The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
ULTIMATE ITINERARY HIDDEN LAOS
That Laos still remains the undiscovered land of south-east Asia works in its favour. It’s like Thailand was 20 years ago. Few travellers visit its mountains, caves, long arm of the Mekong river, gilded temples, French architecture, war relics, and ancient monuments. But with its natural and cultural wealth, communist credentials, royal bedrock and Buddhist beliefs, it’s the peaceful antidote to our hi-tech lives. Think mosaic-decorated temples, golden Buddhas, indigo crafts, royal villas, secret waterfalls, caves, elephants, singing gibbons, tigers, pavement cafés serving Lao coffee and French baguettes, sticky rice and spicy minced beef salad, and an enchanting legacy of French belle époque buildings blended with Lao motifs creating an Indochine style that leaves towns throughout the land with exquisitely pretty streets.
When I first visited Laos 13 years ago, there was one traffic light in the capital Vientiane, and one smart hotel, and I backpacked around staying in $5-a-night rickety guesthouses, braved the boneshattering buses, ate far too many moreish Lao barbecue ( sindat) and sank litres of Lao beer. You can still do that, but in just a decade this communist state has embraced luxury, offering exploration in comfort and style.
In the former royal kingdom of Luang Prabang, royal villas and LaoGallic homes have been transformed into luxury hotels fragrant with oriental glamour. In rural spots, stay in tree houses (gibbonexperience. org, treetoplaos.com), jungle lodges (kingfisherecolodge.com), river camps (hinnamno.org), wildlife havens (elephantconservationcenter. com, namet.org) and ethnic minority homestays (namha-npa.org).
Landlocked Laos has many remote corners that are difficult to get to. If you’re short on time and want to see most of the country in one trip, domestic Lao Airlines flights are a must. And a car with driver for the remote far east, especially, will be needed. Mekong river boats link Luang Prabang to the Thai border and come in the bare-bones “slow boat” type or uber-luxury craft (mekongkingdoms.com). For this itinerary, I have included the highlights for a first-time trip but have not been able to include the remote north (with its treks and homestays) and the centre (mainly for cave exploration).
DAY 1-2
LAND OF A MILLION ELEPHANTS
The flight from London via Bangkok arrives into Luang Prabang the following day at 11.35am. Check in to Maison Dalabua (maisondalabua.com) whose restaurant and bar overlooks a water lily pond. The Indochine décor and large comfortable beds, a parasol’s throw from the Unesco-protected core of the city, are also a major draw. After lunch at in-house Manda de Laos, and a rest, meet Laos’s earliest inhabitants – the Asian elephants at the responsible tourism “Communicating with elephants encounter” at Mandalao (mandalaotours.com) which liaises with WWF. Head for a tasty introduction to Lao cuisine at Tamarind (tamarindlaos.com). Got enough stamina for a nightcap? Pull up a stool at nearby deliciously cool Ikon Club (iconklub.com).
DAY 3
TEMPLES AND TUCK
It’s a punishing early start today to partake in the solemn alms giving, an ancient ritual where townsfolk sustain saffron-clad monks with offerings of food at 5am walkabouts. Return to your hotel for breakfast. Luang Prabang’s golden spires, mosaicdecorated temples, and gorgeous Indochine buildings are very easy on the eye, but in-depth knowledge is hard to come by. Meet a local expert guide to tour the main temples and lesser-known parts and lanes. After lunch at vocational training Khaiphaen restaurant (tree-alliance.org) wander the town, temples, shops and cafés. Dine at funky Tangor (thetangor.com) for fusion dishes, people watch on main street, then head to the night market for craft souvenirs.
DAY 4
WARTIME SHELTER
After breakfast, hit the road north to Nong Khiaw, a settlement on the Nam Ou river flanked by picturesque limestone peaks. Check in to lush riverfront Mandala Ou (mandala-ou. com). Slip into the pool for the afternoon or head for a three-hour return walk to Patok Cave, used as wartime shelter during the Secret War.
DAY 5
ON THE TIGER TRAIL
After a dawn breakfast, a five-hour journey through the mountains leads to Vieng Thong (also known as Muang Hiam) the departure point for the Responsible Tourism Award-winning Nam Nern Night Safari. With local Khmu guides, spot birds, snakes and otters on the river before a torchlight safari in search of tigers in the protected Nam Et-Phou Louey mountains. Bed down after a campcooked dinner in the rustic eco lodge.
