Pakse

Pakse is a wonderfully laid-back town and the capital of Champasak province in Southern Laos.  Founded by the French in 1905 as a French Indochina administrative outpost, Pakse is situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Don Rivers and is the only major town in the region.  Southern Laos remains remote, disconnected from mass tourism and compared to its neighbour Thailand, a region that has stood-still in time.  While an allure for most the very basic tourist infrastructure, with the exception of 4,000 Island Cruises, maybe too much to bear for some.  This is rural Laos, not just a contrast but a different world.

Converge on Pakse, “The Mouth of the River Se”, by air from Vientiane or overland from Thailand for a complete adventure.  Pakse is one of the most Thai-like towns in all of Laos made so through brisk daily trade with Thailand, the border being only 45km’s away.  Some interesting colonial architecture left over from French Indochina remains in the town and there are some interesting markets to browse including the vast Talat Dao Heung (New Market) packed with fresh produce and coffee grown on the Bolaven Plateau.  But it’s the potential for Day Trips that makes Pakse such a good base camp from which to explore.

The highlights of a Pakse trip include the far less visited Wat Phou; temple ruins similar to but built before the Temples of Angkor.  There are countless waterfalls to explore around Pakse including Khone Phapheng, South East Asia's highest waterfall and more on the Bolaven Plateau.   Venture downriver to Voeung Kham on the Cambodian border to spot the increasingly rare Irrawaddy dolphins and take 4,000 Island Mekong River Cruises.  Visit Ban Saphai, renowned for its silk weaving or just chill in Pakse with Baguette breakfasts and sundowners beside the Mekong River.  Get in touch with us for Laos Holidays, Indochina Holidays & trips to Pakse in Southern Laos.