Champasak is a small town in southern Laos, on the west bank of the Mekong River about 40 km south of Pakxe, the capital of Champasak Province.
The town was once the seat of the Kingdom of Champasak, an independent Lao state which was abolished by the French in 1945 when they created the Kingdom of Laos, but the last King of Champasak had his palace in Pakxe. Today the town is very small, consisting mostly of guesthouses along the riverbank, catering to tourists visiting the Wat Phu temple ruins some 10 km away.
Laos is a fairly wet country with its tropical monsoon climate. Rainfall is heavy from May to October; it’s dry and cool from November to February; and hot and dry in March and April. Usually, the monsoon occurs simultaneously throughout Laos. However, the timing of the monsoon can vary from year to year, so plan your Champasak travel accordingly and book your Champasak hotel in advance. There’s even a variance in the amount of rainfall in the different regions. The highest annual rainfall – 3700 mm was noted on the Bolovens Plateau in Champasak Province.