Pakse travel guide
River-mouth town for the Bolaven Plateau, Wat Phou and Si Phan Don
The main town of southern Laos, set where the Xe Don meets the Mekong, and the base for the Bolaven Plateau, Wat Phou and Si Phan Don. Come between November and February, when it is dry and the plateau nights are cool. One night in town is plenty; add days for the side trips. Pakse is cheap, and visas are available on arrival or as an e-Visa.
Pakse sits on the point of land where the Xe Don runs into the Mekong, and its name means exactly that: mouth of the river. The French laid it out in 1905, and it later served as seat of the Kingdom of Champasak until 1946. Today it is the largest town in southern Laos and the place almost everyone passes through on the way to the Bolaven Plateau, the Khmer ruins of Wat Phou or the river islands of Si Phan Don.
In town, give it an afternoon. Wat Luang, the largest temple in town, runs a school for monks and is the spot to watch the dawn alms round without the crowds of Luang Prabang. Across the Mekong, the big golden Buddha of Wat Phousalao stands above the Japanese bridge; climb the 300 steps late in the day for the view back over both rivers. Dao Heuang Market on Road 38 is the big open-air market, best early in the day when its food stalls are busiest.
Evenings belong to the riverside road parallel to the Mekong, lined with cheap Lao and Vietnamese places with English menus. Try sin dat, the grill-it-yourself Lao barbecue meant for sharing. Rooms cost noticeably more here than elsewhere in Laos, so book ahead in the dry season.
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Top things to do in Pakse
A couple of temples, a hilltop Buddha and a big market in town, with the best sights a day trip away.
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Best time to visit Pakse
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Under 25 mm of rain a month and highs of 31-34C, the easiest time for the plateau loop and Wat Phou.
Over 400 mm a month in July and August; dirt tracks turn to mud, but the Bolaven waterfalls run at full force.
March and April are the hottest months, with highs around 36C; ride out to the plateau early in the morning and save Wat Phou for the first hours after opening.
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Getting there
PKZ, the Ubon route and two bus stations
Most travellers reach Pakse by air from Vientiane or overland from Thailand. Pakse International Airport, 5 km north-west of the centre, has Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway flights from Vientiane plus seasonal international routes. From Ubon Ratchathani, buses leave at 9:00 and 15:00 and cross the Chong Mek border to Pakse. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis wait for the short hop into town. Fly from Bangkok Don Mueang to Ubon Ratchathani in about an hour, or ride the day or sleeper train from Bangkok in 8 to 12 hours. Domestic buses use two stations on the edge of town, one for northbound routes and one for the south, so tell a tuk-tuk driver your final destination and he will pick the right one.
- Airport to centre
- 5 km, a short tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi ride
- Ubon Ratchathani (UBP)
- Buses to Pakse at 9:00 and 15:00 via the Chong Mek border
- Bus stations
- Northern (Km 7) for Savannakhet and Vientiane, Southern for Si Phan Don
- No scheduled boats run down the Mekong to Si Phan Don; a private charter from the landing near the Xe Don mouth is the only river option, so most people take the bus.
- Savannakhet is about five hours north by local bus.
Where to stay
Route 13, the Mekong road or Champasak town
Stay on Route 13 in central Pakse, between the French bridge over the Xe Don and the roundabout, where most hotels and guesthouses cluster, or a block or two into the side streets. Rooms cost more here than almost anywhere else in Laos, so book ahead from November to February.
- Route 13 centre
- Tour desks, scooter hire and bus pick-ups on the doorstep; traffic noise from the main road
- Mekong riverside road
- Quieter rooms five minutes from the main street, beside the cheap restaurant strip
- Side streets off Route 13
- Smaller guesthouses away from the trucks; quality varies, so look first
- Champasak town
- A better base than Pakse if Wat Phou is the main goal; fewer places to eat
Getting around
Tuk-tuk ranks by the wet market, scooters for Paksong
Walk around downtown Pakse and hire wheels for everything else. The blocks between Route 13 and the Mekong are easy on foot, tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis wait east of the bridge and around the wet market, and rented scooters are how most people ride the Bolaven Plateau loop through Paksong. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis gather on the main road east of the bridge heading to the airport and in the blocks around the wet market; agree the fare first. For anything further, travel agencies, guesthouses and some hotels rent scooters and bigger motorbikes, and this is how most people ride the Bolaven Plateau loop through Paksong. Be careful where you buy bus tickets: an agency on Road 12 that changes its name often has sold seats on buses that never existed.
- Tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi
- Ranks east of the bridge and around the wet market
- Scooter or motorbike hire
- From agencies and guesthouses; the usual way to ride the Bolaven loop
- Book onward buses through your guesthouse or at the station, not through a street agency.
Know before you go
What makes Pakse worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Sunset from Wat Phousalao, after the 300-step climb, with both rivers below.
- Riding out to Paksong on the Bolaven Plateau, past coffee farms and waterfalls.
- Wat Phou near Champasak, the UNESCO-listed Khmer temple on its mountain slope.
Good to know
- Check bus tickets carefully. One agency on Road 12 has been reported selling seats on buses that do not exist; buy from your guesthouse or the station.
