Xieng Khuang (Plain of Jars)

The small town of Phonsavan has little to offer the tourist other than being the gateway to the Plain of Jars. The gigantic stone jars are to Laos as Stonehenge is to England – an enigma. While there are many theories, nobody really knows why hundreds of huge stone jars are scattered across several sites on a barren Laotian plain. They are between 2500 and 3000 years old and carved from solid rock. They weigh from 600kg to one tonne a piece; the largest weighing six tonnes. The jars are set amongst beautiful scenery of verdant rolling hills.
This region was one of the most heavily bombed in Laos and is still littered with half a million tonnes of unexploded ordinance. Infrastructure in the town is basic and accommodation consists of guesthouses and simple hotels.

Getting here: There are flights from Vientiane on Lao Airlines. The flight takes 30 minutes.