Day 1: Arrival in Luang Prabang (-)
You will be welcomed upon your arrival at the airport and driven to downtown Luang Prabang.
Check-in at the hotel. Free time for the rest of the day.
Overnight at the hotel in Luang Prabang.
Day 2: Luang Prabang – City Tour (B, L, D)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will kick off your city tour with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, where an interesting collection of objects are exhibited. Then, you will go to Wat Xieng Thong, highly recognizable thanks to its roof almost touching ground – its architecture perfectly exemplifies the design of other Buddhist edifications found in the city. You will also have time to visit Wat Aham and the impressive stupa in Wat Visoun.
After lunch, you will visit the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Center and learn about the different ethnic groups in the country. Then, you will visit Ban Xieng Khong and Ban Xieng Lek Villages, where the art of hand weaving is performed. You will return to Luang Prabang to visit the Wat Mai.
Later, you will go to the top of Phousi Hill, where you will see the sacred gold stupa and enjoy a breathtaking view of the city and Mekong River while admiring the sunset. The city tour will finish with a visit to the night market, where you can find hand-made fabrics produced by the ethnic groups living in the region.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
(Note: the Royal Palace Museum is closed on Tuesdays).
Day 3: Luang Prabang – Kuang Si Falls (B, L)
Today, you will start by visiting Phousi morning market, the largest in Luang Prabang and where you can find original products (such as dried buffallo skin, local tea, saltpeter…) while observing the local minorities embroidering their fabrics, amid the chicken roaming through the alleys of this lively market.
Laos is known for its crafts, and today you will visit several ethnic villages: Ban Ouay (inhabited by the H’Mong ethnic group), Ban Ou (a Laoloum Village), and Ban Thapene (a Khmu Village). Your trail will lead you to Kuang Si Falls, where you will be able to refresh yourself while bathing in the water pools created by the waterfalls, or hike on the forest trails.
You will return to Luang Prabang in the afternoon and have free time for rest of the day.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day 4: Luang Prabang – Pak Ou Caves – Nong Khiaw (by boat) (B, L, D)
Today, you will start a boat trip, upstream the Nam Ou River, which will permit you to enjoy great landscapes made of lush forests. You will also visit some villages and admire fabulous karst sceneries. You will visit Pak Ou Caves, two grottoes housing thousands of gold-lacquered Buddha statues that were deposited there by pilgrims. You will reach Nong Khiaw in the end of the afternoon.
Overnight in Nong Khiaw.
Day 5: Nong Khiaw – Trekking and Cruise in Muang Ngoi – Nong Khiaw (B, L, D)
This morning, you will board a boat for a 1-hour trip to Muang Ngoi, a scenic fishing village. Then, you will trek to Tham Kang, which, according to legend, houses a Naga. You will pass through rice fields until reaching Ban Na, a place accessible only by foot and thus well-preserved and very authentic.
After lunch break, you will stop to Huay Sen, a village inhabited by the Tai Deng ethnic group. Then, you will come back to Muang Ngoi by foot. You will have the opportunity to swim in Nam Ou River before going back on the boat for Nong Khiaw.
Overnight in Nong Khiaw.
Day 6: Nong Khiaw – Muang La (B, L, D)
This morning, we will have time to walk to Tham Pha Thok, a series of grottoes once acting as shelters for villagers during the Indochina War. From there, you will have a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.
Then, you will be driven to Muang La, a scenic village famous for its natural hot springs. There, you will be able to relax while bathing in hot waters, or enjoy a nice massage at Muang La Resort, where you will stay.
Overnight in Muang La.
Day 7: Muang La – Trekking – Muang La (B, L, D)
You will board a minibus around 9:30am and drive through a thick bamboo forest, until reaching the top of a mountain, from where you will start a hike that will lead you to a H’Mong village. You will learn more about this ethnic group, which retraces its origins to Tibet Mountains. You will familiarize yourself with their daily lives and more specifically on the role of animals in their culture. You will also discover the long ritual that every H’Mong woman and girl undergoes from makeup to dress in a traditional way.
Next on the program is a visit to an old military camp dating from the Vietnam War: this site reflects the suffering of Laotian people during the war, even if it has been largely ignored by the Western countries. After that, you will continue to walk and reach a village inhabited by the Akha, an ethnic group native of Yunnan and Tibet. During this trek, you will have the opportunity to discover more about this ethnic minority that remains much attached to its traditional roots. You will end the morning with a delicious lunch at the house of the village’s chief.
