LAOS HOLIDAY 12 DAYS
Day 01: Arrival Vientiane
Arrival warmly welcome to Vientiane, a charming and fascinating capital, with an interesting mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and American Influences. Our tour guide and driver will pick up you then transfer to your hotel for checking in. Overnight in Vientiane.
Day 02: Vientiane – City tour (B)
Breakfast at your hotel.
Travel to Buddha Park which takes around 45 minutes. Along the way, stop to take photos of the Friendship Bridge which was built by the Australian government in 1994 and connects Laos and Thailand. Arrive at Buddha Park and enjoy a walk in the park. Also known as XiengKhuan, this park is filled with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. The next stop is the imposing Patuxay Monument. which is well known as a Triumphal Arch of Vientiane before continuing to the famous That Luang Stupa.
Continuation of the discovery of the city of Vientiane. We start with Wat Sisaket which is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane. This amazing structure has remarkable frescoes and images of Buddha, then Haw Prakeo, the former royal temple of the Laos monarchy, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Statue.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Day 03: Vientiane train to Vang Vieng (B)
Train time: departs 13:30 and arrives at 14:23
Breakfast at the hotel, you have free time for your personal discovery until transfer to the station to take the high speed train to Vang Vieng. After an hour by train, you arrive in Vang Vieng and transfer to hotel for checking in. Overnight in Vang Vieng.
Day 04: Vang Vieng Sightseeing – Train to Vientiane (B)
Train time: departs 20:33 and arrives at 21:26
Breakfast at the hotel. During the day you will have the chance to explore four different caves and two different villages. In the morning, possibly taking a boat to cross the Nam Song River (if rainy season) or a bridge (if dry season). This trip is especially exciting for those who want to exercise and relax at the same time, avoiding the gannets of the Nam Song River. Your guide will then lead you to the first cave Tham Xang (Elephant Cave). Inside this cave, you will have the chance to see ancient Buddha statues and incredible natural limestone elephant sculptures. As you progress through the cave, your guide will tell you its history and enlighten you about the many stories and interesting past of the cave. Then you will see the traditional Laotian village nearby, the guide will walk you through it, introduce you to the local villages and tell you more about the history of the village.
We will then depart from the village passing through green rice fields and beautiful mountains before reaching two more caves: Tham Hoy and Tham Loup. In these caves there are Buddha statues and more beautiful stalactites. Besides that, you will see more than 100 names of Laotians who once hid in the caves during the past wars that affected Laos. Then you will take a short hike to Tham Nam (water cave), where you can refresh yourself.
Finally we will walk from the water cave to a Hmong (hill tribe) village. They are among the minority groups in Laos who have existed here for hundreds of years, living peacefully in the mountains. You can meet the villagers and play with the children, it is also a great opportunity to take photos and videos!
Afterwards, transfer to the station to take the high speed train to Vientiane. After an hour by train, you arrive in Vientiane, welcomed by our driver and our guide then transfer to your hotel for checking in.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Day 05: Vientiane – Flight to Pakse - Bolaven (B)
Flight: QV303 – 1125/1225
Breakfast at the hotel, you have free time for your personal discovery until our driver and our guide transfer to the Airport for flight to Pakse. After an hour by Air, you arrive in Pakse, welcomed by our guide and driver then drive to Boulevan. Along the way, we will enjoy the scenery around Tad Fan waterfall with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation.
We will also visit the local village at Ban Lak Sipchet, which makes iron knife; and Ban Lak Samsip, which makes bamboo basket. Last stop is at a coffee plantation before arriving at your destination for the evening.
Overnight in Boulevan.
Day 06: Boulevan – Wat Phou - Champasak (B)
After breakfast, visit Tha Teng, a colorful ethnic minority food market. Next explore a couple of fascinating minority villages, Ban Bong Neua, an Alak village that boasts a sacrificial altar, and Ban Kokphung, a Katu village where they keep coffins under their houses.
In the afternoon visit Wat Phou, an ancient Khmer religious complex dating back to the 5th Century.
Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos, which was built by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat.
The temple served as the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most revered temples.
After your visit, we continue in to Champassak to see samples of French colonial architecture.
