Laos

Like a rural scene from an old Asian silk painting, Vang Vieng (ວັງວຽງ) crouches low over the Nam Song (Song River) with a backdrop of serene cliffs and a tapestry of vivid green paddy fields. Thanks to the Lao government closing the river rave bars in 2012, the former party scene has been driven to the fringes and the community is rebooting itself as an adrenaline-fuelled adventure destination.

Pakse (ປາກເຊ), the capital of Champasak Province and the gateway to southern Laos, sits at the confluence of the Mekong and the Se Don (Don River). It's a relatively lively town with lots of accommodation and eating options, as well as transport connections, and many travelers base themselves here for forays to surrounding attractions such as the Bolaven Plateau and Wat Phu Champasak. The many good restaurants, stylish hotels and clued-in tour companies make it a comfortable and convenient spot.

Spreading across parts of all four southern provinces, the fertile Bolaven Plateau (ພູພຽງບໍລະເວນ; known in Lao as Phu Phieng Bolaven) is famous for its cool climate, dramatic waterfalls and high-grade coffee.

Nong Khiaw (ຫນອງຂຽວ) is a traveler's haven in the truest sense, offering pampering, good food, decent accommodation and bags of activities with established adventure-tour operators. Nestled on the west bank of the Nam Ou (the river almost currentless since the building of the dam upstream), spanned by a vertiginous bridge and bookended by towering limestone crags, it's surely one of the most photogenic spots in Laos. On the river's scenic east bank (officially called Ban Sop Houn) is the lion's share of guesthouses and restaurants.

Hin Namno NPA might just be one of the most stunning protected areas in Laos, if not in all of mainland Southeast Asia, and the experts seem to agree: combined with two linked protected zones in neighbouring Vietnam, the greater area – the largest karst region in the world – is, at the time of writing, under consideration as a bi-country Unesco Natural World Heritage site.

Whether it's for trekking, cycling, kayaking, ziplining or a family homestay, a visit to northern Laos is for many the highlight of their trip. Dotted about are unfettered, dense forests home to big cats, gibbons and a cornucopia of animals, with a well-established ecotourism infrastructure to take you into their heart.

Southern Laos is dominated by the Bolaven Plateau, a fertile highland that spreads over four of the region’s provinces. It is the site of Laos’ thriving coffee plantations and also many of the region’s beautiful waterfalls.

Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ) slows your pulse and awakens your imagination with its combination of world-class comfort and spiritual nourishment. Sitting at the sacred confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan (Khan River), nowhere else can lay claim to this Unesco-protected gem's romance of 33 gilded wats, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and exquisite fusion cuisine.

From its sleepy tuk-tuk drivers to its location on the right bank of the lumbering, lazy Mekong, this former French trading post is languid to say the least. Indeed, despite being the capital and largest city of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, there's not a whole lot to do in Vientiane (ວຽງຈັນ). But that is also, quite honestly, its selling point.

Languid, time-trapped and somnolent during the sweltering days that batter the old city's plasterwork, Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ) is a charming blend of past and present Laos. The highlight is the historic quarter with its impressive display of decaying early-20th-century architecture. There's little to do in town but wander the riverfront and cool off in one of a clutch of stylish restaurants and bijou cafes that are steadily growing in number.