Welcome to Travelfish, original Asia travel intelligence you can trust.
Username: Password: | Join
 

Champasak




























 
 

Champasak

Travel guide

Quicklinks
 » Orientation
 » Accommodation
 » Food & Drink
 » Sights & attractions
 » Getting there & away
 » Buy a PDF travel guide!

On the western bank of the slow-flowing Mekong River, some 40km south of Pakse, sits the quaint riverside town of Champasak. A modest place, Champasak is popular with backpackers who are either visiting Wat Phu or who have been attracted by the generally very relaxed pace of life. Without the hustle and bustle of Pakse and certainly without the crowds of Don Dhet and Don Khon, Champasak retains the best of both worlds, all well-wrapped-up in a blanket of traditional Lao hospitality.

The Khmer-period ruins of Wat Phu, some eight kilometres to the southwest of "town", were granted their UNESCO World Heritage status in 2001, but aside from a large carpark, a semi-modern looking administrative centre and a museum, the ruins are largely as they've been for centuries.

Well worn and heavily weathered, this is the most important Khmer site in Laos. An attractive but rather small affair, what Wat Phu lacks in size and grandeur it more than makes up for with charm and atmosphere. Overshadowed by Phu Pasak and littered with frangipani, Wat Phu's somewhat rambling almost teetering appearance belay it's importance. The site predates many of the finds in Angkor and Thailand and if you're lucky enough to have an uncrowded early morning or late afternoon to yourself the whole place has a bit of a lost city feel to it.


 
















The ruins draw a steady crowd of day-trippers from Pakse and further afield -- you can even do a day trip from Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand if you'd like -- but, with its handful of colonial mansions, typical Chinese shopfronts and pretty wooden houses try to allow for at least an overnight stay if time allows.

Even in high season, this is a sleepy place. Along the solitary main road water buffaloes and wandering geese are more common sights than cars and buses, and the riverfront, with its smattering of small restaurants and hammock-strewn cafes creates an ideal getaway from the midday heat.

Although some skip here, opting to head straight from Pakse to Si Phan Don, for those with a spare day or two, this is a great little hideaway in its own right, with a charming atmosphere that leads many a visitor to linger far longer than they planned.

Text and/or map last updated on 10th August, 2009.

More information


Maps
  Champasak


Considering a tour to Laos?



Add to scrapbook

 

    Get orientated with our interactive map of Champasak, Laos


    Check and uncheck the boxes below to show and hide the various icons on the map above and use the sliding bar at the left side of the map to zoom in and out. Have fun!
    Accommodation:    Restaurants:    Bars:    Attractions:    Transport:    Orientation:    Post & phone:    Banking:    Medical:    Other:
  

   Vision: Photos of Champasak

Click on any image below to be taken to see a larger version of the photo and to browse our Champasak photo gallery.

Viking Temple Schroedinger's Cats Golden Crest of Frangipani Elephant Lantern Purple Water Lilly Water Lilly Baby Coconut Mekong Sunset Sunset Fishing
Laotian City Scene Who needs Carlsberg if he has Beerlao? Fruits at the Night Market Red! Blue and red Reflections Sunset over Lao-Nippon Bridge Elephant Knobs The Sky over Pakse The Hotel of 1,000,000 Elephants Arrived...finally!!

You can add your own photos to this by joining the Travelfish Group on Flickr. Please click here more information.

 

  Search for accommodation


Search for guesthouses & hotels
where in Laos?

Sort results by:
Travelfish ranking (best first)
Price (cheapest first)
Name (A-Z)
Show only properties bookable online


 

Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to Champasak. You can find the full forum here.

Topic Replies  Views 
boats from Champasak to Don Khong? 
In Laos: by Pjotra, last reply by Pjotra
2 627
Boat from Pakse to Champasak 
In Laos: by dclayw, last reply by Tilapia
5 1437
Champasak to Don Dhet by Boat 
In Laos: by angfonz, last reply by Tilapia
4 994
Getting to Wat Phu (Champasak) 
In Laos: by Intrepid82, last reply by CunningMcFar
3 1104
PAKSE WARNING - Champasak Games means NO ROOMS!! 
In Laos: by Digitalis, last reply by somsai
2 1723
from Pakse to Champasak, Champasak to Don Khon ? 
In Laos: by gromi1705, last reply by scomoore1
2 1320
boats from pakse to champasak 
In Laos: by kobnoi, last reply by rayc101
5 1758
What's the best way to enter the south, Champasak, from Bangkok? 
In Laos: by bigfatcuban, last reply by somtam2000
13 1256
Travelfish Guide to Champasak added 
In Laos: by somtam2000, last reply by somtam2000
2 1085
Champasak to Don Det 
In Laos: by sugarplum, last reply by somtam2000
1 1100

Champasak reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

You Can't Get There from Here!
By exacto (dabbler - 13 reviews)
Written on 19th February, 2010 after a visit to Champasak in January, 2010

There really, really isn't much going on in Champasak proper. It's not much more than a wide spot on the river, but for folks seeking a relaxing place to get away from it all, this is a great spot. The river is wide and slow moving here, and the location on the west bank makes for amazing sunrises. That, combined with lots of smiling faces and children waving hello makes for a pleasant getaway. Be sure to bring a book or two with you, since Asia Books hasn't exactly opened a Champasak branch yet.

