Ruins of Wat Phou (Vat Phu), former Khmer Hindu temple complex.

©Paul Biris/Getty Images

Southern Laos

Southern Laos is dominated by the Bolaven Plateau, a fertile highland that spreads over four of the region’s provinces. It is the site of Laos’ thriving coffee plantations and also many of the region’s beautiful waterfalls.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Vat Phou or Wat Phu in Champasak, Southern Laos.

    Wat Phu Champasak

    Southern Laos

    Bucolic Wat Phu sits in graceful decrepitude, and while it lacks the arresting enormity of Angkor in Cambodia, given its few visitors and more dramatic…

  • Se Pian NPA

    Se Pian NPA

    Southern Laos

    Se Pian NPA is one of the most important protected areas in Laos. The 2400-sq-km park boasts small populations of Asiatic black bears, yellow-cheeked…

  • Wat Phou Salao

    Wat Phou Salao

    Pakse

    The centrepiece of this hilltop temple across the Mekong from Pakse is the giant golden Buddha statue looking out over the city. The views from his perch…

  • Wat Chomphet

    Wat Chomphet

    Southern Laos

    This temple just past the stone carvers in Ban Don Khoh is well worth a visit, not only for its 30m-tall gold-painted Buddha but also some of the…

  • Talat Dao Heuang

    Talat Dao Heuang

    Pakse

    This vast market near the Lao–Japanese Bridge is one of the biggest in the country. It's at its most chaotic in the food zones, but just about anything a…

  • Wat Muang Kang

    Wat Muang Kang

    Southern Laos

    About 5km south of town along the Mekong stands the oldest active temple in Champasak, and one of the most interesting in southern Laos. The soaring Thai…

  • Phu Xieng Thong NPA

    Phu Xieng Thong NPA

    Southern Laos

    Spread over 1200 sq km in Champasak and Salavan Provinces, Phu Xieng Thong NPA is most accessible about 50km upriver from Pakse. The area has a sometimes…

  • Champasak Historical Heritage Museum

    Champasak Historical Heritage Museum

    Pakse

    Highlights here include ancient bronze drums, stone carvings unearthed up on the Bolaven Plateau, stelae with Tham script dating from the 15th to 18th…

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Go Beyond

Southern Laos and beyond

Beyond Southern Laos
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