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 pleasant day trip, and a good chance to get used to driving a motorbike before you start the Bolaven Loop.

If not going by motorbike, get a group together in Pakse to hire a tuk-tuk and driver (the more people you have, the cheaper per person).

On the way back into town, 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.