If you’re travelling in Laos, a visit to Pak Ou Caves, Luang Prabang would be a great trip to add to your must-do list.The caves are around 25Km outside Luang Prabang and are fascinating for their history as a significant Buddhist site housing thousands of Buddha images and icons. A visit to Pak Ou Caves is also a lovely way to see a little more of Laos village life and the beautiful Mekong River. There are various ways to get there, we’ll cover those, with words and photos from Pak Ou Caves in 2026.
Here is some essential information on visiting Pak Ou Caves in Laos.
You can combine visiting Pak Ou Caves with a river cruise and a visit to the “whisky village”. Book the half-day afternoon tour for sunset views. We also saw an elephant at our buffet lunch stop, it was a good way to spend half a day. Book this tour here. The first one on the page. We took this option ourselves in 2026, we recommend it.
There is no Grab in Laos, so taking a Grab car isn’t an option. You may be able to find a shared minivan to Pak Ou in Luang Prabang if you’re looking for a budget option. Be prepared for very bad road conditions.
The caves are on the far side of the river, your journey starts here.
Getting to Pak Ou Caves
If you don’t have your own transport, in the form of a hired motor scooter, you will need to book some sort of tour. It’s possible to reach Pak Ou by boat from Luang Prabang, or you can negotiate a price with a tuk tuk or songthaw driver to take you there and back. There are also travel agents along the main streets of Luang Prabang who will arrange visits for you, but you’ll probably pay more.
Once you arrive on the bank of the river, you will make the crossing in long, narrow boats for a small extra charge.
No, not the big boat.
This one
Reaching the Pak Ou Buddha Cave entrance, the lower cave, is a little precarious too.
Pak Ou Buddha Caves
Pak Ou caves also called Buddha Caves, are a highly respected religious site in Laos, dating back thousands of years. There are two caves, the lower caves, Tham Thieng and the upper, Tham Theung. Today the caves house over 4000 Buddha Icons.
There are steep steps, if you have mobility issues, this isn’t the place for you. Both caves were fine for our children.
The upper caves are long, dark and the floor is uneven. In 2013 we were given a torch at the door, in 2026 there is lighting inside.
Pak Ou Buddha Caves in 2013
The same Buddha inside the Baddha Caves at Pak Ou in 2026
The lower caves are well-lit and shallow, the thousands of Buddha images, mostly wooden, occupy every possible shelf or crevice in the rock, forming an incredible and diverse gathering. Many of the wooden Buddhas are showing their age , which somehow adds to their mysterious appeal.
The upper caves are dark as night and you will need the torch provided to find your way, keep your footing and reveal hidden treasures.
Mysterious ancient writing in the picture below, near the ornate doors to the upper cave.
Just outside the caves at Pak Ou you can see these ancient inscriptions. Or maybe graffitti?
Seeing a Little of Village Life Near Luang Prabang
Your driver may want you to stop at the tourist elephant or whiskey villages nearby. There are a number of elephant riding camps in the area and we passed tourist elephant convoys on the road.
We chose not to visit, but access to the caves is via a small village and we had opportunity to observe local craftsmen and women weaving and making Laos violins.
Shopping at market stalls at a little village on the way to Pak Ou caves.
Yes, we bought a Laos violin for Boo.
Shopping for souvenirs on the way to Pak Ou Caves from Luang Prabang Laos
Hotels Near Pak Ou
There are a few hotels in the area, and we’ll mention them below. Agoda dominates Asia as the best booking engine in the region. Booking.com works for Asia, if it’s your favourite, go ahead, but Agoda often has more choice and better deals. Booking dot com is usually better for refundable deals.
The bulk of visitors to Pak Ou and Pak Ou Caves will make the journey from their hotel in Luang Prabang. Use the same online booking engines above to search.
The lovely Nam Ou Riverside Resort (above) is just 5 km from Pak Ou and has excellent reviews. Its price is very moderate by Western standards ( <$100) and offers wi-fi and breakfast.
Overall, visiting Pak Ou caves is a great way to spend a day or half day, the caves themselves are fascinating and being out in the countryside, rather than bustling Luang Prabang town, is a refreshing change. The first time we visited back in 2001, we did it by motor scooter, the second time 2013, with kids, we took a driver and vehicle, arranged independently. The third time, 2026 we booked a tour and cruise. All three were great. We still have one of those coconut shell ladles at home, bought way back in 2001. Laos keeps calling us back to revisit, it’s a very special place.
Alyson is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist in London hospitals, she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011, becoming a full-time blogger, travel writer and a published author.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today the family travels extensively to update this site and continue the mission to visit every country, while running a self-sufficient homestead. (https://tropicalfoodgarden.com)
