Must See Laos - Luang Prabang

Awakened from a long slumber brought on by decades of war and revolution, Luang Prabang has become Lao PDR's foremost tourist showpiece and was made a Unesco World Heritage city for both its beautiful buildings and the serenity of its natural surrounds.

Encircled by mountains and set 700m above sea level at the confluence of the Nam Khan (Khan River) and the Mekong River, the city's mix of gleaming temple roofs, crumbling French provincial architecture and multi-ethnic inhabitants tends to enthral even the most jaded travellers.

Hmong, Mien and Thai tribal people can often be seen walking around town on their way to and from the markets. Orange-wrapped Buddhist monks and novices occupy 32 of the original 66 historic temples built before the era of French colonisation, including the stunning half-millennium-old Wat Xieng Thong. Luang Prabang (Muang Luang, as the locals call it) also boasts a unique palace-turned-museum.