Xiangkhoang Plateau - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau.

Wat Phia Wat is a war-scarred Buddha statue located in Muang Khoun, Laos.

Phou Bia is the highest mountain in Laos and is located in the Annamese Cordillera, at the southern limit of the Xiangkhoang Plateau in Xiangkhouang Province.

The Nam Song River is a small river in Laos that flows through the town of Vang Vieng. It is a popular tourist destination as many people enjoy seeing the Laotian countryside while going down the river in the inner tube of a tractor tyre or in a kayak. The river is surrounded by striking karst rock formations. Upstream from Vang Vieng, numerous bars have been built on the river's banks to attract the tourists floating by.

Tham Jang is a cave just to the southwest of Vang Vieng, Laos. Approached by a bridge over the Nam Song River and then a long flight of steps, a spring is located about 50 metres inside the cave. The cave was used as a bunker in the early 19th century during the Chinese-Ho invasion.

Tam Pa Ling is a cave in the Annamite Mountains in northeastern Laos. It is at the top of Pa Hang Mountain, 1,170 m above sea level. Three hominin fossils were discovered in the cave: TPL1, a skull from an anatomically modern human; TPL2, a lower jaw with modern and archaic features; and TPL3 a partial mandible with modern and archaic features.