'Good karma': Laos' new monk-led travel experiences

Laos' spiritual heart, Luang Prabang, has seen a surge in tourism. Now, a series of immersive monk-guided experiences are educating visitors about the city's Buddhist heritage. The city of Luang Prabang is Laos' spiritual heartland, renowned for its rich Buddhist heritage, ornate temples and a significant population of saffron-robed monks. In fact, the 50,000-person spiritual hub is said by many to have the highest population of monks per capita anywhere in the world.

This was once one of Southeast Asia's more off-the-beaten-track destinations, but the opening of the high-speed Laos-China Railway in 2021 has seen a sharp surge in visitors to the Unesco World Heritage-listed city. In recent years, locals say this tourism boom has heavily affected the city's ancient traditions and caused greater commercialisation of sacrosanct Buddhist rituals such as the morning alms-giving.

Read more

Laos - fattig, men fargerikt

Å fortelle om Laos er ikke vanskelig, å fortelle litt om Laos er mye verre! En liten notis om Laos? Nærmest umulig. Det kan overhodet ikke yte rettferdighet til det milde, lille landet med den kaotiske historien, den vaklende infrastrukturen, de gylne templene, den store fattigdommen, de snille, vakre menneskene og det gode ølet, skriver Greta Hjertø.