Why Travel to Laos?
When picturing Southeast Asia, what first comes to mind? The picturesque islands of Thailand? The bustling streets of Vietnam? The ancient temples of Cambodia? Well, how about their neighbour, the beautiful and peaceful, Laos! Laos is most likely the least explored country of all Southeast Asia but what is it that makes this country so special and why should you travel to Laos?
Culture & People
Laos has quite the historic tale behind it, which is highly prominent in all the French colonial architecture often displayed throughout the country. It has a very small population (around 7 million) but its laid back aesthetic and charming, kind-hearted, welcoming people, truly help make it a wonderful place to visit.
In recent years, western culture has highly influenced Laos including ways of greeting. Shaking hands is now a common sight but the traditional welcome of the Lao people would be to greet each other with a nop. A nop is demonstrated by simply bringing your hands together in a prayer-like motion and slightly bowing your head. It is also custom to remove your shoes before entering somebody’s home or visiting temples.
The main religion in Laos is Buddhism (which heavily influences a lot of the country’s social etiquette) with roughly half the population being practising Buddhists. The head is considered the highest part of the body and the feet are the lowest, with a big rule of thumb being never to touch someone's head or point with your toes. These actions are considered highly impolite and even rude.
Scenery
With mountainous backdrops and never-ending countryside, Laos has a lot to offer in terms of scenery. Although a landlocked country, the Mekong River flows right through it, forming the boundary between Laos and its neighbours. Luang Prabang, in particular, has a variety of different waterfalls, temples and night markets to feast your eyes upon. Vang Vieng is best for endless mountain views and more rural landscapes, whilst the 4,000 islands (just a name sadly, not the actual number of islands) will provide you with beautiful sunset shots over the Mekong River and pure island vibes!
Activities
Laos may be a very chilled out country but it's definitely not short of adventurous activities! The most popular experience that a lot of travellers opt for is to take the slow boat from Thailand down the Mekong River to Laos. The starting point is at the Thai-Laos border in Huay-Xai, ending up in Luang Prabang. The entire trip should take 2 days in total.
Vang Vieng is known for more active activities such as rock climbing, caving, tubing down the Nam Song River, kayaking, zip-lining and even hot air balloon rides! The quieter islands down south, like Don Det, offer bicycles that you can rent, kayaks or even day trips out on the boats.
Laos is a very small, laid-back country often overshadowed by its popular neighbours but definitely worth visiting in its own right. Honestly, don’t skip out on Laos!
