Luang Prabang: capital of a vanished kingdom, returns to life Slumbering beside the Mekong amidst the mountains of northern Laos, Luang Prabang must be the only Asian city in which one hardly need look before crossing the street. With its 32 Buddhist temples the former royal capital of Laos is the best-preserved historic city in South-East Asia, according to UNESCO. Every block or so, another brightly tiled, many-tiered roof sweeps low to the ground. Whitewashed French colonial villas, even the former townhouse of a princess, convert readily to chic yet eminently affordable boutique accommodations. Until a few short years ago, Luang Prabang was linked to an unsuspecting world only by rutted tracks – and by the Mekong. But as the flow of tourists swells to a torrent, change is gathering pace in one of Asia's most delightful backwaters.

Land of a Million Elephants – or should that be irrelevants? This land-locked, mountainous territory the size of Great Britain, a patchwork of 68 ethnic groups, is one of the world’s least developed countries – and its people amongst the most welcoming you’ll find anywhere. Haggle for shimmering silks or stock up on beetles and buffalo blood....

Never let a beetle piss in your eye. Dong Natad, the Sacred Forest of Savannakhet in central Laos is not exactly the heart of darkness, but there are wondrous things to see – or to avoid – with the help of forest-wise guides, if you follow the path through the rainforest giants. 'Eco treks' and cycling tours have been established here in sleepy Savannakhet province in a bid to stimulate low-impact, local-level employment opportunities.