In the afternoon, you will go to another Akha village and learn more about their culture and customs. You will get to know more about the method they use to color their clothes with natural dyes extracted from local plants, and you will learn more about their belief in spirits and the major role they play in the daily life of each Akha. You will return to Muang La Resort around 4:30pm.
Overnight in Muang La.
Day 8: Muang La – Oudomxay – Vientiane (B, L, D)
After spending the morning at your own leisure, you will be driven to Oudomxay for your flight to Vientiane. While on your way, you will stop at the intriguing Pra Xack Kham temple, famed for a 400-year old sacred Buddha statue. According to a legend, this statue possess supernatural powers, which explains why this Buddha is largely idolized by the locals.
Later, you will land in Vientiane. You will be picked up at the airport and transported to your hotel.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Day 9: Vientiane – City Tour (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you will explore the capital and see the highlights of Vientiane: Wat Si Saket, with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues, Wat Phra Kaew, the holy Pha That Luang, and imposing Patuxai.
In the afternoon, you will continue your tour by foot to the Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan, Wat Inpeng, and Wat Hai Sok. You will go through the main commercial quarter with the main markets such as Talat Sao and Tala Khua Din, where many kinds of products are sold (fresh vegetable and fruits and other foods, home furniture, fabrics, precious metals, antiques…).
Finally, you will return to the Mekong banks at the end of the day and admire the sunset.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Day 10: Vientiane – Pakse – Bolaven Plateau – Tad Lo – Kingfisher Resort (B, L, D)
In the early morning, you will be driven to the airport for your flight to Pakse. Upon arriving in Pakse, you will be picked up by car and driven to Bolaven Plateau.
This place is renowned for its fresh climate, as it is located at a high altitude in the Mekong Valley. This region is famous for its numerous waterfalls, including the Tad Fan, the most gorgeous of the bunch. Tad Fan is very spectacular, thanks to its two falls diving in a deep gorge surrounded by lush vegetation. After this visit, you will go for a refreshing excursion through different kinds of plantations (tea, coffee, cardamom, bananas…).
You will finally reach Tad Lo in the afternoon – a place also blessed with a beautiful waterfall and home to many ethnic minority groups. From there, you will go to the south and Xe Pian Natural Protected Area, before finally reaching Kingfisher Ecolodge.
Overnight at the Kingfisher Ecolodge.
Day 11: Kingfisher – Elephant Riders School (B, L, D)
Today, you will have the unique opportunity to learn how to ride an elephant at the Elephant Riders School of Kingfisher Ecolodge, the first of its kind.
In the morning, you will learn the basic techniques needed to ride an elephant.
In the afternoon, you will have the chance to put into practice the acquired knowledge by climbing up Mount Phou Asa with your new friend – you will live intense moments and build unforgettable memories.
Overnight at the Kingfisher Ecolodge.
Day 12: Kingfisher – Champasak (Wat Phu) – Don Daeng (B, L, D)
Today, you will leave the Kingfisher Ecolodge and explore the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu in the Champasak Province. You will have time to explore these intriguing Khmer remains, located at the foot of mount Phu Kao.
After lunch, you will board a long-tail boat for a cruise to Don Daeng, where you will check-in the La Folie Lodge.
You will have free time for the rest of the day to explore this beautiful island or rest and relax.
Overnight in Don Daeng.
Day 13: Don Daeng – 4,000 Islands – Dong Daeng (B, L, D)
Start the day with a good breakfast, before boarding a car south until reaching a boat that will lead you to Don Khone. You will visit Ban Khone, a place marked by the French Colonial era, where you will see old colonial houses and the first railway tracks and locomotive in Laos.
You will continue to explore the 4,000 Islands by boat, and visit Liphi Waterfall (also known as Samphamith), a sumptuous water cascade acting as a natural border between Laos and Cambodia. Then, you will go to Ban Nakasang, where you will hop on the car and drive to the famous Khone Phadeng Waterfalls, the largest falls in South-East Asia, also nicknamed the “Niagara of the East”.
Later, you will return to Don Daeng, where you will stay overnight.
Day 14: Don Daeng – Pakse – Departure (B)
Have a good breakfast to start the day. Then, you will be driven either to Pakse, where you will take a flight to Siem Reap (Cambodia), or to the Chong Mek / Vang Tao border post, where you will exit Laos and enter Thailand.
Note: You can also make this tour with a reversed itinerary (both ways are possible).
