Town center in Pakse.

Taken on: 8th September, 2012. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See Chris.E's page of Flickr

Read more about Pakse

The provincial capital of Pakse is one of the most Thai-like towns in all of Laos, and one that, up until recently, most travellers and backpackers tended to use as a transit point and little else. The tourism infrastructure is less developed than the more popular north, making it a bit harder to explore, but Champasak Province has much to offer -- and Pakse is an ideal base to explore much of it from.

In our opinion this was a mistake -- admittedly, it doesn't measure up to the low-key splendour of Luang Prabang, but nevertheless it has a definite charm, some beautiful wats, and two gorgeous rivers, great for enjoying some eats and drinks by the water side and watching the sun smoulder into the horizon.

But Pakse seems to be making a transition from transit point to staging area -- the Lao Government has put a lot of careful work into cultivating new, ... Read our complete Pakse travel guide

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