Pakse Tours

Pakse (Pakxe) is the capital city of Champasak province of Southern Laos, and the 2nd most populous in the country, serving as a major transport and commerce hub for southern Laos. If you plan to go to the Bolaven Plateau, Wat Phou, Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands), the Xe Pian National Protected Area, or Lao Ngam and Tadlo in neighboring Salavan province. Pakse is an ideal base with its relaxing atmosphere on the Mekong and Sedone Rivers, friendly locals, ubiquitous riverside restaurants and bars, and numerous massage clinics.

Do

Pakse is a good base for travel to the Bolaven Plateau where coffee fields and waterfalls galore await, the idyllic river islands of Si Phan Don, also known as 4,000 Islands, eco-tours, trekking and village stays in Sepian National Protected Area, the Angkor temple complex Wat Phou, and to the indigenous villages and waterfalls of the Tad Lo area of Lao Ngam district, Salavan province. Wat Phou is a designated UNESCO site and is Laos’s counterpart to Angkor Wat/Angkor Thom: its the finest of its type outside Cambodia.

It’s possible to organize a day trip to Wat Phou near Champasak, where you can also stay easily.

Rent a motorbike and head east toward Pak Song (Paxxong). The ride is pretty, and there are heaps of waterfalls to stop by near Pak Song. The Champasak Provincial Tourism Department puts out a nice few nice brochures including one on the Bolaven Plateau that details these including Tad Fane, Tad Champee, Tad Ueang, and Tad Pha Suam. Admission tends to be the same at every place: 5,000 kip per person and 5,000 kip for a bike. (prices from december 2019)

One waterfall not mentioned in Tad Sae, which is located off of Route 13 at a fairly large T-junction with a bunch of fruit sellers lining the road. Not as large as some of the others, it nonetheless offers a beautiful place to stop and eat or hang out for a while. (Note that if you search for Tad Sae on the Internet you will be directed to the one near Luang Prabang which is not the same one here.)

These are several Internet cafés on the corner of the main street. They charge around 6,000 kip per hour. The smart new Tour Lao Café on the southern end of the market plaza has WiFi.

Bowling (Currently Closed)

As in Vientiane, there is also a proper bowling alley located in town. A 15- to 20-minute walk away from the centre or a short tuk-tuk ride away head down the main road and turn right toward the big white building in the distance. It is not far away from the river, so if you are over there already you can walk along there to find it. Be warned, though, that if you want a ride home you should negotiate a tuk-tuk to stay since you won’t find many patroling there, especially later in the evening.

Massage

Pakse is a great place to get massage as there are a variety of places. Most of the massage places are aggregated just south of road 13 near the shopping mall.

Style Massage. Style is pretty run down but one of the few places in town that explicitly offers head neck and shoulders. There's often a girl with a pink shirt out front. They do not wash your feet before traditional massage as most places in town do. 35,000/hr traditional 50,000/hr head neck and shoulders.

Thanida Spa. Thanida massage has pretty good ambiance but pretty weak masseuses. Expect texting and even phone conversations during your massage. Also expect soy milk, a funny tea, and a cold moist towel post-massage. 35,000/hr traditional.

Dok Champa. Dok Champa is on the official Laos tourist authority map so it's easy to find. They have great ambiance and are very professional. You can choose a masseuse or masseur and they explicitly state no sex massage. This place actually seems to provide decent training for their staff so arrive with good expectations and you won't be disappointed. For deep-tissue ask for a masseur. 40,000/hr traditional 50,000/hr foot and head neck and shoulders.

Keo Oudone. This place is a bit off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. It's located about 100 meters off of Road No. 38, on the same road that leads to a golf course. 50,000/hr traditional and 20,000 Kip to use their traditional sauna.

Tours

Green Discovery Laos is Laos' pioneer in Adventure Travel and Ecotourism since 2000. They offer far more than 100 unique tour programs all around the country, involving trekking, kayaking/rafting, cycling and rock climbing.

Enjoying the Mekong

There are several riverside restaurants/pubs, many playing live music in the evenings, lining the Mekong River that many visitors to Pakse unfortunately don't visit.

Boat Race Festival. during end of wet season (end of October). Forget about sight seeing or peacefully walking through town when you happen to come to Pakse during the three days of this festival. Big paddling boats race on the Xe Don river and the city is overloaded with people, faireground stalls with huge (and annoyingly loud) speakers, smaller stalls selling a variety of food and clothing and some selling ridiculous stuff like trucks or machetes. Gambling seems to be legit even for children during these crazy days; keep an eye out for the small tables with different ways to lose your money. You can shoot air rifles at 'local' prices like bottles of fish sauce or try to figure out by what rules the fight and drum contests are scored. If you can stand the weather, there will be no reason to go elsewhere

 

Cycling to one of the most scenic outposts - Wat Phou Salao. Start at Résidence Sisouk and ride to the Daoheuang market. Cross the Japanese bridge that spans the Mekong for 1,380 metres and turn left after about 400 metres. After a small incline you will arrive at the parking and food stall area. Here you can either park your bicycle and take the stairs all the way up to the big golden Buddha and Wat Phou Salao (first half on concrete stairs, second half on wooden stairs that are in bad condition) or continue to the right on a concrete road. If you decide to take the road, the ride is relatively long as you go around the back of the mountain. After some steep uphill biking (gradient of 12-15%) the road takes you another 1.5km on the flat, back towards the front of the mountain. After a big right bend, your reward is a stunning panoramic view from the big golden Buddha looking over Pakse, the Mekong River, and the Bolaven Plateau in the distance. Continue to Wat Phou Salao where you can take a rest and get a drink from the small shop before you return back the same way. You can later stop to explore the Daoheuang market or go for a buffet-lunch at the Champasak Grand Hotel, which is located on your right after the bridge. Best time After sunrise or late afternoon before sunset. Distance 22km (or 12km by bicycle if combined with walking), 125m elevation gain (up to 12-15% gradient)/ 2 to 3 hours. Type of bicycle City bike, mountain bike if you ride uphill.