Located one hour south of Pakse, Wat Phu Champasak is the ruin of a small town of the once-mighty Khmer Empire. It is one of the three royal cities of Laos, along with Vientiane and Lung Prabang. Think of it as a mini-Angkor that is also vastly less crowded than Angkor itself. It makes a very pleasant day trip, and a good chance to get used to driving a motorbike before you start the Bolaven Loop.

Take a look at the attached maps, provided for free by “M Maps - Pakse Info”. In addition to seeing the Khmer ruins you can potentially spend several days in this area. And if you’re staying several months in Laos, I would give this serious consideration. But if your time is limited, I would just do a day trip here from Pakse. I personally would never skip Luang Prabang, the Gibbon Experience, the Hill Tribe experience, or the stunning karst scenery in northern Laos to spend more time down here. Travel is all about choices — every day you spend in one place is a day you can’t spend anywhere else. And Laos has a LOT of amazing places to see.

If not going by motorbike, you can get a group together in Pakse to hire a tuk-tuk and driver (the more people you have, the cheaper per person). Or you can now hire a private boat with driver, more details here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12DAUW1Qxqu/

While in Champasak, I’ve heard that Boupha Garden Cafe on the riverfront is a good place to stop for a coffee and a bite to eat. On the way back into Pakse, stop at the hilltop Buddha across the river from Pakse for a very pretty sunset. You can park at the bottom by the food stands and walk up a steep staircase, or you can drive up most of the way.