For such a small place, Champasak has a good range of accommodation and quite a few good spots to eat too, most with river views. There is no ATM in town, but there is a branch of the Lao Development Bank for currency exchange, although their M-F 0830 to 1530 hours are a bit limited. There were two internet cafes as of January 2010, both charging 200 kip per minute. The one to the north of the ferry pier (technically in Pha Pin) is on the second floor of the secondary school and is open from 8 am to 8 pm. The other is in the southern end of town, well past the Vong Paseut Guesthouse. It is open from 7 am to 6 pm or so, and also sells homemades bread and makes excellent coffee. There is a post office just north of the traffic circle in the center of town.

It isn't impossible to get to Champasak, but it isn't easy either. If there are enough people asking, travel agents in Pakse will arrange a boat trip from Pakse to Champasak for 70,000 kip or so per person. Otherwise, a bus heading south from Pakse or north from the 4,000 islands area will drop you off across the river, where a ferry will take you over to the Champasak side for 10,000 kip or so. From there it is another 2 to 4 km walk to the guesthouses, depending on which one you choose. Getting away is also somewhat iffy, with most guesthouses able to book you on a daily bus departure (typically 50,000 kip to Pakse, for example, or onward to 4K islands) or a boat heading upriver to Pakse (60K per person) if there are enough passengers. Ask around, since different guesthouses advertise significantly different departure times.

Apart from finding a romantic spot to relax, most people come to Champasak to visit Wat Phu. It's a short 8 km by car or a long 8 km by bicycle from the center of town to the temple gates, with the mostly flat road passing through several Lao villages along the way.

Whether the trip to Wat Phu is worth it or not will definitely depend on how much you are into this kind of stuff. Those with only a passing interest and who have already been to Angkor Wat may be disappointed, particularly as the site is small and not all that restored. But those who very much enjoy the temples and ruins of the Angkor era will likely be delighted, and even feel a bit like they are discovering this hidden treasure just as it is being plucked from the jungle.

Admission is 30,000 kip, plus a 10,000 kip overtime fee if you arrive before the normal opening hours of 0830. If at all possible, it is definitely worth it to arrive as close to daybreak as possible and pay the small additional overtime fee. This is because the site is on an east-west axis, and the sun will rise directly behind you as you climb the steps to the top of the temple, making for dramatic lighting and views. Arriving early is also a matter of logistics, meaning that you'll be hiking during the relative cool of the morning, and that you'll have time to yourself before the crowds, vendors, and restoration work, which all start at around 0830, cause the place to transition from an ancient temple into a tourist attraction.

There is a small museum near the entrance which is included in the price of your admission ticket, and several food stalls and restaurants near the entrance or on the grounds. Even so, be sure to take water with you for the climb up the hillside to the top of the temple, particularly if you arrive before the vendors set up shop in the morning. The steps up the mountain are quite steep, so keep that in mind, since you'll need to do that climb to make the visit worthwhile.

Finally, if Wat Phu isn't worth a 2-day side trip to Champasak for you, there are day trips available from Pakse. Considering the amount of time money it takes just to get to and from Champasak, these day trip tours are a pretty good value for those with a casual interest in the temple.
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
  Eat & drink
  Traveller's scene
  Romance
  Value for money
  I'll be back (or not)
Also reviewed by exacto: Chiang Mai, Kamphaeng Phet, Ko Maak, Lopburi, Mukdahan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nong Khai, Pakse, Phitsanulok, Savannakhet,
Southern Vibe
By chaos23 (dabbler - 6 reviews)
Written on 13th June, 2009 after a visit to Champasak in November, 2008

I stopped in Champasak to see my favourite piece of culture the magnificent Khmer Temple at Wat Phu. Besides that, there's not much to Champasak. But if you look, you'll find the old house of the French governor and so on ... history is everywhere in Laos! The town has a really nice and relaxed atmosphere, and you'll meet travellers heading both south and north that you can share your stories with -- don't miss the alms giving in the morning ...
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
  Eat & drink
  Traveller's scene
  Romance
  Value for money
  I'll be back (or not)
Also reviewed by chaos23: Don Dhet, Ko Tao, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Vientiane,

Have your say

You need to be logged in to add a review.
Username: Password:
Not a member? you can join here.

Review title

Snappiness encouraged ;-)

When did you visit here?

This gives your review a bit of context - especially if you were last in Champasak in 1932.

Your review

(Remotely sensible, non-ranting comments are much appreciated. If you don't like somewhere, please explain why -- it's all far more helpful for others that way.) Serial ranters, loons and spammers will be banished!
And please, no self-promotional URLs -- that's what your signature field is for.


So how does it rate?
On a scale of one to ten (with 10 being outstanding and 1 being bloody awful) how would you rate Champasak for the following criteria?

Note: Ratings are OUT OF TEN -- not five!

Sights & activities:  
History & culture:  
Scenery & environment:  
Eat & drink:  
        
Traveller scene:  
Romance:  
Value for money:  
I'll be back (or not):  

Please note comments are edited for clarity, typos and style before they appear. Ranting tirades, spam and anything else that really belongs somewhere else won't make the cut. If you want to rant, go to Thorntree.

Please login and refresh this screen before writing your review -- thanks!




 

The bottom line

This site was constructed out of 100% recycled electrons -- if you don't, you should recycle too!
All material copyright Travelfish Pty Ltd ACN 107 758 985 -- please don't steal our content
Thailand FAQ | Cambodia FAQ | Travel related links | Jobs with Travelfish | Press
For ZoneAlarm Users | Contact Travelfish | Privacy statement | About us
Advertise with Travelfish | How do I get my business listed on Travelfish?
Yahoo! FareChase
Last updated pretty recently ;-)
There are 207 visitors online, KirstyB, Boomtown, and your boss!
Travelfish | Blog | Fourelephants | AsiaNewsDesk | BangkokMetro | Affiliates