Pakse and the South

Pakse is the capital of Champasak Province, founded by French colonialists in 1905. The kingdom was destroyed in 1946 after which the Kingdom of Lao was created.

Pakse is located at the mouth of the rivers Xedong and Mekong. The term Pakse means the ‘Mouth of the River Se’. This city is inhabited by 70,000 people and the Pakse International Airport serves as a link to the Bolaven Plateau. The construction of this airport was completed in November 2009, and has connections to Siem Reap, Vientiane and Bangkok.

Pakse Attractions
If this is your first visit to Pakse you must visit Mount Phou Asa which can be reached on the back of an elephant. Earlier there was a temple at the mountain which has now been reduced to ruins. The view of the plains from this vantage point is breathtaking.
Wat Luang is deemed as the most beautiful temple in Pakse. It is also where Wat Phabad, the Buddhist Monk School is located. Rumour has it that Lord Buddha left his footprint here, at Wat Phabad, the biggest and oldest temple of Pakse.

Pakse Restaurants
Other than local Lao food, restaurants at Pakse serve Thai, Chinese, Indian, western and Vietnamese cuisine as well.

For European & Vietnamese food visit Ketmany Restaurant on route 13. The breakfast here is Western style and the restaurant also serves Vietnamese cuisine with a good vegetarian lasagna. Other than that pizzas and gnocchi are also available and a wide range of Thai dishes. The coffee served by owners Alan and Siriporn is the best in town and is procured from their own plantation close to Paksong. Part of the money raised from the business is also used to establish schools for the kids of plantation labourers.

Pakse Nightlife
Visit Le Panorama at the Pakse Hotel in Bane Watlouang on No. 4 Street to enjoy the rooftop restaurant located on the seventh floor, overlooking the Mekong River. It serves a combination of Asian, Western and Fusion cuisine, all prepared by a French chef. Although the prices are high here, the food is definitely worth it.
Situated on the northeastern corner of Rt13 and 24th street the Katuad café not only serves good coffee but it also has free WiFi.
Lotty is a nightclub that is frequented by most of the young locals for some casual drinking and dancing late into the night.

Pakse Shopping
If you want to buy some souvenirs for your family and friends back home check out Champasak Plaza Shopping Centre. You will find silk, electronic products, clothes and small items perfect for gifts here. However, if you want to experience some quality shopping, go to Luang Prabang or Vientiane instead of Pakse.

Pakse Activities
The Clinic Keo Ou Done is located to the East on Rte 13. If you turn right after going straight for 100m, at the 3km mark, follow the Massage Sauna sign for another 800m you should find it. It is open from 16:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 21:00pm on weekends.

It’s about a half-hour walk from the city centre to the bowling alley, or you can ride the tuk-tuk on the main road. Tuk-tuks can be hard to find, especially later in the evening.

How to get to Pakse

By air
You can take a flight from Siem Reap or Vientiane to the Pakse International Airport. If this airport is not functional for any reason you can fly to Savannakhet in the south from Luang Prabang and Vientiane instead. Bangkok has direct flights to the city via Lao Airlines. You can take a flight from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam as well.

By water
Make use of the daily slow-boat service offered to Si Phan Don at 08:00 in the morning to be dropped off at the mouth of Xedong River. You must book this a day in advance.

By road
There are two bus services offered in Pakse. One of them carries local traffic to the north, and the other to the south.
The best way to reach the bus station is to take a tuk-tuk and ask the driver to take you to the right one.

VIP bus service
These buses operate from the Champasak Shopping Centre and travel to and from Vientiane. The 10-hour ride’s price may vary slightly depending on the mode of purchase, if you buy it first hand at the counter or through a travel agency. Among the well-known VIP bus services are Kriang Kai and Chitprasom.

One of the most visited provinces of Laos; Champasak has a population of around 50,000 and is formed by Pakse, the Bolaven Plateau, Paksong, Champasak and Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands). Bordering Thailand and Cambodia, Pakse sits at the confluence of the Mekong and is the province's capital, as a result of the Lao-Japanese Bridge spanning the Mekong, the town has quickly grown as an area of trading importance and is a popular tourist destination.

