Located 41 km southwest from Pakse, Champasak Province, Vat Phou (temple-mountain in Lao) lies at the base of Phou Kao Mountain, with views of the Mekong River and Champasak Province. The ancient Khmer temple complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, with intricate structures built between the 5th and 15th centuries. You’ll see plenty of temple pillars, reservoirs, lintels, pediments, and palaces throughout your visit at Vat Phou.
The Champasak cultural landscape, including the Vat Phou Temple complex, is a remarkably well-preserved planned landscape more than 1,000 years old. It was shaped to express the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity, using an axis from mountain top to river bank to lay out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and waterworks extending over some 10 km. Two planned cities on the banks of the Mekong River are also part of the site, as well as Phou Kao mountain. The whole represents a development ranging from the 5th to 15th centuries, mainly associated with the Khmer Empire.
