Champasak (city)
Champasak City is the capital of Champasak province in Laos.
Understand
Champasak is now an agricultural village along the banks of the Mekong river. It was the seat of the old Lao kingdom until the regime was overthrown in 1975. On the roundabaout on the main street is a memorial remembering the departure of the former royal family. There are some typical Lao houses made of wood and several French colonial houses, built for Prince Boun Oum and his father Chao Ratsadai. The main attraction of the city are the ruins of Wat Phu, located 8 km southwest of the city.
Get in
By boat
It is a 2½-hour ride on longtail boats from Pakse.
By bus
Champasak lies at a distance of 28 km from Pakse. The new road (built 2017) has reduced the travel time between the two cities to less than one hour. Minibuses go in the morning (but sometimes until 14:00) from Pakse's Talat Dao Heuang bus station (at 15.1148, 105.8156) to Champasak. Alternatively, one can take a southbound bus from Pakse Southern Bus Terminal (until 15:00) to reach Ban Muang on the eastern side of the Mekong river. A small ferry shuttles across the river to Ban Phaphin, 2 km north of Champasak.
Get around
See
- 🌍 Wat Phou.
- Wat Nyutthitham.
- Wat Phuthawanaram (8 km South of the city).
Do
- Champasak eSPAce bien-etre, ☏ +856 20 56 499 739. Coconut oil massages on the riverbank.
- 🌍 AD Learning Centre, ☏ +856 02097530098. A social enterprise providing education, including in English. Similar to Big Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang. Always in need of supplies and volunteers. Drop by! Opposite the check-in restaurant, on the same block as Khamphouy Guest House.
- 🌍 Théâtre d'ombres de Champasak (Shadow Puppet Theatre), ☏ +8562055081109. Shadow puppets show on Tuesday and Friday at 8:15pm. 1h15 show for 100.000kip/$5 per adult (free for kids). The story of Ramayana is told in Lao with traditional music played live. The movie Chang is played on Wednesday and Saturday with the soundtrack played live by the musicians. 8:15pm, 1h15 movie for 100.000kip per adult. Some subtitles in English. 📍 Situated next to the tourism office in Champasak, Laos. Plenty of parking space, guesthouses and restaurants near (book/visit before the show as Champasak sleeps early) On from November 2024 to February 2025 during the high season. LAK 100,000.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
There are several smaller guesthouses and hotels in Champasak, often located at the river side of the main road.
- Residence Bassac, Ban Amart Champasak, ☏ +856 30 54 07 587. Restaurant, wifi, river views.
Connect
Go next
Pakse is 30km north. The nearest border crossing is the Chong Mek/Vang Tao crossing into Thailand, 70km north-west.