Things to Do in Laos in April
April weather, activities, events & insider tips
April Weather in Laos
Is April Right for You?
Advantages
- Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year, April 13-16) is the country's biggest festival - three days of water throwing, temple ceremonies, and street parties that you'll actually remember for life, not the watered-down tourist version you find elsewhere
- Rivers are still swollen from late dry season snowmelt in northern mountains, making this the last reliable month for kayaking the Nam Ou and tubing in Vang Vieng before water levels drop too low in May
- Mango season peaks in April - you'll find over a dozen varieties at markets for 15,000-25,000 kip per kilo (USD 0.75-1.25), and street vendors sell nam van (sweet mango with sticky rice) on every corner for 10,000 kip
- Tourist numbers drop significantly after Songkran crowds leave Thailand (April 13-15), meaning the last two weeks of April offer empty temples in Luang Prabang and available guesthouses without advance booking
Considerations
- This is genuinely the hottest month of the year - temperatures hit 35-38°C (95-100°F) daily, and the combination of heat plus rising humidity makes midday exploration physically exhausting, especially in lowland areas like Vientiane and Savannakhet
- Slash-and-burn agriculture creates thick smoke haze across northern Laos throughout April, with PM2.5 levels in Luang Prabang often exceeding 150 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) - visibility drops to 2-3 km (1.2-1.9 miles) and sunsets look apocalyptic
- If you're not in Laos for Pi Mai itself (April 13-16), you'll find many businesses closed for 4-5 days, banks shut down, and transport schedules disrupted - it's like trying to travel through Europe during Christmas week
Best Activities in April
Pi Mai Water Festival Participation in Luang Prabang
April 13-16 is Lao New Year, and Luang Prabang does it best - morning alms-giving ceremonies at temples, afternoon water throwing that's actually joyful (not the aggressive bucket attacks you get in Thailand), evening processions with flower floats down the Mekong. The heat makes getting drenched feel like relief rather than annoyance. Locals mix talcum powder with water for blessings, and the whole town shuts down for three days of genuine celebration.
Early Morning Mekong River Activities
The only comfortable time for river activities is 6am-9am before the heat becomes unbearable. Kayaking from Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoi (16 km / 10 miles, 3-4 hours) works beautifully in April because water levels are still high enough to avoid scraping rocks, but the current isn't dangerously fast. Sunrise boat trips from Luang Prabang to Pak Ou Caves catch the river at its calmest, with morning mist still hanging over the water.
Cave Exploration in Khammouane Province
Kong Lor Cave and Tham Nang Aen stay refreshingly cool (around 22-24°C / 72-75°F) year-round, making them perfect escapes from April heat. Kong Lor's 7.5 km (4.7 mile) river cave journey by boat feels like entering air conditioning. The Thakhek Loop motorcycle route (450 km / 280 miles, 3-4 days) is brutally hot during midday but manageable if you ride 6am-10am and 4pm-6pm, stopping at caves during the hottest hours.
Bolaven Plateau Coffee Farm Visits
The Bolaven Plateau sits at 1,000-1,350 m (3,280-4,430 ft) elevation, making it 5-8°C (9-14°F) cooler than Pakse below - actually pleasant in April when lowlands are sweltering. Coffee harvest finished in March, but April is processing season, so you'll see beans being dried, sorted, and roasted at farms around Paksong. Tad Fane and Tad Yuang waterfalls still have decent flow from late dry season runoff.
Late Afternoon Temple Exploration in Vientiane
Vientiane's temples are brutal to visit midday in April heat, but 4:30pm-6:30pm becomes magical - the worst heat breaks, locals come out for evening exercise at Pha That Luang, and the golden light makes Wat Si Saket's thousands of Buddha images glow. That Dam (Black Stupa) area fills with food vendors and families around 5pm. The Mekong riverside promenade actually becomes walkable after 5pm.
Night Market and Evening Food Culture
April heat makes Laos' night markets more appealing than ever - they don't get going until 6pm when temperatures finally drop below 30°C (86°F). Luang Prabang's night market runs 6pm-10pm along Sisavangvong Road, Vientiane's riverside night market goes until 11pm, and Vang Vieng's evening street food scene peaks 7pm-9pm. This is when locals actually eat dinner (not the tourist-oriented 6pm seating), so you get better food and real atmosphere.
April Events & Festivals
Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year)
The country's biggest celebration runs April 13-16 throughout Laos, with the most elaborate festivities in Luang Prabang. Day one involves temple offerings and house cleaning (symbolic fresh start), days two and three are water throwing mixed with traditional ceremonies. Unlike Thailand's Songkran which has become somewhat commercialized, Pi Mai in Laos retains genuine cultural meaning - elders receive blessings, families reunite, and the water throwing includes prayers for good fortune. Expect everything to shut down for 3-4 days.
Bun Pha Wet (Buddhist Jataka Festival)
Timing varies by lunar calendar but often falls in April - this is when temples hold special readings of the Vessantara Jataka (Buddha's past life story) over 1-3 days. Not touristy at all, but if you're in a smaller town like Savannakhet or Thakhek during this period, you'll see locals gathering at temples from early morning, bringing food offerings and staying for hours of chanting. Worth experiencing if you want to see Buddhism as it's actually practiced rather than performed for visitors.