Visiting the Plain of Jars, Phonsavan, Laos

The Plain of Jars is an off-the-beaten path kind of destination– at least, as much as an UNESCO World Heritage Site can be! I visited in October 2023 and barely saw any other tourists, which is such a shame because it’s an amazing piece of history.

If you enjoy going to less-traveled places and want to learn more about Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars, keep reading! This is a write-up of my experience going on a private guided tour of a few Plain of Jars sites, plus a museum.

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The Plain of Jars Sites & History

These massive stone jars, totally about 2,000 around the province, were created between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. The stone was taken from a nearby quarry and brought up to hills overlooking ancient cities. They’re still somewhat mysterious as archaeologists haven’t determined their original purpose yet.

It’s thought they were used in burial practices, though exactly how is still up for debate. Perhaps bodies were placed inside to decompose, and then removed for burial.

Or maybe they have to do with food storage instead: storing extra grains or collecting rainwater for travelers and locals rather than hosting dead bodies. Check out the Wikipedia page for more theories and discussion on the research into these jars– which has really only been happening for about 100 years now.

Guided Tour of the Plain of Jars

There’s a few different ways you can go see the Plain of Jars. You can join a group tour, hire a private guide, or go on your own (though you’ll need transportation). It’s more typical to have a private guide because there’s just not a ton of tourists out here yet, so there may not be enough to fill a group.

You don’t need to have a tour guide, necessarily, as most of the info is available at the museum. If you need to save money, you can always DIY your own visit and just hire a driver (or rent a car, perhaps).

Getting to Phonsavan

It’s a bit of a slog to get to Phonsavan, but the two ways are driving or flying. There’s multiple buses going to Phonsavan from the major cities every day, and there’s a few flights a day from Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

I took the bus from Luang Prabang to Phosavan and it was definitely an experience. If you’re short on time, or get bad carsickness, then I recommend flying.

Plain of Jars Visitor Info

The entrance ticket is 15,000 kip to each Site (I think; mine was included in my tour price) though only Site 1 seemed to have a proper ticket booth.

Not all sites are open to the public, as there is still quite a bit of unexploded ordinance left in the countryside. Be sure to double-check which ones you can go to with a local before heading off, especially if you’re by yourself.

Here’s a set of really good maps of the area by HoboMaps.com.

👩‍💻Prefer to book ahead? There’s some tours available on Viator now! Check out this 2 day trekking tour which includes tent accommodation and meals, or this 3 day tour which includes transportation from Luang Prabang.

My Experience at the Plain of Jars

I went on a private tour, booked via my hotel (which also is a tour agency) for $70 USD (plus tip). Because it’s a private tour it’s somewhat customizable, but you’re basically restricted to a certain amount of time. I decided to just go to the major sites: Site 1, Site 2 and Site 3 as well as the Xieng Khouang Provincial Museum.

Site 1

Site 1 was the first stop, where we went to the Plain of Jars visitor information center building at the beginning and read up on the history of the area and how the Jars were discovered (see the info I put at the top of this post).

Then we took a little golf cart kinda thing over to the Jars, and my guide explained the specific info about the rocks they were made of, how they were brought up to the hills, and what the locals thought of them.

He pointed out several special jars, including one with a lid and one “king Jar” which you can see in the photo there. It’s the largest jar on that site (maybe of all the sites?)

We also stopped in a nearby cave, where locals hid during the bombings in the Vietnam War.

Site 2

This is up a hill and through some woods, though it was very easy to walk. We didn’t see any other tourists at all here, but I did find some interesting jars and lots to photograph.

After this we stopped for lunch and then continued to Site 3.

Site 3

This involved quite a bit of walking, including over a TINY “bridge” over a small river and through rice fields. It was very beautiful, and my guide explained about rice cultivation on the way to the Site. We also saw cows!

I liked this Site a lot, as the woods were very pretty and once again there were NO tourists. I spent quite a bit of time photographing the Jars (and the cows).

After this we stopped at the Museum, which I’ll make a separate post about.

Final Thoughts about the Plain of Jars

My tour guide spoke very good English, and brought me to a local place to have lunch. Besides the ancient history info, I got lots of info about modern local life in Laos!

Normally I’d rather go on small group tours, as I enjoy meeting other travelers, but this was the only option available at the time— and it meant I could take my time at each site.

It was nice not to feel rushed and be able to take as many photos as I wanted. I really enjoyed this day among the megaliths, and I’m glad I forked over the extra cash to take a private tour.

If you’re short on time, you can definitely just go to Site 1 and see the jars there. It’s about 10 minutes from town and easy to get to. The other two sites are great (and much less busy), but the jars are basically the same.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Plain of Jars. Highly recommend visiting here if you have any interest in ancient history.

Laos Eco Tours

Check out more amazing things you can do in Laos here on my Viator shop page.