Journey to Pak Ou

Looking across the Mekong River to the Pak Ou limestone outcrop from Ban Pak Ou village

One of the sights on my must-see list for Luang Prabang on my recent visit to Laos was the Pak Ou caves, which are crammed full of Buddha images in all shapes and sizes, approximately 4,000 in all. The majority are standing Buddhas in the Luang Prabang style but in the upper and lower caves there's such a variety, any Buddha statue enthusiast will be well catered for. We made the 25kms trip from the city by car rather than by boat as we were pressed for time and crossed the Mekong River to the caves by ferry from Ban Pak Ou village. I think its rare if you get to see the caves on your own as a procession of boats arrive at all times of the day ferrying tourists to this prestige spot on the river. We climbed the stairs to the upper cave, Tham Phum, which was deeper and housed less statues, and which requires a torch to see its contents as very little natural light filters in. In the lower cave, Tham Ting, its literally wall-to-wall Buddhas, both wooden and metal, and tourists jockeying for position to take their own favourite picture of the cave and its contents. Not my idea of fun but still worth a visit. Opposite the Pak Ou caves is the mouth of the Nam Ou River and an impressive limestone cliff called Pha Hen, which attracts expert rock climbers.

On my way to Pak Ou caves with the impressive Pha Hen in the background

Tourist boats waiting for their passengers at the foot of the Pak Ou caves

The elaborate entranceway to Tham Phum, the upper cave

One of the Buddha statues in Tham Phum under a shaft of artifical light

The standard Buddhas in shadow profile picture that everyone gets

The same picture but with the flash switched on

Part of the collection of Buddhas in Tham Ting, the lower cave at Pak Ou

Instructions not to touch the statues are everywhere. With most of the statues covered in dust and grime, I think the cave cleaners take the sign too literally