Summary:
On this tour you will appreciate the rich cultural history of Laos and visit the two UNESCO World Heritage sites of Luang Prabang and Wat Phou Champassak. These great sites tell you how the civilization of the great ancestors of Laos developed. In Laos you will experience not only the local life of today but beautiful landscape and countryside. Relax and enjoy these rural areas too that remain largely unspoilt, well away from vibrant city life in the modern world.
Details:
Laos is a fascinating and extraordinary country, formerly under French Colonial rule and control by the Pathet Lao. Like Vietnam, market reforms were introduced in the late 1980s. The IMF has helped fund growth but Laos remains poor. About 30% of the population lives below the poverty line. Yet, Laotian people are very hospitable and exude calmness and a sense of well-being. Their lifestyle is simple and relaxed. If invited into a home please do accept.
Think about combining Laos with Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam. Understand even more the cultural diversity and rich histories. Absorb geographic differences, the beautiful environment and traditional ways of life of more than 50 ethnic groups. As with all tours these are tailored to suit your specific interests to maximise your travel experience.
Day 1 - Arrival - Luang Prabang - Half Day City Tour
On arrival at Luang Prabang International Airport you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. After time to rest and freshen up we will head off on bicycles to see some of the highlights of Luang Prabang including a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, hosting a range of interesting artifacts from the Royal period in Luang Prabang. Cycling on, we see the city’s oldest temples. Admire the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roof sweeping low to the ground in the style of classical Lao architecture, the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and imposing shrine of Wat Aham. Overnight is in Luang Prabang
Day 2 - Luang Prabang - Big Brother Mouse – Ban Khia Luang – Pak Ou Caves
We start the day with a visit to the Big Brother Mouse shop in town to select some children’s books for our village visit. Heading north along Route 13 we then take an unpaved road to Ban Khia Luang. Here you will have ample time to visit the school, play with the kids and watch them enjoy their new books. You will also see the village women at their weaving looms and visit the local temple.
For lunch we have a choice of a western picnic lunch or a traditional Lao meal of sticky rice, laap (minced meat salad) and fresh vegetables cooked by the villagers. We say goodbye to these welcoming people and drive to Ban Khoklin, taking us through beautiful mountain scenery and paddy fields. At Ban Khoklin we board a private boat down the Nam Ou River to Pak Ou Caves. These caves are an ancient pilgrimage site and contain thousands of gold lacquered Buddha images left there over hundreds of years.
Continuing down the Mekong River we arrive back late afternoon to Luang Prabang where you will spend the night.
Day 3 - Luang Prabang - Khuang Si Waterfall
After breakfast we begin our journey to Kuang Sii Waterfall stopping along the way to visit the morning Phousi Market where all the locals of Luang Prabang come to do their daily shopping. You will see a variety of local foodstuffs and products including dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, fish, vegetables and fruit; everything needed for daily life in Laos.
On arrival at the Kuang Sii Falls you will have the opportunity to cool off with a refreshing swim in the topaz pools below the falls, walk along forest trails and visit a Bear Sanctuary. You then return to Luang Prabang with free time this afternoon to explore or relax at your hotel. Enjoy the spiritual feel of this small city and maybe later visit the night bazaar
Day 4 - Luang Prabang – Vientiane – half day city tour (flight)
This morning you transfer to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. On arrival in the capital you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
The city tour this afternoon enables you to see the major temples of Vientiane, including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, with it’s thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, once used to house the famous Emerald Buddha Image. You will also visit the national icon of Laos, the majestic and fortress-like That Luang Stupa and stop on the way to take pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.
Your evening is free to explore the city, take a stroll along the waterfront or relax at the hotel. Overnight is in Vientiane
Day 5 - Vientiane – Pakse – Tad Lo
We take an early flight this morning to Pakse. On arrival we head for the refreshing mountain climate of the Bolevan Plateau, famed for its magnificent scenery, diverse ethnic villages and many waterfalls. We will visit two of the best. The twin falls of Tad Fan cascade over 100 metres to the valley floor below and Tad Ngeuan with its pristine pools for taking a refreshing dip and coffee shop and plantation where you can sample some real Lao coffee.
On the way you will see rich soils of the region, cultivated for coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops. We then arrive at Tad Lo, home to another scenic waterfall and numerous ethnic minority groups. We will visit the villages of Alak, Nge, and Katu before a stay overnight in Tad Lo.
Day 6 - Tad Lo – Wat Phou – 4,000 Islands
After an early breakfast, we head down the mountains towards Champasak and the 4,000 islands area. Passing through Pakse town we cross the Mekong River by ferry to visit the Khmer Hindu and pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu. This mountain top temple is one of South-East Asia’s most impressive for its dramatic and imposing location as well as architecture.
After lunch we continue our journey by car and long tail boat to the 4,000 Islands where you have the rest of the day to relax. Overnight is in the 4,000 Islands area.
Day 7 - 4,000 Islands and surrounding area
After an early breakfast we head south by road and boat to Done Khone. Here we retrace the island’s French colonial-past at Ban Khone with its old colonial houses and see the first Lao railway with its own locomotive. We continue our exploration of the area by boat and visit the beautiful Liphi waterfall. This is also known as the Samphamith which forms a natural border between Laos and Cambodia.
We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the famous waterfall of Khone Phapeng, the largest waterfall in South East Asia, known also as the 'Niagara of the east'. You stay overnight in the 4,000 Islands area
Day 8 - 4,000 Islands – Pakse - Departure
After breakfast you transfer to Pakse for your flight to Siem Reap or Ho Chi Minh or to exit Laos overland via Chongmek International Checkpoint to Ubon Ratchathani Thailand.