Overnight in Champasak.
Day 07: Champasak – 4000 Islands – Don Khong (B)
After breakfast, drive to Done Khong where you explore the island. Embark on a 1.5 hour long tail boat for venturing into the widest reach of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recede and leave behind thousands of islets, giving this area a lovely name” Si Phan Done”.
Upon arrival, explore the local peaceful villages of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with its locomotive.
We continue to discover the 4000 islands area by tuktuk and visit the marvelous Liphi waterfall, also called the “Corridor of the Devil” one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking Lao border with Cambodia.
Free for the rest of the day for your own exploration of the island. We recommend you take a bike for a ride around the island to see the local life and admire the sunset along the Mekong riverbank.
Overnight in Done Khong.
Day 08: Done Khong – Khone Phapheng - Pakse (B)
After breakfast, return to the mainland at the fishing village of Ban Nakasang and drive further south to visit Khone Phapheng, which is considered the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia
Khone Phapheng is an impressive spot near the Lao-Cambodian border, set within an area which is teeming with wildlife, making this area one of the most breathtaking destinations in Laos.
Afterwards we drive back to Pakse.
Founded by the French in 1905 as an administrative post, the capital of Champasak Province is a relatively new town at the confluence of the Mekong and Se Don rivers.
In the afternoon, we will first visit Ban Khoh, which specializes in stone carving, and walk to the nearby Wat Chomphet, which hosts the biggest sitting Buddha in Laos.
Late afternoon, we will ascend to the top of Wat Phou Salao to admire the panoramic view over the town of Pakse, and the nearby area, whilst the dark is falling over the city.
Overnight in Pakse.
Day 9: Pakse – Flight to Luang Prabang (B)
Flight: QV514 – 1435/1615
Breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the Airport for flight to Luang Prabang.
Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, you will be greeted and transferred to the hotel for check-in. Check in your hotel for refreshing time. Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day 10: Luang Prabang – City tour - Pak Ou Caves (B)
There is a very special dawn ceremony that you must see - monks collecting the alms. As the sun begins to rise, long lines of orange-robed monks leave their pagodas and walk on barefoot down the streets collecting offerings from Luang Prabang residents. It is a beautiful, serene ceremony that highlights the spiritualism of the Laos people.
Return to your hotel for breakfast and then we visit the National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a precious collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign, and the Morning Market where you can find all kinds of ingredients for Lao cuisine. Continue our city tour with the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham and Wat Mai.
You board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives you a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. Before approaching the caves, we get off the boat to visit the village of Ban Xang Hai which has for centuries made the clay jars which are used to ferment Lao wine. Nowadays the tradition continues however the villagers now specialize in producing 2 Lao specialties, ‘Lau Lao’ whisky and ‘Lau Hai’ wine.
The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day 11: Luang Prabang – Kuangsi Water fall - Traditional weaving village (B)
After breakfast, we take a drive of 30km out of Luang Prabang to visit Kuangsi Waterfall, which, though not very high, is spectacular and really beautiful with its green surroundings as the preserved National park. We stop en-route to visit a fresh produce market namely Talad Phosi, and Hmong exhibition antique house and culture, Na ouan village Luang Prabang, Laos Visit the Hmong village and see a small museum created by the villagers. Just before arriving at Kuangsi waterfall, there is another village of Khmu minority group, namely Ban Tha Pane that we will visit. If you are insect lovers, also stop at a butterfly garden, enjoy beautiful butterflies and a coffee before cooling off in blue, crystal water of Kuangsi (don’t forget to bring your swimming suit!).
Relax and enjoy swimming as much as you want at the falls.
Late afternoon, we will make a stop at Wat Prabath to admire the sunset; this is the ideal place to catch the last beauty of the day.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day 12: Luang Prabang – Departure (B)
Breakfast at the hotel, depending on your departure, you may have free time at leisure, before being transferred to the Airport by our tour guide and driver for catch your departure flight.
Remark: Hotel check-out time: 12h00. Hotel late check-out is not included.
Price: Starting from 1,950USD/person for a private tour of 2 people in twin/double sharing room, including 2 domestic flights.