Laos Tour

10 days North to South

A compact and interesting introduction into Laos

Please ask our team members for your individual itinerary, suiting your ideas and budgets

Highlights of this tour:

• UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang
• French colonial heritage along the Mekong
• The magic Mekong - boat cruise
• Holy Caves - Pak Ou
• Villages and waterfalls - soft trekking
• Landscapes and sceneries
• Plain of Jars...a mystery
• Vientiane capital and Lao history...and much more

Day 1. Welcome to Laos and Luang Prabang World Heritage town

You may fly to Luang Prabang from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi or other connecting airports. Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, we will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel.
The UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos, maybe in Indochina. Later in the day you visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham. In the evening you climb up to the top of Phousi Mountain for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River. Night Market, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 2. Luang Prabang - magic Mekong and the holy Pak Ou caves

After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city's oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng thong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represent the classical architecture of Luang Prabang temple/wat. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the distillation of local rice wine. n return we take a short drive to Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xienglek, well known for its hand made paper. Overnight in Luang Prabang. - B -

Day 3. Luang Prabang World Heritage town - Kuang Si Waterfalls and soft half day trekking (Trek is optional)

If you wake up early and participate in the daily early morning ritual of saffron-clad monks with their black Alms-giving bowls being given offerings from the local people. After breakfast we take a stroll on the Phousi Market where you see many local products such as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings.

The afternoon we spend in relaxed atmosphere and continue to visit the Kuang Si waterfall. On the way we make some stops to visit local villages At the waterfalls you can splash around in the pools or walk along the forest paths, return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

OPTION:
TREKKING Tour at Kuang Si waterfall, you need to let us know in advance, so we can prepare our picnic lunch. Overnight in Luang Prabang. - B,L -

Day 4. Luang Prabang - The Plain of Jars - Phonsavanh - Xieng Khouang Plateau

We take the road overland through beautiful natural scenery to Xiengkhouang, which was devastated by American bombing between 1964-1973. On the way we have some stops at villages of hill tribe people.  Upon arrival at Phonsavanh we continue to the famous Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are littered all over the plateau.
Overnight in Phonsavanh. - B,L,D -

Day 5. Xiengkhouang - Phonsavanh - Vientiane by Flight

Breakfast, visit Central Market, and then free at leisure by own discovery for you to further explore the town before we catch a flight back to Vientiane. After checking into hotel, [if time permits] we continue our sightseeing tour of Vientiane surrounding; visit the impressive Lao - Thai Friendship Bridge and the Buddha Park, a display of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures created by mystical monk on parkland located by the Mekong River. Overnight in Vientiane. - B -

Day 6. Vientiane - Explore the secrets of the capital

Exploring Vientiane capital city, we start to visit the major sights of the capital including the oldest Wat Sisaket with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane's own Arc de Triumph.

 The afternoon we spend to continue to visit the rest of Vientiane by walking if it is not too hot. We visit Wat Ong Tue, Wat Inpeng and Wat Haisok. Then we pass by the major shopping area continuing to the Vientiane Central Market of Talad Sao and Talad Kouadin where the major goods display; including fresh food, household, textiles, gold, silver and ancient souvenir varied display and return to Mekong Riverside and late evening. By late afternoon observing sunset by Mekong. Overnight in Vientiane. - B -

Day 7. Vientiane - Pakse - Don Khong (Flight)

Breakfast, we take an early flight to Pakse. On arrival, we drive on the National Road No. 13, south to Champassak and visit the ruins of Wat Phu, which is well known as the most important Hindu sanctuary of the Khmer Empire between 9 th - 13 th centuries. Here is also a chance to visit some nearby Khmer temples and Buddhist shrines, after a shortstop visit, we continue to Don Khong Island by traditional local slow boat. Overnight at Don Khong. - B -

Day 8. Khong Island - Surrounding (Boat)

Today, we enjoy a cruise venturing into the widest reach of the Mekong River from where thousands of islands jut out in dry season, giving this area a lovely name 'Si phan don' (four thousand islands). Along the way, we stop at the Liphi waterfalls and the fisherman village of Ban Khone. On return, we take a short drive to the Lao-Cambodia border at Weukham and the sight of Khone Phapheng, which is South East Asia's biggest water fall. Overnight at Khong Island. - B -

Day 9. Khong Island - Tadlo - Pakse

Upon leaving Khong Island, we continue our journey towards Tadlo, through Boloven plateau where famous tea and coffee plantation and other lush vegetation and red surface of basaltic soil are incredible all along the way. En route, there are some opportunities to explore a part of Boloven plateau and visit some hill villages of the Katu, Alak, and Nge ethnic minority people, return to Pakse by late evening. Overnight in Pakse. - B -

Day 10. Pakse - Departure

Breakfast; there is some free time for your own exploration of Pakse Town before catching either flight to Siem Reap-Cambodia or overland exit the Chongmek International checkpoint to Ubon Rathani Thailand. - B -

Inclusions
- Transportation as per itinerary (boats, mini buses, jeeps, pick ups, tuk-tuks)
- Hotels in standard category incl. breakfast
- Air fares in Laos
- Activities as described above
- Meals on activity days (see above)
- English speaking guide
- All permissions and local taxes
- Baggage handling and village contributions

Not included
- travel to and from Laos
- personal expenses
- insurance and tips
- visas and onward travel

NOTE: Expected amount of money spent on top of tour price: 10-15 US $ per day

Link to our pictures