Luang Prabang
One of the three bigger cities in the north of Laos where you can get your creativity out and learn about local way of living and cultures. Doesn't matter if you love nature or you would like the comfort of the city both is possible here. Stroll along the different markets for fresh food or souvenirs, almost everything is possible here.
Morning alms
Early bird or not if you are interested in the culture of Lao you have to be part of the morning alms in the city centre of Luang Prabang. You can find the morning alms on Sakkaline road and it will start with sunrise. Check at your place where you are staying on what time sunrise is. The morning alms are a ritual done by the monks and the locals where the locals give sticky rice to every monk that is passing. This goes in silence and it really has something humble and peaceful. In case you would like to be part of the morning alms make sure you are proper dressed with over the knee pants or skirt and no naked shoulders. When you arrive in Sakkaline road locals will sell you the sticky rice and help you through the ritual. For the monks the morning alms are some kind of meditation so you are not allowed to disturb them. For the locals who give the sticky rice it is about not only thinking about themselves and focus on the needs of others. Another nice thing is that you will see a beautiful sunrise while watching the hundreds of monks passing by.
What else is there to do in Luang Prabang?
So there is actually a lot to do in Luang Prabang. Go watch the sunset at the temple on the hill. You can't miss it because it is literally in the middle of the city next to the night market. You can go to the story telling at garavek storytelling and learn more about the history of Luang Prabang. For all the party people you can go to the bowling where the party continues until 2 am and where bowling is not mandatory but it is a lot of fun. You can visit different temples and the royal palace all on the Main Street of Luang Prabang and in dry season you can go to two different bamboo bridges which will cross the Mekong river to the other side and where you can find different artists that work with different weaving techniques and paper art. The bridge will float away every year with rain season so don't expect it to be there when it rains too often. Another fun thing to know about Luang Prabang is that everyone is very creative so you can follow different classes and courses. For example making scarfs with natural made colors or go to a jewelry making class and bring your own piece of jewelry home.
Markets
So you have a few options for markets. The morning market which start around 5 am is a fresh market with fresh fruits, veggies, meat and fish and will finish around 10 am. You can also go to the night market where they have many stalls full of clothing, paintings and many other souvenirs. There is also a nice food market in the beginning where you can eat delicious types of food and even have options for different desserts. The night market will start after 6 pm but it is definitely fun to go there and see all the beautiful things they made. In case you would like to go to a bar or restaurant afterwards just walk all the way to the end of the market and you will find many options for drinks and food.
Kuang Si Waterfall
When you rent a scooter you can go to different fun things around the city but one you definitely can't miss is the Kuang Si Waterfall. It is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have seen in my life and yes I have seen many. It is around 50 minutes by motorbike and when you buy your ticket for entering the park you get a free transfer with an electric buggy to the start of the waterfall. You will pass the bear rescue center first but really don't like this one because the bears are still in cages and don't look happy or free to me. But if you walk along you will find the first waterfall and first pool where you can swim and jump in the water. There are 4 natural pools where you can swim in crystal clear blue water and enjoy the different waterfalls. If you walk all the way to the end you will find the biggest waterfall and I believe the most beautiful one. While you are spending time enjoying nature and cooling down in the water you can also spend some time in the little restaurant for lunch or snack. It is easy to spend a couple of hours here and in the afternoon it will become a social area for tourists. The price for the ticket is 20.000 kip which is around 1 euro.
​
Little side note, when you are swimming in the water the fish bite and it is pretty painful. So make sure you keep on swimming or that you are able to accept the pain.
Zurich bakery
Won't make this one to long but you have to try Zurich bakery when you are in Luang Prabang. From delicious croissants till full breakfast and lunch platters. Options for everyone also vegetarian and vegan. And another good thing is that they have multiple locations throughout the city. It is a bit more pricey compared to other places but it is tasteful and delicious.
cooking class
One of the nice things you can do during your stay in Luang Prabang is a traditional Lao cooking class. We did the cooking class with Lao sweet house academy and paid 25 USD each. During the class we first went to the local market where we could try out different things and where we bought our ingredients for our cooking class. After that we went to a little town just outside Luang Prabang and brought all our ingredients to the kitchen. During the class we made 5 different dishes: Papaya salad, pork from the BBQ, sticky rice, bamboo soup and an aubergine dip for the sticky rice. The cooking was fun because they didn't prepare anything for us so we had to prep and cook everything ourselves and the local chefs helped us in how to cut and cook it in the local way. After the cooking we all went upstairs and enjoyed our own cooked meal with the locals. The cooking class is from 4 pm until 8.30 pm.
Sunrise riverside pool hostel
One of the best rated hostels in Luang Prabang is Sunrise riverside pool hostel. It has a nice and pretty big swimming pool, you can rent a scooter here, you can buy different bus or train tickets to other destinations and they have a laundry service. Besides that the rooms are big and clean and every room has it's own bathroom. There is also a big social area where you can hang out with friends or strangers and you can buy different kind of drinks at the reception. It is more a party/social hostel so be prepared that people are coming back from a party at 2.30 am and sometimes that party can continue in the social area. If you love your sleep maybe this is not the right place or just use earplugs. One night will cost you €6,00 and it is a 10 minute walk to the city centre and the different markets.
