Laos Discovery

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure. Optional: In the early evening, you will have an opportunity to participate in a unique traditional Lao ceremony called Baci at a local family house.

Transfer to visit The National Museum at the former Royal Palace then visit Wat Sene, the oldest temple and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong. After that, stop at Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Mai, House of Huean ChanWat and Phonphao. Once back to the city, we will visit The Art and Ethnology Centre and then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for a panoramic view of the city at sunset. From there, you explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade items.

Transfer to Ban Long Lao. On arrival, we begin with a visit to the ethnic Khmu village of Ban Long Lao Nong before heading to the nearby Hmong village of Ban Longlao Song. Afterwards, we visit some ethnic minority villages and see how these colorful people live. Next, stop at the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls where you can swim in the turquoise pools or walk along forest paths. Return to the city and observe the sunset at Wat Phabath.

We board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River. We will make sure to stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns. Then visit Ban Muangkeo where the local rice wine is produced and Ban Xiengmene. We also climb up to Wat Chomphet to get the best view of Luang Prabang. Once back in the city, we take a short drive to Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xieng Lek - small villages well known for silk weavings and Saa Papermaking.

Leave this charming town and we venture into the mountainous and remote area of Northern Laos to Nong Khiaw. The verdant and rugged mountain scenery combined with the colorful local population makes this an unforgettable experience. On the way, we have a short break to visit Ban Na Yang village, where the famous Thai Lui tribe produce clothing silk and cotton. Upon arrival in Nong Khiaw, drive to visit Tam Pha Tok cave, where local villagers hidden during the Indochina war.

We take a cruise up the Nam Ou River to Muang Ngoy. On arrival, we begin a trekking of 30 minutes to visit Tham Kaang, the former sheltering cave for local villagers during the Indochina war. After visiting the cave, we continue enjoying our walk to Ban Houay Boor and lunch there. Then we continue trekking to Ban Na and we return to Nong Khiaw.

Transfer to Luang Prabang train station then catch an express train to Vang Vieng. On arrival, we will get a long tail boat for an hour-long cruise on Nam Song river. Here, you will see the beautiful sunset over the river with picturesque scenery of Vang Vieng. After docking at the boat station you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Visit Tham Chang Cave, the most famous and full of fascinating stories. We then take a drive through paddy fields to the Tham Phoukham caves, the country’s beautiful and famous limestone caverns surrounded by forest. Along the way, you will meet local villagers and learn about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can swim and refresh yourself from the heat.

Cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai, a very pleasant village where we can explore the different lifestyles of the locals.  Afterwards, we make our way to Nam Ngum, a huge reservoir created by damming the Nam Ngum River. On arrival, we embark on a long tail boat ride visiting fisherman villages to explore local life. Then, stop at Vientiane capital where is a charming and fascinating place, with an interesting mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and American influences.

Transfer to visit the major sights of the capital, including Wat Sisaket, which contains more than 8000 Buddha statues, Wat Ho Prakeo the former home of the Emerald Buddha statue and That Luang Stupa. We also see the Patuxay, which was built in commemoration of those who died during past wars. In the afternoon, transfer to see Buddha Park, a scattered and enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures near the Friendship Bridge. Finish the day with the spectacular sunset view over the Mekong River.

Take an early flight to Pakse. On arrival, transfer to the Bolaven Plateau. Our first stop is to visit Houey Ten, a Katu village specializing in knifemaking. We then stop tea & coffee plantation, followed by a stop at Tad Fane Waterfall, a picturesque twin chute waterfall. Next explore the minority village: Ban Bong Neua, an Alak village that boasts a sacrificial altar. After stopping at Tadlo waterfall, we continue our tour of the Bolavens Plateau and visit Pha Suam waterfall.

We continue to travel to Champasak and visit Wat Phou, the original temple built by the Khmer Hindus at the top of a hill at the site of a fresh water spring. The temple is stunning, and very remote, with superb views of the Mekong valley.  At the top of the temple site are a number of carved rocks, resembling a crocodile, a naga and an elephant. Afterwards, we continue our journey by road to the Khong Island, a region of 4000 small islands.

We continue our exploration of the area of Khong island by boat. Here we begin by re-tracing the French colonial-past at Ban Khone. We also visit the beautiful Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which forms a natural border between Lao and Cambodia. Return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the waterfall of Khone Phapeng, the largest waterfall in ASEAN, also known as the 'Niagara of the east'.

We continue to travel by road to Ban Kietngong for hiking up Phou Asa Mountain. Phou Asa Mountain is located above Kiet Ngong Village stands an ancient and magnificent stone structure called Vat Phou Asa, which is believed to be a temple. The summit of Phou Asa opens out to provide a stunning view over large areas of the southern part of Laos. We will reach Pakse in the late afternoon and free at your own exploration.

Depending on your departure time, you will have some free time to relax or further explore this charming town on your own before a transfer to the airport for your departure flight.