Duration: 13 Days/12 Nights
Availability : Daily
Departure Location: Luang Prabang
Destination Location: Vientaine
Min Age : 6+
Max People : 10
This tour combines the ancient wonders of Luang Prabang and the waterways of northern Laos with the rural beauty of the Bolaven Plateau and the spectacular Wat Phou in southern Laos.
Route: Luang Prabang – Muong La – Nong Khiaw – Pakse – Tad Lo – Champasak – Wat Phou – Four Islands – Champasak – Pakse – Vientiane
Day 1: Luang Prabang arrival (D)
Day 2: Luang Prabang (B)
Day 3: Luang Prabang – Muong La (B, L)
Day 4: Muong La (B)
Day 5: Muong La – Nong Khiaw (B)
Day 6: Nong Khiaw – Luang Prabang (B)
Day 7: Luang Prabang (B)
Day 8: Luang Prabang – Pakse – Tad Lo (B, L)
Day 9: Tad Lo – Pakse – Champasak (B, L)
Day 10: Champasak – Wat Phou – Champasak (B)
Day 11: Champasak – Four Thousand Islands – Champasak (B, L)
Day 12: Champasak – Pakse – Vientiane (B)
Day 13: Vientiane – Depart (B)
Inclusion:
Exclusion:
Upon arrival at Luang Prabang airport you will be welcomed to Laos by your private English speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel.
This afternoon visit the Royal Palace Museum which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. Continue with a tour of the serene Buddhist temples of Wat May, Wat Visoun, Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Phousy. The day ends on Phousy Hill at sunset for great views over the city and the surrounding countryside.
Accommodation: Stay 2 nights at the Manoluck Hotel.
This morning drive south from Luang Prabang to the beautiful waterfalls of Khouangsi, passing by several Lao tribal villages. It is possible to swim in the clear pools under the multi tiered limestone formations to escape the heat. Alternatively explore the surrounding countryside on walking trails through native forest.
Afternoon at leisure: Return to Luang Prabang in the early afternoon for some time at leisure in the town or in your hotel.
Road transfer to Muang La: After breakfast you will be picked up from your hotel for the drive to Muang La. You will drive through some wonderful scenery, with numerous villages and scenic spots to stop off at along the way.
This afternoon is at leisure to stroll around the village, or just relax at the riverside retreat enjoying a massage or bathing in the hot springs.
Accommodation: Stay at the Muang La Resort (Bungalow)
This morning you will be met by a guide and taken in a 4×4 vehicle to a remote Ikho hill tribe village located near Muang La. At the village there will be the opportunity to wander in and around the bamboo dwellings and see locals going about their daily lives.
The evening can be spent relaxing in the natural hot springs, taking a traditional massage and enjoying the excellent local Lao cuisine in the restaurant.
Accommodation: Stay at the Muang La Resort (Bungalow)
Road and boat transfer to Nong Khiaw: After breakfast you will be picked up from your hotel for the drive to Muang Khua, where you board a boat for the spectacular journey downstream to Nong Khiaw.
Afternoon guided walk: Spend the afternoon in the surroundings of the guesthouse. Later walk to Tham Pha Thok, a cave just over a mile outside Nong Khiaw where locals took shelter from bombings during the Second Indochina War. Later return to the guesthouse.
Accommodation: Stay 1 night at the Nong Khiaw Riverside Resort (Riverview Bungalow)
After breakfast you will depart for Luang Prabang by boat. Enjoy the spectacular landscape on this section of the Nam Ou River as you head back to Luang Prabang. Along the way you will get a chance to see the daily activities of the local people on the riverbanks. You will stop for lunch on one of the riverside ‘beaches’. After lunch continue the boat ride until you reach Ban Pak Ou where you will cross the Mekong to reach the famous Pak Ou Caves, a revered religious site, and home to thousands of statues of the Buddha. Continue on down the Mekong River until you reach Luang Prabang in the afternoon.On arrival in Luang Prabang you will be transferred to your hotel.
Accommodation: Stay 2 nights at the Manoluck Hotel.
Today is at leisure to explore Luang Prabang further, or take an optional excursion. These include elephant trekking, mountain biking tours or a cooking class. Finish off the day strolling through the market and enjoy one of the many street buffets on offer, most offering freshly barbequed fish and chicken as well.
After an early breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Pakse.On arrival in Pakse, you will be met by your guide and driven out of the city towards the cool plains of the Bolaven Plateau. On your way, stop at some of the Plateau’s spectacular waterfalls such as Tad Phasouam, Tad Soung and Tad Lo.
Accommodation: Stay at the Tadlo Lodge (Standard Room)
Road journey from Tad Lo to Champasak. This morning drive south towards Champasak. En-route you will stop at some of the spectacular waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau including the spectacular Tad Fan with parallel streams of water plunging more than 120m to the jungle floor. On the drive there also be a stop-off at one of the Plateau’s many Coffee plantations, where you will be taught about the production of Lao coffee. Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant. Continue on to Champasak to arrive in the late afternoon. Accommodation: Stay at La Folie Lodge (Standard Room)
Morning tour of Wat Phou: After breakfast there will be a guided tour of the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phou, one of Southeast Asia’s most dramatically situated temples. Founded in the first decades of the 9th century by Jayavarman II, the first king of an independent Khmer nation, Wat Phou served for some time as the Khmer capital. Wat Phou is often compared to Angkor, not only because it was built in the same style but because it too was lost to the jungle for centuries. Whilst the structures themselves are thrilling, it is the jungle overgrowth that creates the atmosphere. The Wat stood unused for centuries because it is a Hindu temple in what became a devoutly Buddhist land.
Afternoon at Leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to relax at your hotel or explore the local countryside.)
Accommodation: Stay at La Folie Lodge (Standard Room)
Full day tour of the Four Thousand Islands: After an early morning breakfast, we head south by road and boat explore Khong Island. Here we begin by re-tracing the French colonial-past at Ban Khone, where some old colonial houses still stand and glimpse the first Lao railway with its own locomotive. We continue our exploration of the area of the 4000 islands on foot and visit the beautiful Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which forms a natural border between Lao and Cambodia. We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the famous waterfall of Khone Phapeng – the largest waterfall in South East Asia, also known as the ‘Niagara of the east’
Accommodation: Stay at La Folie Lodge (Standard Room)
Private transfer: After a morning at leisure you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. Your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel. The remainder of the day will be at leisure in Vientiane.
Accommodation: Stay 1 night at the Lanexang hotel.
Morning tour of Vientiane: This morning visit the enchanting Haw Phra Kaew, built in the 16th century by the royal family to hold the emerald Buddha and with an exquisite collection of religious art. Continue to the Siamese style Wat Si Saket and the That Luang Stupa, the bright golden monument which represents a lotus bud and is used as a symbol of the Lao nation. End the tour at the imposing Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s very own Arc de Triumph.Private transfer: Your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport