Laos

Luang Prabang and the Art of the Slowdown

Tucked between the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang is one of South-East Asia's truly great towns. Its UNESCO-listed old quarter blends French colonial shophouses with gilded Buddhist temples, all set against a backdrop of misty limestone hills. Spend mornings watching the tak bat procession of saffron-robed monks, afternoons exploring cave temples and royal palaces, and evenings choosing between riverside restaurants and the night market, where Hmong and Lao handicrafts glow under lantern light.

Waterfalls, Plateaus and the Wild South

Southern Laos is a revelation for those who venture beyond the tourist trail. The Bolaven Plateau rises above the Mekong lowlands in a sweep of coffee plantations, thundering waterfalls and cool highland air. At the tail of the country, Si Phan Don spreads four thousand islands across the river, where you can cycle between stilted villages, spot rare Irrawaddy dolphins and watch the sun drop behind Cambodian hills. Pakse serves as the gateway to it all, a relaxed town with a growing reputation for its own temples and French colonial heritage.

Vientiane: A Capital Without the Rush

Vientiane may be the smallest capital city in South-East Asia but it punches well above its weight in charm. Wide boulevards lined with frangipani lead past gilded stupas, crumbling colonial villas and riverside cafes that drift into the evening without any sense of urgency. The That Luang stupa, Laos's most sacred monument, gleams gold against afternoon skies, while the COPE Visitor Centre offers a sobering and important window into the country's unexploded ordnance legacy. It is a city that makes you stay longer than planned and leave wishing you had stayed longer still.