Laos201450 photographs

Laos

A photographic journey through Laos along the Mekong, from Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars to the islands in the south.

The landlocked country of Laos may be less familiar to some travellers, yet compared with its busier neighbours it offers a wealth of breathtaking places and encounters with local people whose daily lives remain largely untouched by mass tourism.

After crossing the Thai–Lao border, we spent two days travelling down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, the country’s former and remarkably beautiful capital. From there we continued to Phonsavan and the mysterious Plain of Jars, then through lively Vang Vieng and the present-day capital, Vientiane, before heading south. Passing Savannakhet and Pakse, we reached the Four Thousand Islands and eventually left Laos on foot across the border into Cambodia.

01 — Travel photography · Places

Laos in pictures

50photographs in the gallery

A young shop assistant standing beside a refrigerator in a small shop in Laos — **Shop assistant by the refrigerator**
Luang Prabang

A boat arriving in Luang Prabang on the Mekong River — **Arrival in Luang Prabang**
Luang Prabang

Motorbikes and tuk-tuks in the streets of Luang Prabang — **Street traffic in Luang Prabang**
Luang Prabang

The path leading up Mount Phousi in Luang Prabang — **On the way to Mount Phousi**
Luang Prabang

Gilded Buddhist statues in a temple in Luang Prabang — **Gilded Buddhist statues**
Luang Prabang

View from Mount Phousi across the rooftops of Luang Prabang and the surrounding landscape — **Luang Prabang from Mount Phousi**
Luang Prabang

Haw Pha Bang temple in the Royal Palace grounds in Luang Prabang — **Haw Pha Bang**
Luang Prabang

Detail of a tiered Buddhist temple roof in Luang Prabang — **Temple roof architecture**
Luang Prabang

Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang — **Wat Xieng Thong**
Luang Prabang

The main Kuang Si waterfall plunging into a turquoise pool — **Kuang Si Waterfall**
Kuang Si

Turquoise water flowing over the travertine cascades at Kuang Si — **Water cascade**
Kuang Si

The lower section of Kuang Si Waterfall surrounded by tropical forest — **Lower Kuang Si Waterfall**
Kuang Si

Travertine terraces and turquoise pools at Kuang Si Waterfall — **Kuang Si travertine waterfalls**
Kuang Si

Buddha statues inside the Pak Ou caves above the Mekong — **Pak Ou caves**
Pak Ou

A longboat cruising the Mekong River between green hills — **Cruising the Mekong**
Mekong

Remnants of Vietnam War ordnance displayed near Phonsavan — **Remnants of the Vietnam War**
Phonsavan

Metal bomb casings recovered around Phonsavan — **What fell from the sky**
Phonsavan

Ancient stone vessels scattered across the Plain of Jars — **Plain of Jars**
Plain of Jars

Daily life beside a rural road in the Lao countryside — **Simply Laos**
Xiangkhouang Province

A traditional rural house in Xiangkhouang Province — **Traditional Lao house**
Xiangkhouang Province

Smaller stone vessels at the Plain of Jars archaeological site — **Little jars**
Plain of Jars

An artisan making cutlery from aluminium war scrap — **Making cutlery from shrapnel**
Ban Napia

A tilted stone vessel on the Plain of Jars — **A tipped jar**
Plain of Jars

The Plain of Jars with ancient stone vessels across a grassy landscape — **Plain of Jars**
Plain of Jars

A Lao farmer working in the countryside of Xiangkhouang Province — **Local farmer**
Xiangkhouang Province

Green mountain landscape in Xiangkhouang Province — **Lao landscape**
Xiangkhouang Province

A heavily loaded motorbike carrying goods along a Lao road — **Angry Birds logistics**
Xiangkhouang Province

A colourfully customised local vehicle on a Lao road — **Lao custom styling**
Xiangkhouang Province

A socialist monument depicting soldiers in Phonsavan — **Comrades in arms**
Phonsavan

Limestone karst hills surrounding Vang Vieng — **Hills around Vang Vieng**
Vang Vieng

The rocky interior of Phu Kham Cave near Vang Vieng — **Phu Kham Cave**
Vang Vieng

Children drinking from an outdoor water point in a Lao village — **Drinking water for the children**
Vang Vieng

Preparing a hot-air balloon before a flight over Vang Vieng — **Preparing for a balloon flight**
Vang Vieng

The Vang Vieng valley surrounded by limestone mountains — **Vang Vieng valley**
Vang Vieng

Aerial view from a balloon over Vang Vieng and the surrounding karst mountains — **Vang Vieng from a balloon**
Vang Vieng

Fishing boats on the Nam Song River photographed from a balloon — **Fishing boats from above**
Vang Vieng

A hot-air balloon flying over the Vang Vieng landscape — **Hot-air balloon flight**
Vang Vieng

A surreal concrete statue in Buddha Park near Vientiane — **Surreal statue**
Buddha Park

Monumental reclining Buddha statue in Xieng Khuan park — **Reclining Buddha**
Buddha Park

Concrete Buddhist and Hindu statues in Xieng Khuan Buddha Park — **Buddha Park – Xieng Khuan**
Buddha Park

Two Buddha statues among the sculptures in Buddha Park — **Two Buddhas in Buddha Park**
Buddha Park

A street lined with colonial-era buildings in central Savannakhet — **Savannakhet**
Savannakhet

An abandoned place near Savannakhet resembling a post-apocalyptic scene — **Fallout scene**
Savannakhet

Orange sunset over rice fields in southern Laos — **Sunset over the rice fields**
Southern Laos

Handmade sandals woven from bamboo — **Bamboo sandals**
Southern Laos

A woman cycling quickly along a rural road in Laos — **Speedy cyclist**
Southern Laos

Sunset over the Mekong River from Don Det island — **Sunset on Don Det island**
Don Det

Traditional and modern forms of transport side by side in southern Laos — **Traditional and modern transport**
Four Thousand Islands

A group of workers travelling together to work in southern Laos — **Workers on their way to work**
Four Thousand Islands

Buddhist monks travelling together along a road in southern Laos — **Monks on their way to work**
Four Thousand Islands

Travel / Photography

Laos in numbers

Days

780

Total RAW photos

15.1 GB

Archive size