Pakse is the second-largest city in Laos, after capital Vientiane. It’s not a great city where you’ll want to linger for days, but Pakse does have some great spots. Check out the 4 best tips for things to do in Pakse.
Content of this blog:
1. Bolaven Plateau
The Bolaven Plateau is a beautiful place east of Pakse. You will find waterfalls up to 100 meters high and beautiful nature. The highlight? A zipline over a waterfall 260 meters in the sky. In this article, read all the information about the Bolaven Plateau, the route and key points.
2. Ride the Pakse loop
Since we had already done a five-day trip on a motorcycle in Vietnam and had ridden the Thakhek loop in Laos, we did not do the Pakse loop ourselves. Still, it is highly recommended since this run also takes you through the Bolaven Plateau.
There are several variations on the Pakse run. The big Pakse run has a distance of 320 kilometers. The Little Pakse run is 220 kilometers. You can ask the motorbike rental companies in Pakse for more information. They can also show you the route here and tell you where it’s nice to stop. We rented our motorbike from Miss Noy and this comes highly recommended. You get lots of information about the places to visit, you even get a map, and you ride the motorbike a few laps first to get used to shifting gears.
The first day of the Pakse loop you will drive to the Bolaven Plateau to see the beautiful waterfalls, swim in them or even zipline. The second day is scheduled for a visit to Captain Hook and the ethnic village. Captain Hook is a true household name around the Bolaven Plateau because he introduces tourists to the local tribes. He explains life, customs and rituals as well as the coffee for which the Bolaven Plateau is famous.
The Pakse run is very cool to do. If you are not yet tired of motorbike riding and have time to spare, it is definitely recommended to enjoy riding this loop by yourself and enjoy all the special and beautiful things along the way.
3. Visit Wat Luang
Begin your exploration of the culture in Pakse with a visit to Wat Luang, a beautiful Buddhist temple. Admire the unique architecture, explore the grounds and experience the serene atmosphere inside the temple. It’s fun to walk through Pakse anyway because everywhere you go you come across different (small and larger) temples.
4. Coffee plantations around Pakse
The Bolaven Plateau and the Pakse area are known for their many coffee plantations. As you drive east from Pakse, you see more and more fields of coffee plantations and you can even smell the coffee from the factory. Today there are still a few coffee plantations you can visit. Check with your accommodation in Pakse to be sure which ones are open.
The best accommodations in Pakse
The very best hostel in Pakse (and perhaps all of Laos) is Sanga Hostel. Luang, the receptionist is super friendly and can give you lots of great recommendations. Furthermore, the beds are lovely, everything is clean and it is social. Not for nothing does Sanga Hostel score a 9.8 average on booking.com!!!
A fine hotel in Pakse, Le Jardin Hotel is a fine place to stay. It has a great pool and because it is a bit further from town there is a free shuttle available at night.
How to get to Pakse?
Are you coming from Don Det, 4000 islands in southern Laos? Then you can easily book a minivan through 12GO.Asia that will take you to Pakse in 2 hours. If you are just coming from northern Laos, you will probably come via Thakhek or Vientiane. From Vientiane, you can take a (terrible) night bus to Pakse where you lie in a narrow double bed. Unfortunately, there are no other buses so prepare for this, especially mentally.
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