The Mekong River flows past the ancient Khmer religious compound at Wat Phu Champsak, before dispersing at Four Thousand Islands, an area of utter tranquility. The Bolaven Plateau is renowned for its production of coffee, rattan, fruit and cardamom, while the vast number of wats (temples) across the terrain make for interesting viewing.

The Champasak cultural landscape, including the Wat Phu Temple compound, is a well-preserved planned landscape more than 1,000 years old. It was shaped to express the Hindu belief of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountain top to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km.  

Bolaven Plateau & Tad Fane Waterfall
Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos is famous for its great scenery, ethnic villages and unexplored corners. It’s probably best known for being home to some of Southeast Asia's most spectacular waterfalls including Tad Fane and Dong Hua Sao (aka Taat Fang). The plateau’s elevation ranges approximately from 1,000 to 1,350 metres above sea level and here the weather in general is milder than the rest of the country, getting cool, especially at night.
Its fertile plains allow farmers to produce some of the best tea and coffee in the country (coffee remains Laos' biggest agricultural export.) Tourism has become another important source of income for locals as the area has almost unlimited trekking and daytrip opportunities.
The impressive Tad Fane twin falls thunder over 100 metres down the steep cliffs into a gorge, located a few kilometres west of Paksong Town, Champasak Province. The scenic rainforest spot is part of a big national park where wild animals live, including leopards, tigers, elephants and monkeys. Hornbills are among the 300 bird species found in this area.
Opening Hours: All year round. The waterfalls are more impressive in the rainy season between July and October. If visiting between the months of October and February, visitors can observe the harvesting of coffee around the plateau
Location: Bolaven Plateau is situated in the northeast of Champasak Province, covering parts of Salavan, Attapeu and Sekong provinces. The main town to use as a base is Pakse in Champasak
How to get there: Pakse has a large bus station with regular connections to other parts of Laos. It also has a small airport

Paksong
The capital of coffee production in Laos, has a few places to stay and is usually visited on an over night trip from Pakse. The main attraction of the area is the Tat Lo Waterfall which has a large pool at the bottom suitable for swimming.
Although this is not the most magnificent of Laos waterfalls it remains popular with visitors due the lethargic atmosphere that surrounds the area. From Tad Loa, having a bike makes it easier to reach Tad Suong - the most impressive of the waterfalls.

Wat Phu (Vat Phou)
Wat Phu is considered one of the oldest archaeological sites in Laos. One temple in the site was constructed around the 5th century but most buildings found in the complex are from the 11th to 13th centuries. Like other notable Khmer architecture in Southeast Asia, it was constructed using sandstone, laterite and bricks. Among many of the outstanding carvings there are the Indra, the Hindu god of war, storms, and rainfall, riding a three-headed elephant and Vishnu riding on a garuda, an eagle.
Wat Phu has been an active temple for Buddhist religious practice for quite some time because Buddhism replaced Hinduism in Laos in the mid 13th century. There is an altar at the front section of its sanctuary featuring four big Buddha images with more Buddha images around the ruins.
If you visit Wat Phu on the full moon of the third lunar month (usually in February), you will come across the temple’s biggest annual festival with many impressive ceremonies and fun activities going on during the week-long period. These include monk-blessing ceremonies, elephant racing, buffalo and cock fighting as well as a trade fair. The event is never short of entertainment such as live music and traditional Lao dancing.
Opening Hours: All year round
Location: In Pakse, the main city of Champasack Province in southwestern Laos
How to get there: Visitors can travel to Wat Phu from Pakse via land or by boat along the Mekong River

As with every city in Laos, there is a Morning Market selling fresh meats, vegetable, and food ingredients. Souvenirs like weaving silk, silverwares, jewellery, antiques and hill-tribe products can be found at stalls located surrounding most of Champasak's attractions. When in Champasak, don't forget to try (or even buy) the famous Lao Arabica Coffee grown in Bolovens Plateau (on the east of Pakse is the best place to grow coffee in Southeast Asia).

