Impressions of Laos

Sa-bai-dee! Welcome to Luang Prabang the ancient capital of Laos!

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.

Met and greeted at the airport and transfer to hotel for check in (check in time is 14.00)
Remainder of the day is to relax or wander around exploring the laidback town at your own pace.
Overnight in hotel in Luang Prabang.

Summary of inclusions

Get up early in the morning if you wish to participate in the daily early morning ritual of saffron-clad monks with their black alms-giving bowls being given offerings from the local people.

Back to hotel for breakfast.
Later, you will take a bicycle/green tuk tuck tour to sightseeing the ancient Luang Prabang with visits to some featured sights of the town including: Wat Visoun, the site of impressive Thad Makmo stupa with the rounded dome is stylistically more Sinhalese than Lao; Wat Aham and Wat Sene Temple; the most photographed temple in Luang Prabang - Wat Xiang Thong, with its roof sweeping low to the ground, representing the classical Luang Prabang style; the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, with a huge collections of Laos historical and cultural artifacts; the Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-relief.

Late afternoon, take a 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.

Evening is at your leisure. Overnight in hotel in Luang Prabang.

Note: if you do not like cycling, green tuk tuk or private car/van can be used instead.

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, get to the pier and 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 cruise forth and back, you will also make some stops to explore traditional local villages such as Ban Xanghai where you can see and learn about the distillation of local rice wine, the Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xienglek, well known for traditional silk weaving and handmade flower paper.
Remainder of the day is at your leisure to wander around the old quarter of Luang Prabang, sightseeing the colonial area with beautiful colonial architecture.
Optional Laos cooking class is available at your disposal.
Evening is free at your own pace. Overnight in hotel in Luang Prabang.

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, take a drive out to the Kuang Si waterfall, a jade of Luang Prabang area. Along the way you will make stop to visit to local hill tribe villages of Hmong and Khmu to learn more about Laos’s culture colors and diversity.

At the Kuang Si Waterfall Park, you will have a visit to the Kuang Si Bear Rescue Sanctuary where you can find great information about Asian sun and moon bears and the Free the Bears Protection Program.

Considered the most beautiful masterpiece of nature in Luang Prabang and the whole country of Laos, from the level of 60 meters high, the vibrant water of Kuang Si tumbles down, cascading over limestone tiers creating a series of wonderful turquoise natural swimming pools. The harmony between the white falls, crystal blue color ponds, fascinating travertine patterns and the green of lush tropical jungle surrounding makes make the place a dreaming picturesque landscape. 
The wonderful activity here is absolutely to take a swim in the turquoise ponds and let the torrents shower your body. You can also take a hike along jungle trail up to the top where the stream feeding into the falls to get a great overview of the stunning water patchwork below. 

Enjoy your time exploring and swimming in crystal clear water.
Back to Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and evening is at your leisure.
Overnight in hotel in Luang Prabang.

Summary of inclusions

Breakfast at the hotel then embark our our drive to Vang Vieng. The journey is strenuous as you drive along one of the most scenic but rough routes in Laos. Take your time to contemplate the authentic nature of Laos on the way getting to Vang Vieng town. Stop at some high view-points to enjoy the beauty of the tropical forest.

Lies on the Nam Song river bank with the most notable feature of surrounding karst landscape, Vang Vieng is known for its natural beauties that is unchanged overs centuries. This place is also home to many of Laos’s ethnic groups including Kmou, Hmong…with their typical culture and tradition. This tranquil town is rapidly developed with the advent of tourist, but the beautiful scenery with a mixture of quiet water and limestone outcrops is unchanged for century.

Check in hotel upon arrival and this afternoon you take a long tail boat cruise along the Nam Song River that leads us through idyllic scenes of rural life: a unique sight with the limestone mountains in the background.
Evening is free at your own pace. Overnight in hotel in Vang Vieng.

Summary of inclusions

This morning you enjoy a short trek through rice paddies with a stop at a Hmong village in Ban Pha Thao then visit the cave of Tham Pha Thao.
Continue to the Xang Cave - also called Elephant Cave which contains a few Buddha images and a Buddha footprint plus the elephant shaped stalactites that give the cave its name.

Depart Vang Vieng for our drive southwards along rural landscapes to Vientiane.
On the way, you will make some stops to sightsee and interact with locals, including a visit to the traditional salt making village of Ban Keun where you learn the way Laos people make their salt.

Arrive in Vientiane in the late afternoon.
Evening is at your leisure. Overnight in hotel in Vientiane.

Summary of inclusions

Today you will spend full day to explore highlights of the Vientiane capital city.
Start the tour with visit to 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, stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane's own Arc de Triumph.

The afternoon, continue to explore the rest of mystical Vientiane with visits to the Wat Ong Tue, Wat Inpeng, Wat Haisok and the Buddha Park, a display of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures created by mystical monk on parkland located by the Mekong River.
Enjoy the spectacular sunset over the Mekong.

Evening is free at your own pace. Overnight in hotel in Vientiane.

Summary of inclusions

Transfer to airport for flight to Pakse.
Met and greeted upon arrival and enjoy our drive uphill rural landscapes passing lush plantations, hills, forests and villages to the Bolaven Plateau. The deep contrast of verdant greens and red surface of basaltic soil is incredible all along the way.
Visit the Tad Lo waterfall, an incredible sight of Bolaven then transfer to visit tea and coffee plantations where you can learn about these special products of the land. Continue to the stunning Tad Fane Waterfall which plunges down from the height of 120 meters off a cliff surrounded by the dramatic jungles then take a pleasant walk through coffee plantation (or drive) to the Tad Yuang Waterfall, another beautiful sight in the plateau.

Transfer back to Pakse in the afternoon and remainder of the day is at your leisure. Overnight in hotel in Pakse.

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast, transfer by road to Wat Phou. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that built amidst the spectacular natural setting of southern Laos. The temple was built by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat.

Continue on to Khong Island, the biggest island in south Laos and the start of the 4000 Islands Region. Called “Siphandon in Lao language, this area is where the Mekong stretches over 14km wide and has thousands of islands between those the river flows and runs between cascades and rapids.
Check in hotel and rest of the afternoon you spend time to explore Ban Khong village and Wat Phrang Keo temple.

Overnight in hotel in Don Khong.

Summary of inclusions

After breakfast in your hotel, transfer to Ban Nakasang village where you will take a boat to explore the landscapes of the 4000 Islands area.
This is the area where the Mekong River at its widest – up to 12 km wide during the rainy season. When dry season comes and water retreat, many small islands emerge up and that is why the area is named.

Upon arrival in Don Khone island, visit to impressive Liphi waterfalls which sounds can be heard from far away. This is the southernmost part of Laos and very close to Cambodian border. Also you will have a chance to discover colonial vestiges, including an old railway, which was built by the French in 1897 in order to bypass the powerful rapids that disrupt the navigation along the Mekong River. Then cruise back to Ban Nakasang village and transfer to visit Khone Phabeng waterfall - the largest in South East Asia, also known as the 'Niagara of the east'.

Drive back to Pakse and evening is at your leisure. Overnight in hotel in Pakse.

Summary of inclusions

Breakfast is at the hotel.
Free at leisure until check out time.
Get a private transfer to the airport for flight home or to onward destination.
Safe travel and see you again!

Summary of inclusions