Best time to visit
Oct – Feb
Cool & dry season
Traveller ratings
4.9 ★★★★★
Luang Prabang
Vang Vieng
4,000 Islands
Budget guide
$25–40/day
All-in budget travel
Southeast Asia's hidden gem

Discover
Laos

Temples wrapped in jungle mist. Rivers that move slow. A country that still feels like a secret worth keeping.

Start exploring → Travel guide
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Find anything in Laos
Popular: Luang Prabang Vang Vieng 4,000 Islands Bun Pi Mai Bolaven coffee Plain of Jars
✦ Featured Stay
Rosewood Luang Prabang
Top Pick
Rosewood Luang Prabang
📍 Nam Khan River Jungle Resort ★★★★★
Award-winning jungle resort blending Lao heritage with world-class luxury. Private pool villas above the river, a forest spa, and farm-to-table dining by candlelight.
From $420 per night
9.4 Exceptional
Book on Booking.com →
🎆 Coming Up
Bun Pi Mai
Festival
— days away
13
Apr
Bun Pi Mai · Lao New Year
📍 Nationwide · 3 days
Water Festival Season
The biggest celebration in Laos — three days of water fights, temple ceremonies, and sand stupas. The whole country stops and parties. Don't miss it.
See all events → Book tour
🍜 Editor's Pick
Tamarind Restaurant
Luang Prabang
★★★★★
Tamarind Restaurant
📍 Old Town, Luang Prabang Contemporary Lao · $$
The gold standard for Lao cuisine. Chef Joy's tasting menu is a masterclass — or lam, mok pa, and the legendary Mekong weeds salad on a riverside terrace at dusk.
Explore food → 📍 Maps
4,000 Islands Don Det Laos sunset Mekong
Si Phan Don · 4,000 Islands
Don Det island river Mekong river Laos
✦ Southern Laos · Hidden Paradise

The island where time forgets to move.

Don Det is unlike anywhere else in Southeast Asia. No cars. No rush. Just the Mekong lapping at the shore, hammocks strung between palm trees, and sunsets that turn the river to liquid gold. This is where the rare Irrawaddy dolphins swim at dawn, where a bicycle is all the transport you need, and where every meal costs less than a coffee back home.

Most travellers pass through. The smart ones stay for a week.

4,000+
Islands in the Mekong
~80
Irrawaddy dolphins left
$2
Bicycle rental per day
💛 Where to stay
Sunin Hotel Dondet Riverside
Sunin Hotel Dondet Riverside
📍 Don Det island · ★★★
Our personally recommended stay on the island. Beautifully designed with traditional Lao architecture, Mekong balcony views, a private jetty, and breakfast included. Staff rated 8.8 — some of the friendliest on the island.
From $45/night
8.5 Very Good
View hotel & book →
Where to go

Five cities.
Infinite reasons to visit.

View all on map →
🏯
Luang Prabang
✦ Most visited
Luang Prabang
Gilded temples, French colonial streets and monks collecting alms at dawn. The most beautiful small city in Southeast Asia.
🏛️
Vientiane
Vientiane
The world's most laid-back capital.
🏔
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng
Karst peaks, kayaking, hot air balloons.
🌊
Pakse
Pakse & South
Bolaven Plateau, 4,000 Islands, dolphins.
🌿
Nong Khiaw
Nong Khiaw
Limestone cliffs, river silence, no crowds.
Where to stay

From jungle villas
to riverside eco-lodges.

Laos offers extraordinary stays at a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere. Hand-picked properties from $28 boutique guesthouses to $680 Aman resorts — all with verified traveller reviews.

🏯Browse all hotels & stays→ 💰Best budget guesthouses→ 🌿Eco-lodges & jungle stays→
🏯
Hotel
Editor's pick
Rosewood Luang Prabang
★★★★★
From $420/night
Best value
Mekong Sunset Guesthouse
From $28/night · 4.8 ★
Where to eat

Sticky rice,
Bolaven coffee, Beer Lao.

Lao cuisine is Southeast Asia's best-kept culinary secret. Herb-forward, punchy, deeply tied to the land — from $1 street stalls to candlelit riverside dining in Luang Prabang.

🍜Restaurant guide by city→ 🛺Street food & night markets→ 🌶️What to eat — dish guide→
🍜
Food
National dish
Laap
Minced meat · herbs · toasted rice powder
Bolaven espresso
World-class coffee
Single-origin · from $1.50

This year
in Laos

From the water-splashing chaos of Bun Pi Mai to candlelit boats on the Mekong — Laos celebrates with extraordinary intensity.

Full calendar →
13 AprBun Pi Mai — Lao New YearFestivalNationwide→ JulVang Vieng Hot Air BalloonOutdoorVang Vieng→ 12 NovThat Luang FestivalFestivalVientiane→ OctBoun Ok Phansa — End of LentFestivalNationwide→ MarBolaven Plateau Cycling TourOutdoorPakse→
Off the beaten path

Hidden
Gems

View on map →
🌿
Nong Khiaw
North Laos
Nong Khiaw
Limestone cliffs plunging into the Nam Ou river. Trekking, caves, and the silence Vang Vieng lost decades ago.
💧
Tat Kuang Si
Near Luang Prabang
Tat Kuang Si
Turquoise tiered pools fed by limestone springs. Go at sunrise — before the world arrives.
🪨
Plain of Jars
Xieng Khouang
Plain of Jars
Thousands of ancient stone vessels across an eerie plateau. 2,000 years of mystery, still unsolved.
🐬
4000 Islands
Southern Laos
4,000 Islands
Island-hop by boat. Spot Irrawaddy dolphins at dawn. Sleep in a bungalow over the Mekong.
Scroll to explore

Everything you need
to know before you go.

Visas, currency, the best time to visit, how to get around — the LaoWander travel guide covers it all.

01
🛂
Visa on Arrival
Most nationalities get a 30-day VOA for $30–42 USD. Apply for an e-Visa at laoevisa.gov.la to skip the queue — takes 3 business days.
02
💵
Money & Costs
Laos is exceptional value. Budget $25–40/day. USD and Thai Baht accepted widely. Carry cash in smaller towns — ATMs disappear.
03
🌤
Best Time to Visit
Oct–Feb is peak season — cool, dry, perfect. Oct–Nov is the sweet spot: post-rains green, waterfalls full, no crowds yet.
04
🚂
Laos-China Railway
Vientiane to Luang Prabang in under 2 hours. The 2022 rail link changed everything — clean, fast, spectacular views.
05
🙏
Culture & Etiquette
Cover up at temples, never touch anyone's head. A warm "Sabai dee!" opens every door in every village.
06
🏥
Health & Safety
Get travel insurance with medical evacuation. Never leave marked trails in rural provinces — UXO remains active.
✦ Stay inspired

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