Laos

Laos is an unhurried, landlocked country in Southeast Asia, stretched along the Mekong between mountains and forested valleys. Luang Prabang's UNESCO-listed old town sits on a peninsula where the Nam Khan meets the Mekong, its gilded temple roofs and houses blending Lao and European styles forming a graceful townscape. Climb Mount Phousi for the sunset, stroll the night market, swim beneath the turquoise cascades of Kuang Si, boat upriver to the Pak Ou caves or slow down on a Mekong slow-boat journey.

Vientiane lines the Mekong, Vang Vieng is framed by karst peaks and rice fields, and the Plain of Jars is an archaeological landscape of ancient stone jars across the hills. In the south lie Vat Phou, a UNESCO-listed hillside temple complex, and Si Phan Don, the Mekong's "four thousand islands".

Lao cuisine centres on sticky rice and laap, a herby minced meat or fish salad; Luang Prabang is known for jeow chilli dips and crisp sheets of dried river weed, and the Bolaven Plateau for aromatic coffee. The cool dry season, roughly November to February, is the best time to travel; March to May is hot, and rains fall about May to October. The currency is the Lao kip. Laos suits couples and honeymooners, lovers of slow, culture-rich journeys, and those combining it with Cambodia, Vietnam or Thailand.