Ever since reading Paul's and Els's reviews of the site and it's listing in our Top Missing survey I have wanted to go to the Plain of Jars. I had looked at the map repeatedly, astounded how long it can take (5h or more) to travel less than 250km. Still, I decided to travel on to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars.

As our guide was quick to point out, the Jar Sites are not actually in the plain. All Jar Sites are located on hills. The hills are embedded in the Xiangkhoang Plateau where agriculture takes place. There are plenty of Jar Sites spread across the plateau. Visitors are normally taken to Jar Site 1 to 3. Jar Site 1 is the closest to Phonsavan and  the biggest of the three. It also has an attached museum providing some background on the Jar Sites. Jar Site 2 and Jar Site 3, meanwhile, have the nicer scenery and I enjoyed my visit more. 

The Jars are weird (who would create Jars? and why?). The most accepted interpretation is that these are related to burial rites of the local population.

While nowadays all sites open to the public have been cleared of unexploded ordinances, you will encounter plenty of remnants of the Laotian Civil War (bomb craters, trenches, danger signs) along the way. The jars also took damage from the extensive bombing the Americans conducted in their covert war. In our case, we got to listen in on a bomb-clearing. Frightening.

[Update July 2019] Without a doubt the site has OUV and was due to be inscribed. However, I had expected a more stellar site than what I actually found. It's a good and worthy site, but not a great one. Rapa Nui may be considered similar, but the scenery and the artwork on Easter Island are way superior to the Plain of Jars.

Getting There

As stated by Els, there are two options for getting to Phonsavan: by plane or by bus. Having traveled by bus from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan (which is the shortest available option), I must strongly advise going for the plane option if available and affordable. The views from the bus may be memorable, but the roads are curvy and not in good shape. It took us 8.5h for the 250km, including a 30min lunch break and a 1h break caused by the road being fully closed for ongoing construction. Seeing the state of the road I feel reasonably confident that constructions will continue for the foreseeable future along the road.

For those still keen on going by bus, the primary routes are those to Luang Prabang and Vientiane, but there are also connections to other parts of Laos available (Pakse, Paksan, Savannakhet, Thakek, Viengkham, Vangvieng, Vinh) plus connections to Vietnam (Hanoi, Hue).

From Luang Prabang, you have the option to go by minibus or normal bus. The tourist agencies and hotels will mostly sell you minibus trips. And that's how I went. Our bags were safely stored on top of the bus and generally, the comfort and space were fine.

The flights to Phonsavan aren't that expensive. There are at least 3 flights a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) from/to Vientiane. My recommendation would be to fly in on Monday/Wednesday and return on Wednesday/Friday.

Getting In

You can either join a tour, get a driver or rent a scooter yourself. The last option (scooter) may be a bit tricky as our guide pointed out. Plenty of Laotian drivers don't have a driver license. And in the case of an accident, you either have to stick around till the matter is resolved (weeks). Or you cover all damages, disregarding who is at fault. Finally, the road conditions are pretty terrible.

So, I would recommend getting a driver/join a tour. I joined a tour from my guest house for 20€. Cheapest tours should be available for 15€. Problem was that we had some French joining the tour and they are the worst when it comes to time management and moving ahead. So, if you are not traveling alone, getting a private tour may really be a good option.

Tours include a simple lunch. You should make sure that the tour visits Site 2 and Site 3 as these are way nicer than Site 1.

Our guide also mentioned the largest Jar Site: Site 52. This can only be reached with a guide and a 2-day treck. Don't attempt to do this on your own as the whole landscape is littered with unexploded ordinances.

While You Are There

If/When the site is inscribed the locals are hoping for a tourism boost. For this to happen, the infrastructure needs to improve significantly. Apart from the cumbersome travel, Phonsavan also needs better hotels. The current offering is rather simple.

In addition, there isn't really much to do around Phonsavan as I can attest as I am writing this post while waiting for my flight this afternoon. Phonsavan is a very young city, founded after the original capital and French administrative center at Muang Khoun was nearly completely destroyed in the Laotian Civil War. As a consequence, there is little to do than the Plain of Jars excursions. Local agencies will also offer the usual "visiting the locals" and "buying local handicraft" trips, but I am not a big fan of those.

Effectively, a trip to the Plain of Jars costs you one day to get to, one day to visit, and one day to get out of. You may want to consider if this is worth it to you.