Wat Pa Phai
@ Wat Paa Phai @ Vat Phapai @ Monastery of the Bamboo Forest Luang Prabang, Laos
Entrance to Wat Pa Phai, Luang Prabang.
Your base for this tourist attraction is the Unesco World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, Laos. For tourist information about Luang Prabang, go to Luang Prabang Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Laos, read also the Laos Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
Wat Pa Phai Travel Information
Wat Pa Phai is located on Sakkarine Road, on the corner with Savang Vatthana road, in Luang Prabang. The name Wat Pa Phai means Monastery of the Bamboo Forest. In fact, if you see names of temples with the word "Pa" or "Pak" in it, there is likelihood that these are retreats that were built deep in the forest. However, often enough, the towns eventually surround these forest retreats, as in the case of Wat Pa Phai.
I visited Wat Pa Phai while I was Luang Prabang to document its sights for AsiaExplorers. I started my walking exploration in the morning, and by the time I arrived at Wat Pa Phai, the sky was starting to clear, giving me the rich blue sky I was hoping for.
It is not known when Wat Pa Phai was first built. Or rather, should I say various records put the date differently. According to French historian Henri Parmentier, Wat Pa Phai was built in 1645. However, Luang Prabang historian Chao Khaminanh Vongkot Rattana placed its construction date much later, at 1815.
The sim is ornately decorated with murals in Lao-Thai style depicting everyday life in Laos. At Wat Pa Phai I struck up a conversation with a couple of friendly novice monks who were eager to practise their English.
If you're going to Luang Prabang, you'd be glad to know that the town is quite small. You can go to most places on foot if you want to. Otherwise, you can also catch a tuk tuk to take you around. As for accommodation, they range from very simple, basic beds to boutique hotels. You can visit the Luang Prabang Hotels guide for a list of budget accommodation.
The sim of Wat Pa Phai.
Side view of the sim of Wat Pa Phai.
Two novice monks who struck a conversation with me. They were eager to practise their English.
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