Laos is a beautiful country in Southeast Asia, with its neighbors being Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand to name a few. Laos has a unique culture and so much rich history and natural landscape to offer visitors, and if you’ve never been, you have to. When you do, make sure you follow these cultural guidelines and make sure to see all these amazing sites in Laos.
Cultural Norms
There are a few things you should know about Laos before you go. While there are many lakes, rivers, and waterfalls that you should definitely visit, if you’re a woman, you shouldn’t expect to hang out in a bikini. The best thing to do is to cover yourself with a sarong for getting in and out of the water.
Also, you will see a lot of monks in Laos, and might even share a tuk-tuk with one! But if you’re a woman, make sure never to touch them or even brush their robes as that can be very disrespectful.
What to Do
If you go nowhere else in Laos, the Kuang Si Falls has to be your one destination just for the insane beauty of it. This waterfall has a drop of 50 meters, and the water is a type of blue so crazy you’ll think it’s fake.
Blue Lagoon is more popular with tourists and also boasts beautiful waters, but if you want to be a bit different and have an amazing experience, opt for Kuang Si Falls.
About 30 kilometers from the falls is an ancient city called Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the city is an incredibly steep hill Mount Phousi, which is 100 meters tall. Even though it definitely is a physical challenge to get to the top, on the way you can visit some temples to catch your breath. At the top of the hill, you’ll be able to see the Mekong River like never before, and the views are certainly worth the climb.
Vat Phou is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and are the ruins of a Hindu temple dated back to the 5th century. Although it’s in ruins, there are a lot of different alters and inscriptions that can be easily seen, and it’s also just in a very beautiful place in and of itself.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos, and there are plenty of things to do there that are definitely unexpected for being a large city. One of those things is the Buddha Park, which is located right in the city. The park is a cross between a regular park and a sculpture garden, as it hosts 200 different religious sculptures from both Hinduism and Buddhism. Most of the pieces are over 40 meters high, and it is really something you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Best of all, you can picnic right next to these beautiful and spiritual sculptures!
Another incredible experience to have in Vientiane is to go to the Wat Sok Pa Luang Temple and meditate with the monks! It happens every Saturday for English speakers and is an experience anyone would be lucky to have.
