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Region: Southern Laos> Province: Champasak>Location: Champasak

Champasak sights and attractions

Um Tomo - A nice, sleepy site

15km south of Champasak

Description
Um Tomo is a smaller, ruined, Khmer style temple contemporary to Wat Phu situated about 15km south of Champasak close to the bank on the opposite side of the Mekong. There's not that much to see here except for a carving lined walkway, two smaller temple pavilions -- one very ruined and the other only moderately ruined. Nevertheless this is a nice site, in a copse of large trees squeezed between the Mekong and the rice paddies of nearby Ban Nakham Noi.



Opening Hours: Daily 08:30 to 16:30

How to get there: Travel info Boatmen in Champasak will propose this trip to you there and back including waiting time and with a stop off at Ban Wat Luang Khao on the way if you want. The trip takes about 1 hour downstream and 1.5 hours back on a very narrow long tail boat -- so don't move around too much. Try going early or late to avoid the worst of the midday sun during the unsheltered boat trip. You can also reach Um Tomo by motorbike heading south on the main road to Veun Kham for about 11km from the Champasak turnoff. The turnoff is not clearly marked, but ask around, the villagers know where you're heading. Then it's 2 to 3 km of well-packed dirt roads to where there's a sign leading the way. (Note no food or drink is available at Um Tomo).

Wat Phu - A must see

13km from Champasak

Description
Located some 13km from Champasak, UNESCO World Heritage listed Wat Phu is one of the most impressive Khmer temples outside of Cambodia.

While there have been shrines in some form on this site since the 5th century, while the current structure which forms Wat Phu was constructed by Suryavarman II (who was also responsible for the construction of Angkor Wat). The construction has been integrated into the natural landscape in a manner unlike any other Khmer structure, with a natural spring feeding water directly into the complex.

The site draws on an axis from the summit of Phu Kao (the mountain it backs onto) down to the bank of the Mekong and comprises a collection of temples, shrines and waterworks. As with the majority of Khmer temples, Wat Phu is orientated to the east and including its barays the entire complex stretches for over one kilometre from the spring at the base of Phu Kao.

Upon entering the site from the ticket office, you'll pass down what was once a causeway flanked by two barays. After this there are two pavillions, most often referred to as the Men's and the Women's Pavilions -- it's thought that these were worshipping halls -- one for women one for men -- though the verdict isn't in. While the roofs are gone, the buildings themselves remain in fine condition. Behind the Women's Pavillion sits the Nandi Pavillion -- it was from here that the Royal Road once commenced for the long trek to Angkor Wat. Nandi was the mount of the Hindu god Shiva.

After the Nandi Pavillion, the climb gets steeper and the frangipani more dense. Following the climb you'll reach the main complex which was originally devoted to the Hindu god Shiva, but was subsequently transformed into a Buddhist shrine in the 13th-14th century. While the sanctuary roof is long gone, the walls and foundations remain solid. When in working order, water from the spring would run down from the cliff-face via a series of aquaducts into the rear chamber where it bestowed a permanent lustral shower upon the linga. After bathing this centrepiece the water was then piped further along and out to a public point where worshippers could bathe in it.

Beyond this central sanctuary, there's a number of oddities including a crocodile rock and an elephant rock -- both are very popular attractions.

A particularly good time to visit is in April and May when the frangipanis are in full bloom, making the site particularly photogenic.


How to get there: Wat Phu is located 13km southwest of Champasak along a sealed road and takes 15-20 minutes to reach by Tuk tuk. Average sort of visiting time would be two hours so if you are planning on spending the day there, warn your driver beforehand. If you don't want to hire a tuk tuk very occasional buses may pass this way but you may have a long wait. If cycling, the road from Champasak is fairly straight, bumpy and devoid of any shade so don't forget your hat, though there are plenty of shops along the way selling drinks etc.

Morning -- the earlier the better -- is the best time to visit light-wise, whilst in the evening the sun disappears behind the mountain by 5ish.

Don Deng - Oustanding

Just across the river from Champasak

Description
This truly tranquil, beautiful island is located just off the shore of Champasak town, with about 2,000 inhabitants who make their living primarily through agriculture. It's part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that also encompasses Wat Phu and Um Tomo, and it constitutes nothing so much as a living museum, where rural Laotion life proceeds much as it must have done a hundred years ago.

The locals adhere to a very traditional lifestyle, living in wooden Laotian houses on stilts, raising chickens and water buffalo, gathering hay and planting rice. We found it to be one of the most remarkably authentic experiences of Laotian culture available along tourist trail, and well worth a visit. There are a few beautiful wats and some small, pre-Angkorian ruins, but the main attraction is the atmosphere.

It's a new site that is undergoing careful development, with an eye towards preserving the character of the island, while generating some income by attracting tourists. Thus far, the only housing has been a small 'community lodge' with 10 beds in two shared rooms, and home-stays with local families, and only a trickle of tourists have come to pay a visit. The lodge costs 20,000 kip a night, same as a home-stay with a local family, plus about 15,000 kip per meal. The tourist infrastructure here is still a work in progress -- ten bungalows housing two rooms each are being constructed on Ban Bang Sai, including a small swimming pool and restaurant, along a sandy stretch of beach on the Mekong river. Look for rooms to become available around the beginning of 2007, prices to be determined.

In the meantime, you can still visit on a day trip, and a stay in the community lodge or in one of the local homes. It's definitely not a place where you can just show up and find a room -- on our visit, there were no staff at the lodge and no one to talk to on the island itself about booking a room. Booking ahead is all-but essential, either through the Visitor's Center at Champasak or by calling the Provincial Tourism Authority in Pakse at (031) 212 021. Three-day, two-night, English-language tours can also be arranged, including a trip to Wat Phu and Um Tomo.

Be aware that the locals frown upon unmarried men and women sleeping alone in the same room, but since most of the current sleeping arrangements are in common rooms, this shouldn't be too much of a problem -- just be very respectful and accept whatever sleeping arrangements you're given. Highly recommended for a taste of real Laotian life, and given the cautious pace of development as a tourist destination, Don Deng is likely to keep its local flavour for many years to come.


How to get there: Don Deng is only accessible by boat -- ask around at one of the boat piers, either on the Champasak or the Ban Muang side of the river. The price is pretty much fixed at 30,000 kip each way. You can bring a motorcycle to the island (a handful of locals use them as well) but you'll find that buzzing around on a motorized vehicle is completely out of sync with the experience the island has to offer. Rent bicycles in Champasak or at the Community Lodge, or explore by foot. You definitely won't be in a rush to get anywhere! Day trips on boats owned by the locals to Um Tomo depart from the southern tip of the island, prices vary from 20,000 to 50,000 kip each way depending who you deal with.