To Luang Prabang, the former royal capital of Laos, visitors can see one of the mighty Mekong’s many tributaries. Along one bank ran glinting steel track that arced like a shot arrow and pierced the mountain in its way — the path of a new high-speed train.
A landlocked country threaded by waterways, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was once a densely forested Buddhist kingdom called Lan Xang, known as the land of a million elephants.
The multibillion-dollar rail system, its first-class compartments carry mainly Chinese tourists from Borten, on Laos’s northern border, to the modern capital of Vientiane, with sightseeing stops along the way.
The river and the rail framed everything tour of northern and central Laos — the temples, palaces, rice paddies, monks, bamboo footbridges, tribal festivals, mountain villages, long-tail boats, caves, backpacker cafés, elephant preserves, waterfalls, foreign-owned luxury hotels, local markets full of river fish and bushmeat, archaeological sites, forlorn guesthouses, sugarcane plantations, silk-weaving workshops, and roadside noodle shops.
Indeed, the idea was to test the promise of the high-speed train in a country notorious for slow going. Laotian roads are measured in rattles and jolts.
Passed through the supersize pagoda that is Luang Prabang Station, sleek trains arrived and departed with Swiss punctuality. Young attendants in pressed uniforms scanned tickets with laser readers, and a group of soldiers made a fine show of keeping the peace among first-class passengers in their spiffy clothes. Announcements came in Lao, Mandarin, and English. All was gleam and polish, video screens and QR codes.
Go to Laos by train: you can a luxury hotel stay in Luang Prabang, then stops in remote hill towns up north and in scenic Vang Vieng followed by a night in Vientiane and, finally, a short flight to the archaeological enigma of the Plain of Jars.
Laos remains largely a place of villages, of tradition, folklore, and handicrafts.
The countryside had been transformed by cash crops: rubber-tree plantations have devoured hillside forests and sugarcane has conquered ancient rice paddies.
Where to Stay and Eat in Laos
Luang Prabang
Rosewood Luang Prabang is a luxury retreat in a lush garden just outside of town. The restaurant Le Calao has wonderful food and terrace seating. No-frills lunch spot L.P.B., on Khem Khong Road, serves local specialties at tables overlooking the Mekong. Farther afield, MandaLao Elephant Conservation offers forest walks with the resident herd, and Laos Buffalo Dairy provides the novelty of a roadside ice cream stand in a region where dairy products are rarely consumed.
Luang Namtha
The town of Luang Namtha is the gateway to the hill-tribe villages of northern Laos. Pou Villa (book through a third-party site such as agoda.com) is a tidy guesthouse with good breakfasts. Modest restaurants such as Zuela Guesthouse have rustic but generally excellent food.
Vang Vieng
This popular backpacker destination is geared toward a budget clientele. ViengTara Vang Vieng Resort (book through a third-party site such as agoda.com) is a little more upscale, and the guest villas are on stilts and connect to the main lodge via wooden boardwalks over rice paddies.
Vientiane
The stately Settha Palace Hotel offers high ceilings and arctic air-conditioning. The Slow Food restaurant Doi Ka Noi serves superb Laotian cuisine prepared with conscientiously sourced ingredients.
What to Do in Laos
Plain of Jars
Reach this enigmatic archaeological site via a short flight from Vientiane to Phonsavan. Expect rustic guesthouses and simple open-air restaurants. An essential stop is Mulberries Organic Silk Farm, for handwoven textiles.
How to Book
Given the language barrier and the limited tourist infrastructure, an English-speaking guide is essential for all but the most intrepid travelers. Asia specialist Catherine Heald at Remote Lands can supply guides and arrange an itinerary that includes village visits and bookings on the new high speed railway.
