Visit the Mysterious Plain of Jars – Phonsavan, Laos

When I was in Laos, I naturally wanted to see everything worth seeing. Not that this always works….because I don’t have that much time…but I decided that the Mysterious Plain of Jars was definitely part of it. It was not on the route at all but I was willing to travel an extra day for it. I did want to see that mystery with my own eyes!

Where is Phonsavan – Laos?

The Mysterious Plain of Jars is located near the town of Phonsavan (Ponsawan) in the highlands of Laos. Phonsavan is the capital of Xhieng Khuang province and the city has a population of 60,000. The city of Phonsavan was founded after the war in 1975 to replace the old town of Muang Khoun. The latter had been totally destroyed by the civil war.

The Civilian War & Phonsavan

The city of Phonsavan and the surrounding area is scarred to this day by the Lao civil war. Many battles took place in the area and the area is still littered with bombs. Everywhere you can see parts of bombs or warnings that there are still unexploded bombs.

The Mysterious Plain of Jars – Phonsavan – Laos

The reason I came to Phonsavan is the area: Plain of Jars. It is still a mystery what the jars were used for. A number of fields have been found and have been made accessible to tourists.

Tour of the Plain of Jars

Several trips are offered in Phonsavan along the different plain of jars. The most popular one was the one that took in Field 1 and 3, so I chose that. Field 3 has about 150 jars in a small area and Field 1 has hundreds of jars in a vast field. Some are thought to be as much as 2,000 years old.

Field 3 of the Plain of Jars

To get to field 3, we had to walk a bit, which is nice! I like walking through a landscape and thus getting the feel of the country. On our way to the mysterious Plain of Jars, we walked past local farmers and across beautiful rice fields. Lovely to hear all those sounds of the countryside, feel the sun on your skin….

The sun came out and was very welcoming on my skin. Because Phonsavan is on a higher altitude it can be cold in the early morning and evenings.

Walking to site 3 of Plain of Jars – Laos

And then all of a sudden you come by a plain. A plain in that great Laotian landscape and you see a couple of jars… and you see some more.. and still more… It was so strange!

Can you imagine walking in between these Plain of Jars in Laos.

Visit the Plain of Jars – Phonsavan

Laos – Most bombed country in the world

In the second Indo China War, Laos was totally bombed. Laos is one of the most bombed countries in the world. Between 1954 and 1973, as many as 2 million tonnes of cluster bombs were dropped on Laos and Cambodia at the behest of President Nixon. This was all to prevent communist parties from gaining the upper hand in Laos. So in that view, what we are still seeing today is, so to speak, ‘collateral damage’ …

In Laos, Phonsavan is the most affected part. So … we do walk there but still have to be careful where you walk. We are not allowed to deviate from the path and everywhere I see signs with warnings. This is because work is still going on to remove everything from the ground and make it safe.

They work hard to make it safe but still every year an average of 60 people die due to unexploded bombs.

Bomb craters from the war 1964 – 1973

Tip: Be Aware of your surroudings and stay on the marked path!! Phonsavan is the most dangerous archeological site on earth because of all the unexploded bombs.

When I took my trip there our guide told us to stay on the path and he was serious about it because of those bombs. Everywhere I saw markers to lead us on the clear path. On the markers it says MAG, Mines Advisory Group.

Lao workers having a break

Field 1 of Plain of Jars

The biggest jar they found is located on Site 1.

It is a really big one, standing besides it you feel small. You start wondering how they even managed to build the thing? And for what use? And then even relocating it? They told me the stone came from an neighbouring area a couple of km’s away!

Looking in one of the mysterious jars is not easy! Do you see how big it is?

The Mysterious Plain of Jars – Phonsavan

Isn’t this area just great?
And how is it possible that there is so little known about this?

In the background you see some buildings and other recourses. They build an airport over there. It is because of the tourism in that area but they unfortunately build it in sight of the main tourist attraction..

Wat Phia Wat in the destroyed former capital Muang Khoun

During this day, you will also visit the devastated Muang Khoun. The original capital of the province, the predecessor of Phonsavan.

There you will visit Wat Phia Wat, a former temple where people still come daily to worship the huge Buddha statue and make their offerings.

Plan your trip to Plain of Jars – Phonsavan

As soon as you arrive in the city, by bus or plane, guides will be waiting for you. Don’t book straight away with a guide, but arrange for them to come to your hotel or hostel in the evening. I did this too and I was lucky to find a couple who wanted to do the same tour as me. We were able to agree on a price and spend the day together, which was nice.

The guides are just trying to get you to come along anyway and I get that. More guides having work and thus earning more on balance. I was very happy with my company and with the price I now paid for this super day! My experience is from 2012 but often these kinds of practices don’t change 🙂

Phonsavan Foods & Drinks

In Phonsavan I ate at Bamboozle, very nice and good restaurant. It has WiFi, I think that does it for me. But the food was great also! You can sit on chairs with tables ofcourse…but also lounge at the lounge area which is very relaxing!

You can often have great food at the hotel or there are several restaurants on Phonsavan’s main street.

Phonsavan Accommodation

This restaurant was located across the street from the Nice Guest House where I stayed two nights. Didn’t use the shower there, bathroom was to small. The bed was good though! I am happy to went there although it was 8 hours by bus from Luang Prabang.

Looking for a better hotel in Phonsavan? Check out Hillside Residence. This one has already got some good reviews in 2025. Or the Sipanya Guesthouse which also looks very nice in a nice location just outside the city centre.

Do you consider of visiting? Pin this trip!

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