Luang Prabang & the Northern Mountains – 9 days

After breakfast, you will first visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace. Just set on the ground, the local people come here to barter their day’s catch from rice, to vegetable, to fish, or chicken, dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter and hill-tribe weavings.

Then we transfer to Heritage House and attend a hands-on experience in traditional religious floral decoration using banana leaves and local flowers from the lush jungles that surround this art form, and will help you create a religious offering, or Van-Cornet. Then we bring our flower set to visit the temple nearby and offer it to Monks. Next, we visit The Royal Palace Museum, which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family, which displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. Continue to Wat Mai, the largest and most richly decorated of the temples in Luang Prabang.

In the afternoon, we will visit the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. Then visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (close on Mondays) where you are able to observe valuable artifacts and traditional clothing and implements from each of the 20 ethnic minority groups which inhabit the Luang Prabang area. Finally we will climb up 328 steps of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful overview of the city and the Mekong River.

Start the day with a good breakfast before leaving Luang Prabang by road.

Next, embark on a leisure cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

The boat trip continued until Pakbeng. Lunch on board. You arrive in Pakbeng at sunset time.

Cruise time: 7h00

Coach trip to Oudoxay with some stops at local villagers' hill tribe along the way. Arrive in Oudomxay, drive up to Phou That Temple, where you can see the whole view of the town. After that, continue to the resort. After checking in, you can cycle or walk on the trails of the Park to explore in that area. Enjoy the beautiful views of the river and the mountains in the surrounding area.

A whole day hiking in Nam Kat Yorla Pa Park, you cross the jungle with giant trees before arriving at the beautiful Nam Kat waterfall. Stop at the Nam Kat waterfall to enjoy its magnificent setting. Continuation of your walk across the 13 suspension bridges with a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Return to your hotel

Coach trip to Nong Khiaw through the breathtaking mountainous landscapes. Stop on the road to visit the Hmong Village Ban Song Cha, visit the village ò Ban Nuang Tai where the Tai Lu live. Discover their local life and visit a traditional family. Option to do 3 hours trekking to Phou Phaden for the beautiful panoramic view of Nong Khiaw, a lovely valley with karst mountains.

Night in Nong Khiaw

After breakfast at the hotel, you will board a traditional boat to the ancient city of Muang Ngoi (1-hour boat ride). You will reach Muang Ngoi early, before starting a 30-min hike around 9:00am to Tham Kang, an ancient cave which was a refuge for villagers during the Indochina War (1960-1972). You will have the time to appreciate the surrounding countryside.

After this visit, you will hike to Ban Houay Boor (a village inhabited by the Khmu and T’ai Deng ethnic groups), where you will enjoy lunch with locals. Then, you will continue your trek to Ban Na (a T’ai Deng Village). There, you will learn more about the daily life of the inhabitants, before returning to Muang Ngoi. From there, you will be driven back to Nong Khiaw.

Coach trip back to Luang Prabang with stop to visit Khoangsi waterfall

Once at the waterfalls, take a leisurely hike through the national park towards the Khouang Si waterfalls and pass by the Asian bear rescue center. You will enjoy feeling the mist of the cool, turquoise waters of the different waterfalls. Swimming in the refreshing waters is possible.

Return to the city by late afternoon to catch the sunset at Wat Phabath.

Transfer to Luang Prabang airport for departure flight.