Laos home to the enigmatic Plain of Jars, a UNESCO Heritage mysterious place comprising over 2,100 megalithic stone jars. The jars sizes range from 70cm to 4m high which might reveal a social hierarchy. Though the archeological researches are being conducted; its utmost origin is still a mystery till date. The jars believe to belong to the funerary ritual in Laos since the Iron Age around 500 CE. Some other theories say the jars were used for food storage, wine containers, etc. Beside the stone jars, other things related to the death rituals like the grave makers, the burials, quarries and so on are found too.
Plain of Jars sites are on the Xieng Khouang Plateau in Xieng Khouang, a central province of Laos. This attraction is an untouristed place of Laos and more specially, it’s a remained opening prehistoric site in Southeast Asia. Plain of Jars is an extraordinary testimony of the civilization and highly recommended for your Laos culture trip. The stone jars are mostly original whose material and locations are unchanged or affected by little disturbance.
Xieng Khouang is also the village of some ethnic groups like H’mong, Khmu and Tai Dam.
How to get to plain of jars
There are direct flights available from Vientian and Luang Prabang to Phonsavan, the new capital city of Xieng Khouang. The flight tickets are pretty affordable. If you travel in small groups, flights might be more economic than land transfer; also save a lot of hours for commuting. Keep in mind that the flights are not operated daily and scheduled dates also depend on low and high season. Then plan your Laos tour itinerary well if you wish to include the Plain of Jars.
The other access is land drive and night buses. Xieng Khouang is around 8-hour drive from Luang Prabang and 9-hour drive from Vientiane.
Things to do in plain of jars
Laos Plain of Jars exploration
The very first reason tourist arriving to Xieng Khoaung is Plain of Jars. Then this spot must be in the things to do in Xieng Khoaung. For the sightseeing around Plain of jars, you can use van, motorcycle, tuk tuk or jeep.
The jars are divided into clusters which spreading on the Xieng Khouang Plateau making up around 90 sites with roughly 400 jars each. Since the Secret War in the 1960s, Xieng Khouang was heavily bombarded that there are unexploded bombs. Then, 3 below sites are safe and opened for tourism:
Plain of Jars site 1
Site 1 of Plain of Jars is the largest and nearest to the city. It’s only 8km from town center. However, it’s the busiest sightseeing among all as you will find a density of stone jars in this area. Site 1 is a flat hill with less trees. In the area of site 1, you also see some bomb craters and the information center with essential introductions of the Jars field and bombing history in Laos.
Plain of Jars site 2
In contrast to site 1, Site 2 of Plain of Jars is on the top of a hill and more verdant with many trees around. Over there, you will be able to contemplate the biggest jars of the Plain of Jars as well as the jars with lids on it meanwhile most of the stone jars are without.
Going uphill, you will find two parts with one on the left and the other on the right offering the overview of the area. In the right area, there is a stone disk which is different with frog sculpture on its center part.
From Plain of Jar site 2, you can find your way to the pine forest and reach the hill viewpoint. The trail is off-the-beaten path; however, it is well cleared of UXOs.
Plain of Jars site 3
Alike to the site 2, Plain of Jars site 3 is quieter than the site 1. To enter the site 3, visitors need to walk over the farming land of locals. You then will see more of the local life with farmers and their cows be around. Active travelers can try the one-hour hike moving from site to site 3 instead of taking a transportation. You will pass by the houses, rice terraces and plantation of the villagers and gain a thrilling life-time experience.
MAG Center
MAG is a center exhibiting on UXOs situation in Laos and introducing their current effort in finding and dealing with those remnants. They are carrying on their projects removing the landmines in Laos with the support by Mine Advisory Group. With the fact that Laos suffer the heaviest bombard status in the word, MAG center and its exhibition let us understand more.
Unveil the authentic countryside and its ancient temples
Though Laos is among the least touristic countries in Asia, the popular cities are slightly influenced by the tourism business. Seeing the pristine countryside in Xieng Khoaung might be a totally different experience.
A half day trip to Muang Khoun – the old Xieng Khoaung is suggested. This area became a ruin as Muang Khoun suffered the evasion, pillage by the neighbors and bombard during the war. Visit the town is alike seeing the ghost of the former Muang Khoun itself where used to be the capital of small Muang Phuan kingdom.
You will see the sitting Buddha in the town, Wat Phia columns and the That Dam a 30m high stupa.
Battlefield tour
Historical buffs, especially the ones interested in America Secret War, can take the battlefield tour to Muang Soui or Nong Tang. This area is 50km from Phonsavan and take a day for you to take the trip. The trip might reveal more facts how come Laos were severely affected by the bomb while it was the Vietnam War.
Spoon village
During the journey exploring the Plain of Jars sites, you can visit the Ban Napia spoon village. Villagers make aluminum spoons by local technique of wooden frames filled with sand and the brick burning urn. The craftsman also make spoon out of the bomb remnants.
Mulberry Organic Silk Farm
Local people in Ban Lee Mulbery Organic Silk Farm in Xieng Khouang use their traditional technique of making silk. They feed the caterpillars with locally planted mulberry, dye the silk by natural materials, reel and spin the cocoon by wooden looms. There are half day tour, full day trip and overnight stay available for your interest. Depending on time spending in the village, tourist can take part in different parts of the silk making processes.
Hotels in Plain of Jars
Plain of Jars is just a rural area of Laos with less development and hotels. The town center still shows the dusty streets. And hotels here are at basic levels which 3 stars is the highest standard available.
Here are our suggest for your hotels in Plain of Jars:
- Vansana hotel Plain of Jars: This is a three-star property Phonsavan. Their clean rooms are provided with basis amenities for your staying.
Must-to-know things before your visit
- As the Plain of Jars was a seriously bombarded area in the past, there are some area cleared of UXOs these days. It’s highly advised to follow the local signs.
- Tourist suppose not to buy souvenirs created from UXOs from local villagers. Because this will encourage them to seek for the metal materials which might risk their lives. This is requested by the COPE center.
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An interesting place to explore! Will include this destination into my next trip to Laos! 🙂