Highlights of Laos

Upon arrival, you start visiting the major city sights; including Wat Sisaket, the country’s oldest temple, with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo. En route, you will visit the famous That Luang Stupa, the single most important monument in Laos and the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triomphe. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Transfer to Luang Prabang by an express train. Upon arrival, visit the National Museum at the former Royal Palace. Next, visit the city’s oldest temple, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic set in colored glass.  Continue to visit the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset. From there, you visit the Night Market then transfer back to your hotel.

You will board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside. We will stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns, both repositories for thousands of Buddha images. You will also stop at two villages including Ban Muangkeo where the local rice wine is produced and Ban Xieng Mene. After that, climb up to Wat Chomphet where you can get the best views of Luang Prabang from across the river. Once back in the town, take a short drive to Ban Xang Khong and Ban XiengLek – small villages well known for silk weavings and Saa (jute) Papermaking.

Transfer to the ethnic Khmu village of Ban Long Lao Nong before heading to the nearby Hmong village of Ban Longlao Song. You will observe the lifestyles of these two culturally very different minority groups and see how despite their differences they manage to work together on a day to day basis. We will continue our excursion to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls where you can swim in the turquoise pools or walk along forest paths. En route, visit Buffalo Dairy Farm and some ethnic minority villages and see how these colorful people live. Return to the city by late evening to observe the sunset at Wat Phabath.

After breakfast, if time permits, visit the morning Phosi Market where you will find dried buffalo skins, local teas and saltpeter among the many foodstuffs and hill-tribe textiles before transfer to the airport for the departure flight.