2 week Laos Itinerary: The Land of a Million Elephants 

Laos, known as the “Land of a Million Elephants” (Lan Xang), carries a deep historical connection to these majestic creatures, dating back to the 14th-century reign of King Fa Ngum. Beyond its rich heritage, the country also bears the influence of French colonial charm, blending old-world traditions with modern growth.

The Mekong River is the heart of Laos, lucious mountains and rice fields line the waterway that runs through the only landlocked country in SE Asia, found nestled between Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The country is now finding its way out of the slumber and into the modern world as more tourists flock to this lesser explored part of the world. 

Below, we dive into the perfect 2-week Laos itinerary. 

Pro Tip! Download the app InDrive in Laos, a local taxi app with low-cost prices offering a convenient way to travel around.

Laos 2-week Itinerary Overview

• Luang Prabang 
• Vang Vieng 
• Vientiane
• Pakse
• Don Det (4000 Islands) 

📍 Where we stayed: Merry Riverside Hotel
🌟 Things to do: Explore the UNESCO town and temples, Kuang Si Falls, Living Land Farm, climb Mount Phousi
🍽️ Favourite restaurants: Bamboo Garden Restaurant, BOUANG Asian Eatery, Khaiphaen

Luang Prabang exudes a French colonial charm, where traditional Lao architecture blends seamlessly with European influences introduced by colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries. These well-preserved structures stand as a testament to the city’s rich history and cultural fusion. Despite its small size, this UNESCO World Heritage City is packed with charm, offering visitors a glimpse into its timeless beauty and vibrant local life.

Three days is enough time to explore the best parts of Luang Prabang. We wrote a full 3-day itinerary on Luang Prabang.

Here are some of the things we recommend to do whilst in Luang Prabang:

• A full day heritage tour that includes the Royal Palace, temples and climbing Phousi Hill. 
• Visit Living Land Farm – Experience learning how to grow rice, a hands-on and fun experience in the most magical surroundings.
• Garden of Eden – We spent a few hours here relaxing by the river Mekong whilst making our own jewellery at a very affordable price!
• UXO Lao Visitor Center – This museum educates visitors on the devastation Laos suffered in the Second Indochina War, and how the unexploded ordnance still impacts people today. 
• Craft your own Aroma Candle in local pottery. 
• Cruise to Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls – Our slow-boat cruise included Pak Ou Caves and we highly recommend it! 
• Cooking class on the Mekong River – We loved our experience, we had a guided tour of the local market in the morning, it was just us that day meaning we had the boat and cooking class to ourselves – the views and atmosphere were worth it alone!

🚍 How to Get There 

• From Thailand: Travel to Luang Prabang by bus, or train (Bangkok via Vientiane) book either option via 12go, water (slow-boat) or air (see below).
  • If you are considering the 2-day slow boat (Chiang Rai > Pak Beng > Luang Prabang) from North Thailand, read about our journey here (factor the time into your journey, we at MSL highly recommend this mesmeric route). 
• From Vietnam: Take a bus from Hanoi direct to Luang Prabang, however this is a 26 hour plus undertaking, if possible fly and avoid the grief (below).  
• From Cambodia: No direct route, it would be best to fly (below) with potential stopovers. 
• Fly: Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ) flights from major cities in the region as well as internal flights.  

📍 Where we stayed: Premier Vang Vieng Hotel
🌟 Things to do: Hot Air Balloon, Blue Lagoons, Kayaking Tours, Hiking 
🍽️ Favourite restaurants: Happy Mango

Vang Vieng is a simple town and a popular route on the backpacking trail, with its many western food options, bars and hostels, it somehow still has a very rustic, local feel to it. The scenery surrounding Vang Vieng is what attracts people most, including the popular blue lagoons.

We preferred the outskirts of Vang Vieng compared to the town itself, however, it was a good place to stopover before our next location. If you prefer to shorten your journey or extend elsewhere, we would recommend skipping Vang Vieng entirely, but otherwise, you will enjoy the serene nature surrounding the town. 

To help craft your itinerary, here are the top things to do in Vang Vieng:

• Enjoy panoramic views of Vang Vieng’s stunning landscapes by hot air balloon. It was a beautiful sight watching the balloons drift over the vast landscape and Vang Vieng is one of the top spots to do this activity throughout South East Asia. 
• Kayaking, Cave Tubing with Zip Line – This was one of our favourite activities during our time in Laos – the kayaking was breathtaking to immerse yourself in nature, the cave tubing is short, but an enjoyable experience, and the zip lines were an adrenaline fueled adventure!
• Blue Lagoon and Countryside Bike Tour
• There are many trail paths throughout Vang Vieng – ranging from moderate to hard, we recommend researching the best options for you. 
• Get a massage at Riverside Boutique Resort – we went here on Valentine’s Day – it was a romantic setting, looking out to nature with river views, and you could see hot air balloons in the sky as the sun was setting – pure bliss!

For dinner, we recommend eating at Happy Mango – we stopped here for lunch and dinner multiple times – we found it to be the best restaurant in town with queues every evening!

🚍 How to Get There 

• If travelling from Luang Prabang or Vientiane, we recommend either the train or bus – we booked our travel via 12go. We took the Laos – China Railway (opened late 2021) which operates trains from Luang Prabang station to Vang Vieng daily. Tickets cost around $10-$20 based on whether you book 1st or 2nd class, depending on the route the journey takes 50-90 minutes. It was a more scenic, comfortable journey compared to taking a bus, and we enjoyed the experience. 

