12 Days Laos Cultural Heritage Tour with the Mekong River

ITINERARY

Day 1: Vientiane | Arrive Vientiane

International Flight: Excluded
Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival Vientiane, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation: Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel

Day 2: Vientiane | Buddha Park and Highlights

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, you’ll visit the Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and revealing his ideas about the universe. We then come back to the town to visit the city in the afternoon, including the oldest Wat Sisaket, a temple of thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. We also visit Lao national icon, That Luang Stupa, and we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

Accommodation: Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel

Day 3: Vientiane – Pakse | Flight to Pakse | Tad Fan Waterfall and Knife Making Village

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Board a morning flight to Pakse. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

In the afternoon, we’ll go to visit a small village which is famous for knife making. See how knives are produced using traditional techniques before continuing onwards for another 14km to visit some tea plantations, here we see how tea is grown and produced, after which we carry on once again until arriving at the stunning Tad Fan waterfall. Here we take some time to look around and explore the local area which is home to coffee plantations.

Tad Fane Falls

Accommodation: The River Resort

Day 4: Pakse | Wat Pho Ancient Temple Ruins

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, enjoy a short walking city tour of Pakse to see some nice remnants of the French period. Then proceed to Wat Phou. This site is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. This temple was constructed in three levels: the bottom level is focused on the Baray (water reservoir) and promenade, the second level features quadrangular pavilions and galleries of carvings, and the top level is the sanctuary itself. The temple 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 center of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most revered temples.

Pass through Champassak, driving through streets lined with French colonial buildings, and continue on to Ban Kiet Ngong. Stop en route at the woodcarving village of Ban Nong Bune.

When the tour ends, you will be escorted back to your hotel in Pakse.

Wat Phou Temple Ruins

Accommodation: The River Resort

Day 5: Pakse | Explore Mekong Dolphins by Kayak

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, we transfer to Nakasang village. From here we board a local boat which takes us down the mighty Mekong and through some beautiful scenery until arriving at Don Khon Island. From Don Khon Island we walk along the island to see the old French train and the amazing Liphi waterfalls. At the waterfall, we take a short walk to above the falls where we enjoy lunch together amongst some beautiful surroundings! After our lunch and taking some time to relax, we begin kayaking down the Mekong to an area near the Cambodian border where we will have the chance to see Mekong Dolphins. After spending some time to try and spot the dolphins, we will return back to your hotel in Pakse. The evening is at your leisure.

Accommodation: The River Resort

Day 6: Pakse – Luang Prabang | Leisure | Flight to Luang Prabang

Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Morning is at your leisure to relax. Enjoy the stunning view of the Mekong River at your resort.

In the afternoon, take a flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Evening dinner at Hive Restaurant with “Ethnik Fashion Show” – a modern fashion show with a twist – ethnic wedding garments from over 100 ethnic groups in Laos on a show by Hmong underprivileged university students(all donations go to support their families and education).

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 7: Luang Prabang | Alms Giving and Laotian Monasteries

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the early morning, you can join in the alms giving ceremony where a procession of monks pass the hotel as participants solemnly give sticky rice and other objects into their bowls. Then start your full day tour with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum (closed on Tuesday), which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. You’ll also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham.

Xieng Thong Temple

Following lunch, we visit the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures before we head out of town to see the weaving villages of Ban Xiengkhong and Ban Xienglek. We then return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai. We then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset and the Mekong River.

The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 8: Luang Prabang | Kuang Si Waterfalls | Hmong and Khmu Ethnic Villages

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Transfer in the morning to Ban Long Lao village – a Hmong and Khmu ethnic village who live simple lives off the land in a self-sustained community. After exploring the village and mingling with the locals, you’ll begin the hike to Kuang Si Falls. Along the way are lush green forests and clear streams. Visit a cave along the way that once acted as a bomb shelter. Arrive at Kuang Si Waterfall – one of the most turquoise waterfalls in the world. The afternoon can be spent swimming in the waterfall and visiting the Bear Rescue Center where several Sun Bears and Malayan Black Bears are being cared for after being rescued from bile farms and wildlife traffickers. Then you’ll return to Luang Prabang and evening is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 9: Luang Prabang | Befriending the Gentle Giants of Asia

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, transfer to Elephant Village – an elephant sanctuary with a focus on rehabilitation and care of rescued elephants. Here you’ll meet the camp manager and receive a short briefing about the elephants. Throughout the day, you’ll take place in the following activities:

• • Riding an elephant – you’ll have the opportunity to ride directly on the neck of an elephant
  • Mahout Training – learn about the commands of how to communicate to the elephant
  • Enjoy lunch at the outdoor garden restaurant
  • Bathe your elephant – Go down to the nearby Nam Khan River to bath your elephant; perhaps the elephant will bathe you as well!

Then return to your hotel for leisure time.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 10: Luang Prabang | Boat Trip to Pak Ou Caves

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, we embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make Laos rice wine and rice whiskey. You’ll be able to try some and see the process they use to make it. Then we’ll reach the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

Lunch will be served nearby the caves. During lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to try a local dish called “Orlam” which is a soup with vegetables and features a spicy wood that is partially edible. On return, we disembark the boat to visit a traditional weaving village of Ban Phanom, which is famous for its hand weaving.

Pak Ou Cave – 12 Days Laos Cultural Heritage Tour Mekong River

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 11: Luang Prabang | Leisure Day

Meals: Breakfast

Spend this full day at your own leisure. You can walk around the city and discover the local daily life, find out some interesting souvenir items, drop by at a bar to relax and have a drink or two. Alternatively, simply indulge yourself with the comfort and amenities which your hotel offers.

Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao

Day 12: Luang Prabang | Farewell!

Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your homeward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!

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