Pakse: the base for southern Laos

How to use Pakse

Pakse stretches along the Xe Don river where it meets the Mekong, with a long bridge across the Mekong to the west bank road towards Champasak. It has markets, cafés, a decent range of hotels and the agencies that run most tours in the south. That makes it the practical choice for the first and last nights of a southern route.

Think of it as a hub with three spokes:

• East to the Bolaven Plateau. The road climbs to the waterfalls at Tad Fane and Tad Yuang, around 40 km away, and continues to the coffee town of Paksong. A day by car is enough for the main falls; an overnight on the plateau slows it down. See the Bolaven Plateau guide.
• South to Champasak and Vat Phou. The west bank road reaches the old town of Champasak in about an hour, with the temple ruins of Vat Phou a few kilometres further. See Champasak.
• Further south to the 4,000 Islands. Si Phan Don is roughly two and a half to three and a half hours by road, plus a short boat. See Si Phan Don.

Arriving

Pakse has the only international airport in southern Laos. Domestic flights from Vientiane are the fastest way down from the capital, and regional flights have connected Pakse with cities such as Bangkok. Schedules change, so we check them for your dates. Overland, VIP buses run from Thakhek and Savannakhet, and an international bus links Pakse with Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand through the Vang Tao border.

Getting around without a scooter

Tuk-tuks cover the city. For day trips, the choice is between a shared tour (fixed itinerary, lower cost, other travelers) and a private car with driver (your own timing, the stops you choose). Songthaews, the shared pickup trucks used as local buses, go to most towns but run on their own schedule. A local Pakse operator, for example, publishes private Bolaven day trips from US$55 per vehicle; we show the source below as a reference, not as our price.