DAY 6
COMMUNISM IN CAVES
From Vieng Thong, it’s a four-hour journey to remote Vieng Xai. In a cluster of craggy limestone peaks, the Lao Communist leadership built homes, offices, a theatre, bank and elephant stables in the cool interiors while the Americans bombed the country in the late Sixties and early Seventies during the Secret War. A guided tour will mesmerise as you visit the cavesturned-museum complex and learn how 20,000 people lived underground for 10 years. Check in to Xayphasouk Hotel in remote Sam Neua. There are plenty of local eateries nearby.
DAY 7 LOOK FOR ‘BOMB CASE’ ARCHITECTURE
A long day’s drive, so look out for fields of sunflowers and ‘bomb case’ architecture where locals have salvaged bomb carcasses for plant beds, fences, staircases and boats. At Phonsavan, check into comfortable Vansana Hotel (vansanahotel-group. com) before heading for pizza at Bamboozle (facebook.com/pg/ BamboozleRestaurantBar), where a portion of dining receipts helps the Lone Buffalo Foundation (lonebuffalo. org) find work for local youngsters.
DAY 8
MYSTERY IN THE MOUNTAINS
Across the American bomb-shattered landscape of Phonsavan lie curious huge stone jars, sometimes lidded, often not. No one really knows who created the mysterious vessels on the Plain of Jars, or why, but it’s an atmospheric sight. After lunch at Nisha’s Indian, call in at the Mines Advisory Group’s museum, learn about the Lone Buffalo Foundation, and visit silk weavers at Mulberries (mulberries.org) for a local souvenir. Return to feast at Bamboozle.
DAY 9
GOING SOUTH
Leave on the mountain road south to Vang Vieng, a seven-hour journey, before booking in to the beautiful stilted cabin-in-a-paddy-field Vieng Tara (viengtara.com). Sip cocktails as the sun sets behind the beautiful karstic mountains, before some fine dining at Riverside’s Crabe d’Or (riversidevangvieng.com/restaurant).
DAY 10 GO DOWNSTREAM
Picture-perfect pea-green Nam Song river winds its way through town against the backdrop of a mountainscape which mirrors an oriental silk painting. Try tubing or kayaking downstream from Mr T’s Organic Farm (laofarm.org). Pick up mulberry snacks before you go. After lunch, bike to
Tham Poukham, the sacred cave of the Golden Crab featuring a Buddha statue before cooling off in the electric blue lagoon at its base. In the late afternoon wander across the downtown footbridge to
Don Khong Island and settle into one of the bars for a Lao Beer sundowner. You’ll have earned the ridiculously good pizza at Il Tavolo (facebook. com/iltavolorestaurant).
DAY 11
FROM COFFEE TO COCKTAILS
Head through the mountains to capital Vientiane in time for iced Lao coffee ( café nom yen) at Naked Espresso (nakedespresso.com). Check into Indochine boutique Ansara Hotel (ansarahotel.com) downtown, then follow the locals: walk the Mekong river promenade at sunset. West along the river at popular Spirit House bar (thespirithouselaos.com) order an aperitif before booking into lively dinner spot Pimentón (pimentonrestaurant-vte. com) for tapas and steak.
DAY 12
STAR ATTRACTIONS
A guided tour of Vientiane highlights: its star temple, Wat Sisaket, with its cloisters concealing thousands of Buddha statues; the bizarre Victory Monument, ode to Paris’s Arc de Triomphe; and the glittering golden That Luang, the country’s holiest monument. Break for coffee at stylish Le Trio (letriocoffee.com) at a pavement table, and lunch at alleyway Kung’s Café Lao (facebook.com/ KungsCafeLao) for superlative traditional cuisine. Take a late afternoon flight to southern Paksé, transfer to French Colonial-influenced Champasak, and settle into lush The River Resort (theriverresortlaos.com) facing the Mekong, and dinner at its al fresco restaurant.
DAY 13
BUDDHISM AND BIKES
Head south for slow-lane life in the 4,000 islands scattered in the lower Mekong. Cycle the width of Done Khong island before exploring quieter, non-touristy islands on ferries. Witness Lao fisherman at work, visit a Buddhist temple, and meet bamboo basket weavers before lunching with a local family at their home. Return to base by cruising upstream through the islands, known for palms, hammocks, waterfalls, and Irrawaddy dolphins.
DAY 14
HOMEWARD BOUND
goes off the beaten track with a two-week tour that blends a touch of luxury with unforgettable experiences Think mosaicdecorated temples, golden Buddhas, indigo crafts, royal villas, secret waterfalls, caves…
Rise early for sunrise at Unescoprotected Wat Phou, a Khmer archaeological site buried in the forest close to Champasak. Climb the steps, fringed by fragrant frangipani, to the pre-Angkorian, beautifully carved stone Hindu temples. It’s a supremely serene spot. Transfer to Pakse, and fly to Vientiane before connecting with your international flights to Bangkok and then Heathrow.