Our personalised tour now continues with 5 days in the Southern Laos and a 1st day shared between the Luang Prabang flight - Thick and the visit of the temples of Vat Phou. Here is how our day was organized in the Province of Champasak in southern Laos.
How to go from Pakse to Vat Phou?
After a Lao Airlines flight, we land at Thick at 12:15 p.m. As soon as we arrive at the Alisa hotel, we ask reception to tell us the best way to go and visit the site of Vat Phou without wasting time… The receptionist M. SOULOT (+856 30 54 51 866) suggests to us a private van for 450 LAK for 000 or 4 € per person for the whole afternoon.
The van arrived very quickly and took us to the Vat Phou site in less than an hour. He will be waiting for us to take us back to the hotel at the end of our visit. Be careful because the site closes at 18 p.m. and the museum at 16 p.m.
How to visit the temples of Vat Phou?
The archaeological site (ruins of Khmer temples from an era before Angkor Wat) extends over 2 km. We take entrance tickets and a cart that drops us off at the entrance to the site. It takes 2 hours to visit (without the museum).
The main site, made up of 2 large symmetrical sets, continues up the mountain and ends in a sanctuary located on a terrace at the foot of the cliff. There is the sacred spring and a Buddha. You then have to go behind the source on the right to admire an elephant statue but above all a breathtaking view of the Vat Phou site.
What to see in Pakse?
Wat Luang temple
Back in Pakse, we visited the Wat Luang temple which was only 600 meters from our hotel. It was already dark but we were able to attend the monks' prayers and enjoyed enjoying this sample of the daily and spiritual life of Buddhist monks.
The Big Buddha of Pakse
Then 2 days later, when we return from the Bolovens to Pakse, we will go up to Big buddha to enjoy the sunset with the view of Pakse and the Mekong. We discover behind the Giant buddha a magnificent Buddhist site made up of temples and hundreds of Buddhas lined up on the hill.
Where to eat in Pakse?
We were looking for a good little restaurant not too far from our hotel. And we found a restaurant that didn't look great but turned out to be excellent and really inexpensive (€ 3 a meal).
My cheap hotel in Pakse
There I must say that we had made a excellent hotel choice. Indeed, theAlisa hotel, brand new and super well equipped, is located at Pakse center but in a small street corner and therefore quiet. At 28 € per night with breakfasts included, it's a really good plan!
The little extras of the hotel : The friendliness of the staff, its location and the comfort of the rooms.
The little less of the hotel : Buffet breakfast blah blah…
Discover now the rest of the circuit with our little loop in the Bolovens plateau