📍 Where we stayed: Tera Hotel
🌟 Things to do: Temple Tours, Buddha Park 
🍽️ Favourite restaurants: PDR Pizza Da Roby

Vientiane is the capital of Laos, although a capital, it was certainly the quietest capital city Nick or I had ever visited! There were no sky-high buildings here, nor busy pedestrian streets or roads. It is a sleepy city, and one that we enjoyed exploring. 

We recommend hiring a bike while in town, it is easy to cycle around, InDrive taxis are readily available as well. 

Here are the top things to do in Vientiane: 

• Visit the best temples in Vientiane including Wat Si Muang, Sisaket Temple, and the grand Buddha Park. We loved cycling to the different temples around town. If you book this tour, it includes all three, as the Buddha Park is far away, we recommend doing a tour to save money, and visit the famous Patuxai monument at the same time. Since we had recently seen the wonderful temples in Sukhothai and Ayyuthaya in Thailand, we decided to skip Buddha Park. 
• Visit the Cope Visitor Centre – It is free entry and well worth a visit to support COPE’s mission to help people with UXO-related disabilities by supporting access to physical rehabilitation services in the Lao PDR. Donations are welcomed here (Especially with the suspension of USaid, as of Feb 2025). 
• Corebeer Brewhouse – If you enjoy a good craft beer like us, we recommend visiting this brewery. It has a fantastic modern environment and offers good food to pair with their well priced craft beer! 

🚍 How to Get There 

• If travelling from Vang Vieng, we recommend either the bus or train. We chose the bus because it drops you directly in the middle of town, whereas the train is a bit far from the centre of town so you’d need to get a taxi. 

📍 Where we stayed: Pakse Hotel & Restaurant 
🌟 Things to do: Explore coffee plantations and waterfalls, walk around the Dao Heuang Market
🍽️ Favourite restaurants: Pakse Hotel & Restaurant Rooftop Bar, Dok Mai Lao

Pakse is a good place to stopover on the way to 4000 Islands (Don Det) and sits along the Mekong River, offering scenic boat rides and views. It is the gateway to Bolaven Plateau, a lush highland region famous for waterfalls, coffee plantations and cooler weather. It is a town known for its French Colonial influence where you will find many charming buildings and Buddhist temples. 

Things to do in Pakse

• Explore Tad Fane & Tad Yuang Waterfalls in the Bolaven Plateau.
• Tad Lo trek and visit a local village
• Visit Wat Phou, an ancient Khmer temple complex.
• Take a trek through Bolaven Plateau
• Try Lao coffee – Pakse is famous for its high-quality beans.
• Walk around the Dao Heuang Market, the biggest market in southern Laos.

🚍 How to Get There 

It takes approximately 10 hours to travel by sleeper bus from Vientiane to Pakse, alternatively, you can fly and it only takes 1-hour. We recommend either flying, or researching a reputable bus company. 

We decided to book a bus via a travel agent in Vientiane, and unfortunately, we were put on a local bus which turned out to be a journey from hell! Lesson learned, do your research and book via a reputable company on 12go! It took us 17 hours to travel to Pakse for what should have been a 10-hour journey, and along the way, we picked up many locals, multiple bags of rice and rode with a bunch of chicken eggs behind our heads! Luckily, 5-hours into the trip, we were put onto the tourist sleeper bus which was much more comfortable (and safe!). 

📍 Where we stayed: Don Det Hotel
🌟 Things to do: Cycle around Don Det and Don Khon, Kayaking 
🍽️ Favourite restaurants: Oi’s Place, Vixay Sunset Restaurant, Mama Leuah Restaurant 

Don Det is the perfect island to relax and enjoy the panoramic views of the River Mekong and the surrounding nature. There is no mass tourism here, nor magnets that say “Don Det” on them to take home (though we did see vests!), which is what makes this place so special. 

Being rural, locals earn their living through the quaint guesthouses, restaurants and tours on offer. We loved this island, it was the perfect place to drink cold Beer Laos and reflect on our Laos adventures. 

With little light pollution, it is the perfect place to look up at the night sky while listening to the Mekong wildlife at night. We stayed at Don Det Hotel, despite being the most luxurious option on the island, it was still reasonably priced. You get riverside views, hammocks to stargaze, good breakfast and a great host. 

Things to do in Don Det

• Cycling: We spent a day cycling around the island, and over the French Colonial Bridge to Don Khon – you can hire cheap bikes at multiple places across town. 
• Khon Phapheng Falls – the biggest waterfall in South East Asia! A beautiful spot to relax over the falls. Most tours including Mr Mo’s include this excursion to the falls.
• Li Phi Waterfalls: Cross the bridge to Don Khon, then cycle for another 10-15 minutes to reach the breathtaking waterfalls. The ride is easy, and the views are absolutely worth it!
• Kayaking– We originally booked a tour with Mr Lek, but curiously ended on Mr Mo’s tour. We recommend booking with Mr Mo, despite the reviews on Google – Mr Lek is somehow connected to Mr Mo, and we had a better experience dealing with Mr Mo who was also slightly cheaper (Feb 2025). 

🚍 How to Get There 

We recommend booking a bus on 12go from Pakse to Don Det – it includes the ferry transfer to the island. It was cheap and a smooth experience for us – the boat is rustic but the views on route to the island are worth the journey! 

Laos is a country that captivates with its natural beauty, rich culture, and laid-back charm. Whether you’re exploring the ancient temples of Luang Prabang, chasing waterfalls in the Bolaven Plateau, or soaking in the sunset over the Mekong River, every moment feels like a step back in time.

We found Laos to offer a slower, more immersive travel experience compared to its neighbouring countries – and the locals are more than happy to offer a warm, hospitable welcome, with its untouched landscapes, it gave us unforgettable memories! 

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