Pak Ou Caves

Pak Ou Caves is one of the main attractions in Luang Prabang that attracts a lot of visitors there daily. It is located north of the city about 25km by boat along the Mekong River, at the mouth of Nam Ou river.

By boat it will take you approximately 2 hours from Luang Prabang to reach the destination. You can also go by mini-bus or jumbo, which will take you to the opposite bank of river, then you need to get a boat to take you to the caves on the other side.

The caves consist of two levels, the lower level and the upper level. You can get to the upper level by stairs but you need a torch or a flash light if you want to see all the Buddha figures clearly as there are no lights inside. There are hundreds of mostly wooden Buddha figures inside the caves with different shapes and sizes. In the lower level there are about 2,500 Buddha images and in the upper level there are about 1,500 Buddha images.

How To Get There

Travel agencies and guesthouses around town advertise tours to get there for US$5 per person. Alternatively, you can hire boats to Pak Ou Caves fom Luang Prabang. The fare is varied between US$15 to US$20 for slow boats. The trip takes 2 hours up the Mekong River and one hour down, not including optional stops at villages.

Speed boat fares is US$15 and take 30 minutes up the Mekong and 20 minutes down and can carry up to six passengers in a single trip. You can also get there for less by a mini-bus or jumbo to the village on the opposite side of the river bank. From here you take a ferry to the caves (US$1.50).

Return from Pak Ou Caves to Luang Prabang