An easy 3km walk or bicycle ride northeast of town is Wat Pa Phon Phao, a forest meditation wat famous for the teachings of the late abbot Ajahn Saisamut. Saisamut's funeral in 1992 was the largest and most well-attended monk's funeral Laos had seen in decades.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.99 MILES
Luang Prabang's best-known monastery is centred on a 1560 sǐm (ordination hall). Its roofs sweep low to the ground and there's a stunning 'tree of life'…
0.9 MILES
Dominating the old city centre and a favourite with sunset junkies, the 100m-tall Phu Si (prepare your legs for a steep 329-step ascent) is crowned by a…
13.84 MILES
Thirty kilometres southwest of Luang Prabang, Tat Kuang Si is a many-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone formations into a series of cool, swimmable…
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0.88 MILES
The sobering UXO Laos Information Centre helps you get a grip on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War and how nearly 40 years later…
1.04 MILES
Wat Mai is one of the city's most sumptuous monasteries, its wooden sǐm (ordination hall) sporting a five-tiered roof in archetypal Luang Prabang style,…
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12.15 MILES
Set up by some Australian pioneers with no prior experience in farming, the Buffalo Dairy is now producing a range of delicious cheese and dairy products…
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5.41 MILES
The wide, multilevel cascade pools of this menthol-hued waterfall 15km southeast of Luang Prabang are a memorable sight from August to November. Unlike…
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8.15 MILES
Thirty-two kilometres west of the city, this slice of natural paradise reclaimed from a rubbish dump uses the forest and a stunning cascade as its…
Nearby Luang Prabang attractions
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If you climbed Phu Si you'll surely have spied a large octagonal stupa painted a dazzling golden hue near the 'New Bridge'. This is the 1988 Santi Chedi,…
0.73 MILES
This lumpy hemispherical stupa is commonly nicknamed That Makmo, which translates as 'Watermelon Stupa'. Originally constructed in 1514, it was pillaged…
0.74 MILES
A beautifully faded temple guarded by emerald nagas (river serpents) on its roof, supported by columns and with an illustrated ochre interior.
0.76 MILES
Though touted as one of Luang Prabang's oldest operating temples, it's actually an 1898 reconstruction built following the Black Flag raids. Peruse a…
0.87 MILES
This mysterious footprint close to Phu Si is one of many scattered around Southeast Asia, and is said to be that of the Buddha after he reached…
0.87 MILES
This monastery close to That Chomsi features a number of gold Buddhas nestled into rocky clefts and niches.
8. UXO Laos Information Centre
0.88 MILES
The sobering UXO Laos Information Centre helps you get a grip on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War and how nearly 40 years later…