ancient ruins
Wat Phu
A ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex on a mountain slope in southern Laos, predating Angkor Wat and linked by a processional causeway.
8 km · about 15 min drive
AsiaLaosChampasak Province
Champasak
Champasak Province, Laos · Asia
About Champasak
Champasak is worth a stop: 30 minutes from Pakse, 8km from Wat Phu.
Champasak is in Champasak Province, Laos, with about 13,000 people. The nearest town is Pakse, about 27 km away.
Champasak (or Champassak, Champasack – Lao: ຈຳປາສັກ [t͡ɕàm pàː sák]) is a province in southwestern Laos. It is 1 of the 3 principalities that succeeded the kingdom of Lan Xang. As of the 2015 census, it had a population of 694,023. The capital is Pakse, and the province takes its name from Champasak, the formerRead more
capital of the Kingdom of Champasak. Champasak is bordered by Salavan province to the north, Sekong province to the northeast, Attapeu province to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. The Mekong River forms part of the border with neighboring Thailand and contains Si Phan Don ('Four Thousand Islands') in the south of the province, on the border with Cambodia.
Champasak has played a role in the history of Siam and Laos, with battles taking place in and around Champasak. Its cultural heritage includes temple ruins and French colonial architecture. Champasak has some 20 wats (temples), such as Wat Phou, Wat Luang, and Wat Tham Fai. The province's waterfalls are tourist attractions, as were the local freshwater dolphins which have died out. (A surviving population still exists in Cambodia.)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Champasak?
Within an hour or so of Champasak: Wat Phu (8 km), Bolaven Plateau Waterfalls (42 km), Tad Fane Waterfall (42 km), Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Prao (52 km).
Where is Champasak?
Champasak is in Champasak Province, Laos, about 27 km from Pakse.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 12,994
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Laos
- Region
- Champasak Province
- Timezone
- Asia/Vientiane
- Coordinates
- 14.8920, 105.8779
Tags
Worth the detour from Champasak
4 notable places within an hour's drive.
waterfall
Bolaven Plateau Waterfalls
A lush highland plateau in southern Laos dotted with spectacular waterfalls, coffee plantations, and ethnic minority villages.
42 km · about 50 min drive
waterfall
Tad Fane Waterfall
Twin streams plunging around 120 metres into a forested gorge on the Bolaven Plateau, seen head-on from a viewpoint beside the coffee-country road. Both falls run hardest just after the wet season.
42 km · about 50 min drive
photogenic
Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Prao
A hillside temple near the Lao border whose main ordination hall carries a mural of the Bodhi tree painted in phosphorescent pigment, glowing green for a few hours after dusk. The show starts around 6pm.
52 km · about 60 min drive
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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