Champasak is exceptionally serene and capturing the imagination and hearts of every visitor. The pristine well preserved landscapes found in this province often entice travelers to extend beyond their planned stay. Its provincial city of Pakse is Southern Lao’s largest city, home to French colonial-era buildings standing next to traditional Lao wooden houses, where cars still share the streets with buffalo, and the pace of life is very slow even by Lao standards, and herein lays its charm.
The destination has some 20 wats (temples), such as the Angkor-period ruins of Wat Phou, Wat Luang, and Wat Tham Fai. It is also famous for freshwater dolphins and many waterfalls. Travelers arriving in places such as Don Daeng, an island on Mekong River with eight villages and rice fields in the middle, are greeted with car-less streets and welcoming locals. Here fisherman sit weaving their nets, traditional homes on stilts provide shade for pigs and chickens and the rugged streets are yours to explore.