Dao Heuang (New Market)
A massive market (compared to the diminutive city size) situated on Road 13 near the Japanese bridge over the Mekong River. The new market offers everything from fresh food to metal items. The market is well organized and divided into zones like; clothes zone, silver and accessories, and food. Certainly the best one-stop shopping spot in Champasak. Dao Heuang (New Market) is about two kilometres southeast out of town.

Shoppers should note that Champasak is not a major tourist city and so it is best to learn some Lao numbers or at least have a calculator with you since you might just get a friendly smile or a laugh from vendors when asking for prices. There is an ATM machine in Pakse (yes - only one) that accepts international cards. Although the amount of money is limited per transaction, one can withdraw an unlimited number of times, but when the machine is empty it can remain so for as long as a week.

Morning Market
The market's location is about 200 metressouth from the town centre. Pakse Morning Market sells fruit and vegetables grown in the back yards of locals and also sells goods like clothing, crafts, silverwares, and household items. Although prices are negotiable, it is already inexpensive. Several stalls in the surrounding area offer food and Lao coffee and this is certainly a perfect spot to rest after a tiring morning shopping.

Cycling
Situated across the river, this charming spot can be reached after a short boat ride. The small district of Xiang Men houses the once important temple of Wat Long Khoun. Neither the most awe-inspiring nor grand of the temples but definitely worth taking a look at. Few tourists and locals venture over so expect it to be a quiet affair even by Laos standards.  

Dolphin Viewing
The freshwater dolphins that live in the Mekong are believed to have saved the lives of locals and travellers who have faced difficulty in staying afloat when facing the river's tough current. They are know as Irrawaddy Dolphins and can sometimes be seen off the southern tip of Don Khon. The best time to view the dolphins is early morning or late afternoon and can be reached by chartering a boat (the fee is paid regardless of whether they put in an appearance or not) from the beach at Kong Ngay.

Eastern Loop Hike
This walk will lead you to the eastern edge of Don Khon where the French built concrete walls. There arechannels for logs that were floated downstream from the forests in Sainyabuli. If you venture out to the village at the east end of Don Khon you can still see the walls. To reach this area, head northwest from the bridge reached from the Railway Hike and walk through a wat and the surrounding rice fields to see where fishermen still trap fish to this day. 

Elephant Riding
For those who feel compelled to learn how to ride and elephant, here is your chance. The are a few elephant trekking opportunities around the area that will take you off into the jungle on lengthy treks. Feeding and tending to your elephant is part of the trip's package.

Festivals
Laos festivals are usually linked to agricultural seasons or Buddhist holidays. A highlight is the Lunar New Year which begins in mid-April; the entire country comes to a standstill and celebrates. Houses are cleaned, offerings are made in wats and everyone enters into the massive waterfighting mayhem. Bun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival) takes place in May with plenty of processions, music and dancing, accompanied by the firing of bamboo rockets, that are meant to symbolise a demand for rain. The most important festival in Champasak is Bun Wat Phu Champasak, which goes on for three days, during the full moon of the third lunar month. Events during this period include boat racing, Thai boxing matches, cockfights, comedy shows, music and dancing.

Railway Hike
This trek follows the old railway line five kilometres across Don Det island passing stretches of lush forest, rice fields and villages eventually ending up at the French pier, across the river from here is Cambodia. The hike is difficult due to uneven land making it difficult to bike ride across and it's better done on foot. A great experience with some startling scenery along the way.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail
The logistic Ho chi Minh Trail was used mostly during the second Indochina War as a means to transport material and manpower, running from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia. Consisting of a network of dirt paths and gravel roads that begin east of Phonosavan, all of the jungle area of the Trail, previously destroyed with defoliants and herbicides has grown back. It is possible to visit parts of the trail - but this must be done with a guide, since there remain tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the area. Be cautious: Venturing off by yourself is not recommended!