During my first stay in Laos in 2009, I fell in love with the country. From the slow paced capital of Vientiane, I started to explore a country that ended up captivating me. After a couple of months back in Europe, I realized that my future was back in Asia in this beautiful, often overlooked destination.

Laos is a beguiling place where travelers will want to discover every little corner of this landlocked country. After seeing the tourist hotspots of Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Vang Vieng, there are destinations so far away from mass tourism that it’s easy to be without any other travelers for days. From trips to the far north in Phongsali Province all the way south to the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail along the Vietnamese border there are so many places most travelers miss by limiting their time to a short stay in Luang Prabang. Laos is still relatively undiscovered on the world radar and is a perfect environment for those travelers who have a passion for untamed destinations.

From the spectacular mountains in the north, home to dozens of different ethnic minorities down to the 4000 Islands near the Cambodian border, Laos is a place that can easily engage adventurous customers for three weeks of travel time. The most memorable highlights are the people themselves. Lao hospitality is legendary and is famous for greeting weary travelers with a genuine smile and a cold Beer Lao.

My personal favorite destination in Laos is the caves hidden in the mountains of Viengxay in Houaphan Province. These caves were used as hideouts by the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party as shelter from American bombardment during the second Indochina War. Access to this special place is a bit time consuming but explored by very few foreign tourists. Come and see Laos for yourself!