Location: Luang Prabang
Top Things to do in Luang Prabang
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The 10 Best Nature & Parks in Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang Province
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the former capital of Laos, and you'll see everything from golden-roofed temples to vestiges of colonial French architecture here. Buddhist monasteries abound in Luang Prabang, and early every morning, monks process through the streets collecting alms (their food for the day). If you want to watch or participate, though, ask your hotel for a brief etiquette lesson first—you have to distribute the food in a specific manner.
Restaurants in Luang Prabang
1. Green Jungle Park@Hoi Khua Waterfall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 80 reviews
Nature and park. Garden with more than 1,500 species of flower. Buffalo and a pair of ostrich are onsite and guests can feed them. Picnic huts are provided for groups or family. Adventure activities include zip lining, trekking and multiple rope courses. Accommodation in Luxury Camp@Green Jungle Park is open for booking. Perfect for company or school team building program.
Reviewed By globetrottinggran
A great way to spend a day with lots of walkways, play areas for children, refreshment stops, a lovely flower garden and a “go ape” for the adrenalin junkies.
2. MandaLao Elephant Conservation
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 498 reviews
We are Luang Prabang's first and only non-riding elephant experience. Please join us for an unforgettable trip that will not only benefit the well being of our elephants but be a highlight to any Southeast Asian adventure.
Reviewed By SophieB179 - Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Sorry to be a bit eco Nazi about things but if you want to ride elephants or have animals take part in your tourism experience in any way - change your mind set. Mandalao are leading the way in Laos in showing that this is how tourism must become. I have read reviews saying but the elephants aren’t free, it’s still cruel. You know what, yes it is that anything has to be kept safely away from humans who want to exploit them in logging industries or other areas. These elephants are kept safe though and that my friends, is a start. For them to be free in the world in 2019 is a death sentence. Rant over. You are taken to the centre from your hotel and met by the owner who gives you a very informative talk about the site and elephant conservation in general. Then you are given bowls of food to make balls of to give the elephants, it’s things like baby banana, sticky rice and tamarind and lots of sea salt. You make the balls then go over on a boat and meet your elephants and mahouts. The elephants eat from your hands and then accompany you on a stroll through the jungle. They stop and mooch around, ours demolished a tree whilst we were there, showing off their strength as they reached for their favourite leaves higher up in the trees. We hugged their trunks and had photos, could touch them and stand with them, sense their individual personalities and get a real sense of the power these animals hold. They are very calm to be around and I was certainly filled with awe from beginning to end. The mahouts are local men employed by the centre. They do not whip or hurt the elephants at all, but they do have a stick of bamboo with them that they gently guide them with. They know people do not want to see cruelty and I was super alert for it but saw absolutely none, the men were to be commended. But to go back to my original point, compared to the life the elephants had before on logging plantations where they were poorly fed, overworked and abused to the life they have now, seeing a man with a stick to guide an elephant to walk with humans is a lot less harsh to accept then the alternative. I have no qualms in saying these elephants were happy, well fed and looked after, and safe. If you are an eco or ethically minded tourist this place is for you. If you’re not - become one! ????
3. Crazy Golf Luang Prabang
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 23 reviews
Mini-golf with 13 holes in beautiful garden with free playground and free snooker table. Located on the grounds of ABC preschool, behind the school building.
Reviewed By 679jimmyj - Wirral, United Kingdom
Visited for a game of mini golf and beer. Really good spot to chill out, Ian greeted us at the door and made us feel welcome straight away. Great afternoon spent here drink beerlao and great conversation with Ian. And the Belgium chips aren't bad! Recommend this place to everyone who visits Luang Prabang
4. Kuang Si Falls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11,068 reviews
Reviewed By itskathyhere
If you're in Luang Prabang, you can't miss this site. This is the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen, and you can climb up to the top of the waterfall, and take a short bamboo raft ride to the source of the waterfall (it's an underground cave). The only thing to note is near the top of the waterfall, there are signs for a cave, which we followed for a while. I think it's about a 2 mile hike to the cave, which is further than we anticipated, and we decided to turnaround half way through since we didn't have the time to keep exploring. If you're tight for time, enjoy your time at the waterfall and don't get distracted by the cave signs!
5. Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 985 reviews
Welcome to the Kuang si Falls ButterflyPark Just 300 meters before parking Kuang si Falls Hundreds of Laotian butterflies in a beautiful landscaped garden, natural fish spa included.
Reviewed By seulgison - Munich, Germany
We were surprised that there weren't many visitors when we visited, because this place was seriously great! They give you a booklet that will outline the tour of the butterfly sanctuary, which will take you around the falls and into the butterfly house, to the natural fish spa (there are seats for you to sit and experience this!) and a cute cafe at the end of the tour. We suggest getting the coffee + cake bundle at the beginning when you buy your ticket because they were both so good. There are also seats at the cafe where you can sit down and dip your feet in another pool. You can also feed the fish there too because there was a bowl full of fish food, which was fun to throw and watch. We really enjoyed our time at the butterfly sanctuary!!