- Cheap rooms can have bedbugs. Read recent reviews before booking the lowest-priced guesthouses.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Pakse, month by month
April is the hottest month in Pakse, with highs around 36°C, and almost no rain falls from November to February. The monsoon peaks in August at roughly 444 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Pakse (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
Pakse from Wat Luang's dawn alms round to sunset at Wat Phousalao
Two days are enough for Pakse. Spend the first in town, from the dawn alms round at Wat Luang and the stalls of Dao Heuang Market to the 300 steps of Wat Phousalao at sunset. Use the second for a trip to Wat Phou near Champasak or the coffee farms and waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau.
Start the first day at Wat Luang around dawn, when monks walk out to collect alms, then head to Dao Heuang Market on Road 38 while its food stalls are in full swing. On a weekday, the Champasak Historical Heritage Museum on Route 13 makes a good primer on local archaeology before Wat Phou; it shuts between 11.30 and 1.30. After lunch, take a tuk-tuk out to Ban Keosamphanh, a former French army camp among green rice fields with the oldest market in Pakse, or visit Wat Phabad, the oldest temple, said to hold a footprint of the Buddha. Finish at Wat Phousalao, climbing the 300 steps to the big Buddha above the Japanese bridge as the sun sets over the two rivers.
Use the second day to get out of town. Wat Phou, the UNESCO-listed Khmer temple near Champasak, is the classic day trip, though a night in Champasak town puts you at the ruins before the heat builds. The Bolaven Plateau deserves a scooter and two or three days, with coffee farms around Paksong and waterfalls to swim beneath. When you are ready for the river islands, the minibus to Ban Nakasang and the boat across to Don Det take most of a morning.
Mekong riverside restaurants in Pakse and how sin dat works
Eat on the road beside the Mekong, five minutes from the main street, where more than 50 cheap restaurants serve Lao and Vietnamese food with English menus. Order sin dat, the tabletop grill with a ring of broth, at least once, and go to Dao Heuang Market for breakfast and snacks.
Order sin dat at least once. A domed grill sits in the middle of the table: meat sizzles on top while a ring of broth around the rim cooks vegetables and noodles. Dornsokdee, on Route 13 opposite the museum, specialises in it, and because one set feeds two or more it suits groups.
Cafe Sinouk on Road 11, near the Champasak Shopping Centre, does frappés and cakes with free wifi, and
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How we research our Pakse travel guide
Bus times, the Chong Mek border and the Laos e-Visa rules shift more often than the temples do, so we recheck those first, using the official Laos e-Visa portal, UNESCO and the Wikipedia entry for Pakse.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Pakse.
Getting there
About 5 km. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis meet arrivals for the short ride into the centre; agree the fare before you set off.
No, Km 7 is the northern station for Savannakhet and Vientiane. Southbound buses use the southern station, and a tuk-tuk driver will take you to the right one.
Most travellers reach Pakse by air from Vientiane or overland from Thailand. Pakse International Airport, 5 km north-west of the centre, has Lao Airlines and Lao Skyway flights from Vientiane plus seasonal international routes. From Ubon Ratchathani, buses leave at 9:00 and 15:00 and cross the Chong Mek border to Pakse.
General
Lao Airlines has scheduled both, alongside Guangzhou and domestic flights from Vientiane and Luang Prabang, but international services here change often, so check the current timetable first.
Chong Mek. Through buses leave Ubon at 9:00 and 15:00, and a Lao visa can be bought at the border.
Not on a schedule. Groups sometimes charter one from the landing by the Xe Don mouth, but the road to Ban Nakasang is far quicker.
Usually, yes. A single evening covers Wat Luang and Wat Phousalao; save your days for the plateau and Wat Phou.
Allow a full day out and back, since the temple climbs a mountain slope and the midday sun is fierce. Sleeping one night near the site lets you start at opening time instead.
April highs average about 36C and March about 35C. November to February is drier and easier, with highs of 31 to 34C.
At Wat Luang, the largest temple in town and home to a school for monks, early in the morning.
Walk around downtown Pakse and hire wheels for everything else. The blocks between Route 13 and the Mekong are easy on foot, tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis wait east of the bridge and around the wet market, and rented scooters are how most people ride the Bolaven Plateau loop through Paksong. Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis gather on the main road east of the bridge heading to the airport and in the blocks around the wet market; agree the fare first.
Stay & facilities
Dornsokdee on Route 13, opposite the heritage museum. Bring at least one companion, as a single set is sized for sharing.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Pakse is Nov to Feb. Dry roads for motorbike loops and cool nights up on the Bolaven Plateau.
- Best overall: November - February (Under 25 mm of rain a month and highs of 31-34C, the easiest time for the plateau loop and Wat Phou)
- Rainy season: May - October (Over 400 mm a month in July and August; dirt tracks turn to mud, but the Bolaven waterfalls run at full force)
Visa & documents
Most visitors need a visa, available on arrival at international airports and main land borders or as an e-Visa online. Citizens of some countries, including several ASEAN states, are visa-exempt. All arrivals complete the Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF).
Health & safety
Laos is generally safe. Unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War remains in rural areas, and some governments advise against non-essential travel to Xaisomboun Province.
