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Vang Viang
Settled snugly on a riverbank among a spectacular spread of saw-toothed limestone karsts, easy-going Vang Viang provides a fine setting for countryside walks, leisurely tubing trips and outings to local caves.

Wat Phou
Easily the most evocative Khmer ruin outside Cambodian borders, the romantic and rambling hilltop temple complex of Wat Phou provides a worthy excuse for a journey to oft-overlooked southern Laos.

Louang Phabang
Even as its popularity has skyrocketed, Louang Phabang, with its legacy of ancient red-roofed temples, French colonial architecture and refined cuisine, remains one of Southeast Asia's most enchanting cities.

Up the Nam Ou River
For those looking to cruise Laos' rivers, the six-hour boat ride from Louang Phabang up the emerald Nam Ou is wildly scenic, culminating at the pristine beaches and craggy karsts surrounding the breathtaking village of Nong Khiaw.

Kouang Si Waterfall
An easy day trip from Louang Phabang, Kouang Si waterfall tumbles 60m before spilling through a series of crystal blue pools, affording a picturesque spot for a picnic and a refreshing swim.

The Four Thousand Islands
A landlocked archipelago, Si Phan Don, or the Four Thousand Islands, are home to some of Laos' most traditional villages as well as rare freshwater dolphins and the thundering waterfalls that hindered French attempts to tap the hidden riches of inner China.

Festival of Lights
Most magically celebrated in Louang Phabang during October, Lai Heua Fai inspires villagers to parade elaborately designed floats through town and along the Mekong, where they also set adrift smaller offerings made with banana stalks, candles and incense.

Trekking around Muang Sing
A chance encounter with one of Laos' distinctively dressed hilltribe peoples is one of the great pleasures of trekking through the northwest, a region that is home to many of the country's sixty-eight different ethnic groups.

Spicy salads
If Laos were to nominate a national dish, a strong contender would be lap, an incendiary "salad" of minced meat or fish mixed with garlic, chilies, shallots and eggplant that is eaten with the hands and served with sticky rice.

Savannakhet
An urban oasis along the Mekong for the road weary, genial Savannakhet possesses architectural charm second only to Louang Phabang; its narrow streets and shop-houses of ochre-coloured stucco are reminiscent of Hanoi.