6. The Playground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
The Playground is now part of the "Crazy Golf Luang Prabang" and located on the grounds of International ABC Pre-School. It's open for public, everyday from 10am till 8pm. There's a huge trampoline, various slides & swings, a carrousel, a sandbox, a seesaw, wooden play huts etc and the whole compound is safely fenced and covered by grass. We serve food and beverages as well and we'd be happy to cater for your parties. It's perfect for children parties of course; parents can relax or play Snooker, while children are having fun. Income is 10.000 Kip per child, but free when the children play mini-golf as well. Easy to find us on Google maps. Welcome.
Reviewed By mafjrcall - Papa, Hungary
Ian approached us on the street one evening invited us to bring our kids to The Playground. We decided to give it a go on Christmas. We spent an hour there with our 7-year-old and 5-year-old children. The Playground is the size of a large backyard and once was a banana plantation. It's a beautiful, peaceful place where the kids can play. There is a slide, a see-saw, a merry-go-round, and minigolf holes with obstacles. We didn't use them, but in front is a trampoline available for use for 5,000 kip and a pool table for free. Additionally, there is a bar and tables to sit at. It was a great chance for our children to run around after many days of sightseeing and to meet another child who was playing there when we arrived. We paid 24,000 kip per child for our kids to play minigolf and enjoy the facilities. My wife and I enjoyed a beer and chatting with the other family and Ian while the kids played. It was quiet when we arrived, but the building on the property is a private kindergarten. I hope more visitors use this facility and that, over time, it can grow.
7. Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 304 reviews
Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden offers a peaceful escape from the town that allows you to learn about over 1,500 plant species on a 40 hectare property located 15 minutes down the Mekong River by boat. Learn about biodiversity conservation, sustanable agriculture and ecotourism as you take in free activities, including bamboo handicrafts, a local tea tasting, one hour hike to a cave, a history talk and a talk about orchids given by one of our local experts. If you care about conservation, environmental education or sustainable tourism, then Pha Tad Ke is the perfect half or full day getaway.
Reviewed By Manclaw - Manchester, United Kingdom
We were brought here by river boat by our guide not really sure what to expect (having been on a river trip all day) but it was beautiful - we were given food first at the lakeside restaurant - the food was so intensely flavoursome (including a pomelo salad and a really light soup) and a beer - then did a tour of the gardens themselves which are developing but show something of the breadth of variety of plants grown here. Far too much to do in a short trip, but worth considering - beautiful country.
8. Nahm Dong Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 84 reviews
Nahm Dong is an 18 hectares park of plants, lush forest, beautiful gardens and rushing waters. There is picnic areas and huts in flowers garden or orchards. You can do hiking, swimming in the waterfalls, zip-lining and many other activities such as making your own mulberry paper, lao cuisine discovery and honey making.
Reviewed By eliorasa
We visited Nahm Dong Park while staying at the nearby Hillside Nature Lodge. We purchased a multi-pass and chose to do the zipline, mulberry paper and Hmong embroidery activities. As first time zipliners, we had a great time whizzing through the forest and enjoying the view from above. The guides were wonderful in ensuring our safety and well-being and the equipment provided was sturdy and well-maintained. Mulberry paper making was brief yet relaxing as we designed our own paper while enjoying the stunning views of the village in the valley below. Hmong embroidery was lovely with 2 local ladies who gently guided us as we completed a pattern using a cross-stitch method. Food at Nahm Dong was also fantastic, with the restaurant set beside the water. The park is well-kept and the surroundings are just beautiful. We only wish we had more time to explore the villages within the park as well. Definitely recommend checking out Nahm Dong Park if you are keen on outdoor activities in Luang Prabang.
9. Free the Bears
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31 reviews
We have 2 sanctuaries located near to Luang Prabang. Our first Bear Rescue Centre is located at the foot of the beautiful 50m high Kuang Si waterfalls. Our second is our new Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary is located 14km from Luang Prabang in a stunning mountain valley beside the rural village of Ban Nong Tok. This is a multi-species sanctuary, you’ll see rescued sun bears, moon bears and other endangered & vulnerable species including red pandas and macaques. We offer an exciting chance for visitors to book a half day behind-the-scenes BEAR CARE TOUR at both sanctuaries. You'll hear the unique & moving rescue stories of our bears & learn about what we're doing to protect wild bears. You'll then meet the bears & help the Bear Care Team to prepare food & special treats.
Reviewed By 470benteh - Copenhagen, Denmark
The Bear Care Tour that took us behind-the-scenes with Nikki from Free the Bears is a great way to experience the rescued moon bears in the Rescue Center near the Kuang Si Waterfall, Luang Prabang. We really enjoyed our day there and were glad to get a vip tour for our donation – great deal ;-)
10. Manifa Elephant Camp
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Established 2008, Manifa Elephant Camp is a safe retirement home for elephant to live. Located in Ban Xang Hai village., approximately 20 km from Luang Prabang city, covering 110 hectares of jungle beside the Mekong river. This beautiful nature friendly sanctuary offers visitors an ideal destination to learn and interact with rescued Laos elephants.
Reviewed By helentV3912YB
Place is very good and peaceful! Nice views and bungalows and adorable elephants! Seems that elephants are really like guys which are working with them♥ I like the moment when I said bye to elephant, she just stopped and started to wave her trunk like ppl are waving to say bye bye. Amazing !???? Highly recommend to visit this place????
