Pakse is the third-largest city in Laos and the capital of the southern Laotian province of Champasak. Sitting on the Mekong and Xe Don rivers, Pakse is an increasingly popular tourist destination, for the Golden Buddha and other nearby sites in Champasak Province. The infrastructure for running in Pakse isn’t that well-developed, but there are some options.
The best place to run in Pakse is over the Lao Nippon Bridge (one of only five bridges to cross the Mekong in Laos!) to the Wat Phousalao Temple complex and the Golden Buddha (thanks to Lena Andersson for suggesting this route!). Ambitious runners can add around there with the rugged roads and trails of Salao Mountain (Phou Salao). In Pakse itself, one can run on the ~2.5 km road along the Mekong, or on the network of country roads north of #13 Road.
Runner Notes: Not a lot of sidewalks along roads in Pakse, so use caurion. Also, Pakse is hot year-round, near 32C (90F) most days and nights that rarely drop below 21C (70F). Monsoonal rains can occur May-December. Also,
