946. It has the population of about 7000 people and the Pakse International Airport connecting to Bolaven Plateau, Siem Reap, Vientiane, and Bangkok.

Pakse is an Ideal Destination to Relax and Cool-Off in Laos

Pakse owns the charming and peaceful beauty of nature with the mountains, rivers, forests, friendly people, and special cuisine as well. Therefore it is really an ideal stopover in the journey of Laos travel, especially if you are planning the trip to Bolaven Plateau or others interesting places nearby such as Wat Phou, and Si Phan Don.

Things to Do in Pakse

Owning many interesting sites, Pakse offers you various opportunities to discover and learn more about the culture and custom of Laos.

Champasak Provincial Museum

This is one of the best places to discover more about Laos history. The Champasak Provincial Museum houses all kind of artifacts and documents about the history of Champasak. Also, the museum contains historical photos of cultural events, foreign meetings and pictures of Kaysone Phomvihane, Nouhak Phoumsavan and Khamtay Siphandon, all from the south.

Furthermore, the museum exhibits musical instruments, stelae in the Tham script (from the 15th to 18th centuries), a water jar (from the 11th or 12th century) and pottery from around the province and a Wat Phu‘s model. In addition, it also has exhibitions of different ethnic clothing as well as collections of textile and jewelry.

The museum opens daily from 8.30am to 16.00pm.
Admission fee is 5.000Kip/person.

Buddhist temples

Visit Wat Luang: It is famous for the most beautiful and biggest temple of the city, Pakse. Also, the Wat Luang contains a Buddhist school and several chedis in different styles. Moreover, when coming here, you not only admire the grand appearance of the temple but also have chance to see the monk alms giving rituals, which are often seen in Luang Prabang.

Visit Wat Phabad: It is another worth place to visit in Pakse, the Wat Phabad, which is also called the temple of the Buddha footprint because people believed that the temple used to have a Buddha’s footprint. This is also considered one of the oldest and largest temples in Pakse.

Visit Wat Phou Salao temple: It is a Big Buddha temple complex, located adjacent to the Japanese bridge. Take a short walk to the top, you will have a fantastic panoramic view of the Mekong river and the city, especially in the afternoon the scenery appears as a peaceful picture.

Ancient Khmer Temple

Wat Phou ruins, a 10th century Khmer temple, which is located about 40km south of Pakse and built at the foot of a mountain overlooking the plains. The temple is a complex and unique structure consisting of a processional walkway, two palaces …and a shrine where a lingam dedicated to Lord Shiva. The site later used as the place of worshiping Theravada Buddhist. In addition, visitors can take a Vat Phou Mekong cruise, which offers a 3 — day/2- night cruise on the Mekong River on board to visit Wat Phou, the Si Phan Don area and the Khone Phapheng falls.

Natural attractions around Pakse

Located about 150km south of Pakse, Si Phan Don is a fantastic place to visit, which is the large archipelago in the Southern Laos with more than 4000 islands. Besides, you can pay a visit to Khone falls, which is famous for series of cascading waterfalls in the Mekong river and considered one of the most beautiful natural attractions in Laos as well as the largest in volume in South East Asia.

What is more, Pakse is the best base to travel to the Bolaven Plateau, which is located east of the city and known for the fantastic landscapes of dramatic waterfalls, remote tribes, lush forests and coffee forests, etc. Here you will have a great chance to see the tallest waterfall in Lao, such as Tat Fan waterfall featuring with the water drops about 120 m as well as other impressive waterfalls in this area. Additionally, you can take an elephant ride or a trek throughout the lush jungles, etc, which will give you a chance to enjoy the stunning beauty of nature.

Ban Saphai silk weaving village

Ban Saphai silk weaving village is a small village located near Pakse on the Don Kho, which is a small island, located 15 kilometers upstream from Pakse in Mekong river. Coming to the village, you will have a great opportunity to watch stilt houses in traditional Lao style and unique products made from traditional silk weaving method. This is also the traditional career of the villagers here. Pakse travel agents provide the trips to the village.

How to Get to Pakse

• By plane: Pakse International Airport provides the direct flights from/to some cities in Laos as well as neighboring areas such as Vientiane, Savanakhet, Siem Reap, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. You can book a ticket though online, travel agent or at the airport.

• By bus: There are 4 main bus stations at Pakse:
  - Chitpasong Bus Terminal: If you travel between Pakse and Vientiane.
  - Kriang Kai Bus Terminal: Has the older sleeper buses to/from Vientiane, and is the arrival and departure point for international bus to/from Ubon Ratchatani or Bangkok (Thailand)
  - The Northern Bus Terminal: serve for the northern locations in Pakse
  - The Southern Bus Terminal: The locals mostly use this terminal with slower local buses

For those interested in setting foot in Pakse as well as other fascinating regions in Laos, feel free to take a look at our website here: http://laosprivateholidays.com/