ITINERARY
Day 1: Vientiane | Arrive Vientiane
International Flight: Excluded
Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival in Vientiane, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.
Accommodation: Settha Palace Hotel
Day 2: Vientiane | Leisure Day
Meals: Breakfast
On this day, you’re able to relax after the long international flight.
Simply relax or go out for a stroll to explore local life. Also, you can enjoy a few drinks watching the sunset over the Mekong River, explore the Night Market and experience some of the city’s nightlife.
Accommodation: Settha Palace Hotel
Day 3: Vientiane | Laotian Capital 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.
Patuxai Monument
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: Settha Palace Hotel
Day 4: Vientiane – Pakse | Flight to Pakse | Leisure
Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Board a morning flight to Pakse. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport. Then transfer you to your resort next to the scenic Mekong River. Check in and enjoy the leisure time with beautiful mountains and countryside view surroundings.
Accommodation: The River Resort
Day 5: Pakse | Tad Fane Falls and Hill Tribes
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today, you’ll go to see the Bolevean Plateau, known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. The area is famous for its many waterfalls where you will see the most beautiful one: Tad Fan Falls. It is spectacular with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation. This trip provides a refreshing break from the heat and allows you to observe the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops that can be seen en route.
In the afternoon, you will continue to Pha Suam Waterfall and explore the ethnic minority villages of Lao Teung Katu. After the tour, return back to your hotel for the evening.
Accommodation: The River Resort
Day 6: Pakse | Wat Phou Ruins
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Discover the hidden charm of Southern Laos in this half-day tour, which encompasses visits to an ancient temple ruin and quaint colonial town. Wat Phou is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex which has been inscribed a world heritage site by UNESCO. Pakse and Champassak are tranquil towns where French colonial buildings are still standing.
Wat Phou Temples
After breakfast, a short walking city tour of Pakse will show you some nice remnants of the French period before transferring by road to Wat Phou. The journey takes approximately 1 hour.
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. The 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. This 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.
Accommodation: The River Resort
Day 7: Pakse | Kayaking near 4,000 Islands
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 lunch, take some time to relax. Then 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 8: Pakse – Luang Prabang | Leisure | Flight to Luang Prabang
Internal Flight: Included
Meals: Breakfast
Morning is at your leisure to relax and enjoy the stunning view around the resort.
In the afternoon, board a flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you at the airport and then we transfer you to your hotel for check-in.
Feel free to explore the beautiful city of Luang Prabang on your own to discover night markets selling local tapestries and souvenirs.
Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao
Day 9: Luang Prabang | Alms Giving | Ancient City Temples
Meals: Breakfast
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 enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
The morning is at your leisure to explore on your own or visit a spa for a massage.
Wat Xieng Thong Temple
In the afternoon, begin with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We’ll also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai.
Late afternoon, transfer to the forest temple of Wat Phon Phao for watching a stunning sunset over the Laos countryside. Return to the hotel for leisure time or explore the night markets on your own.
Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao
Day 10: Luang Prabang | Hill Tribes and Kuang Si Waterfalls
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 11: 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 12: 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 13: Luang Prabang | Boat Trip to Pak Ou Cave
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.
Pak Ou Cave – 14 Days Luxury Tour Laos Rainforest Mekong River
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.
Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao
Day 14: Luang Prabang | Farewell!
Meals: Breakfast
Today our guide will transfer you to the airport before your onward flight and will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for traveling with us!
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