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The South
Less visited than the north, the south of Laos has a variety of charms, from the riverine villages and islands of Si Phan Don on the Cambodian border, to the Angkorian temple of Wat Phu and the lofty Bolaven Plateau with its coffee and spice plantations.
Pakse
The main centre and gateway to the south is the city of Pakse. With its international airport (and direct flights to Siem Reap) and the road connection to eastern Thailand, it can even be the first port of call on your journey through Laos. From here the adventurous traveller can head further south to Wat Phu and the 4,000 Islands, or east to the Bolaven Plateau.
Wat Phu Champasak
The ancient Khmer empire of Angkor, at its peak, stretched far beyond the modern national boundaries of Cambodia and southern Laos was once part of that territory, with the most famous of the monuments left from that era being Wat Phu. Although less grand than many of the Angkor temples of Cambodia, Wat Phu makes up for its more diminutive size with its location; draped across the slopes of a hill thought to be shaped like a Shiva Linga. The collection of pavilions, shrines and carvings, in addition to a layout unique in Khmer architecture, lead to Wat Phu being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Sanskrit inscriptions date the site to the 5th century, actually making it significantly older than many of the more famous Angkorian temples, although the structure seen today in fact dates from the late Angkorian period.
Si Phan Don: The 4,000 Islands
Where the Mekong crosses from southern Laos into Cambodia the river widens to encompass an archipelago of islands, where life is laid back and moves to a slower rhythm than the outside world, even by Lao standards! During the wet season the Mekong can spread to a width of 14kms - the widest point on the river's entire journey from the Tibet Plateau to its delta in Vietnam.
Taking a boat trip around these tranquil islands is one of the highlights of a visit to the south; cruising along palm fringed channels, past pretty villages - in places reminiscent of the Keralan Backwaters of south India. The area also has a number of waterfalls, including Khon Phapheng, a powerful set of cascades forming the largest falls in Southeast Asia.
The Bolaven Plateau
Rising to a maximum height of 1,350m to the east of Pakse is the Bolaven Plateau, the home of Laos' coffee production.
Also heavily bombed by the US in the late 1960s the area is still being cleared of UXO (unexploded ordnance), and as this process continues so the plantations grow, with fruit, cardamom and rattan also being cultivated here. The area is home to some impressive cascades as well as an number of interesting Mon-Khmer minority ethnic peoples, including amongst others Laven, Alak, Katu, Ta-Oy and Suay.