Includes internal flights, twin shared accommodation, English speaking guides, private cars, sightseeing and meals listed. Excludes visa and travel documents, travel insurance, international flights, local tipping, etc.
This itinerary is to give you a flavor of what is possible. We can tailor this trip to suit your specific needs and expectations. You may alter any aspect of the itinerary from excursions to accommodation.
Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival in Luang Prabang, our guide will greet you at the airport welcome area 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 2: 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.
Wat 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 3: 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.
Kuang Si Waterfalls
Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao
Day 4: 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 5: 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.
Accommodation: Belmond La Residence Phou Vao
Day 6: Luang Prabang – Hanoi | Leisure Day
Internal Flight:Included Meals:Breakfast, Dinner
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.
In the afternoon, board a flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, our guide will greet you and transfer to your hotel for check-in.
After check-in, enjoy a stroll on your own around Hoan Kiem Lake outside your hotel. Feel free to also pick up a souvenir at the night markets or at one of the many trinket shops in the alleys and small roads of this historic part of town.
The evening will start with a Water Puppet Show performed by the world-renowned Thang Long Opera House. This performance features a talent unique to Vietnam. You’ll watch as water puppets perform the folklore legends of Vietnam while live ethnic music sets the mood. After the show, you’ll enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Once you finish your dinner, you’ll be escorted to your hotel.
Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Day 7: Hanoi | Farewell!
Meals: Breakfast In the morning, you’ll be escorted to see the Tran Quoc Pagoda. This 1,400-year-old temple features ten tiers surrounded by gardens and which also hosts a bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original Buddhist tree under which Buddha sat. Next, you’ll take a stroll around the Hoan Kiem Lake where you can see the Tortoise Tower sitting on the water. Then you’ll enjoy a half hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarter in Hanoi. The cyclo is a historic mode of transportation in the cities of Vietnam where a cyclist escorts you while you sit in a seat affixed to the front with a canopy over top.
Next, you’ll visit the One Pillar Pagoda – a pagoda situated on a pillar made of a single stone, in the middle of a lotus pond. This pagoda was built by a 9th-century emperor who saw it in a dream and regarded this as a divine inspiration to recreate the structure in the vision.
You’ll pass by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before visiting the highlight of this tour – The Temple of Literature. This ancient university was erected almost a millennium ago and has hosted many of the most prominent scholars through Vietnamese history. The site features many gardens, pools, buildings, and ancient trees where the best and brightest of Vietnam studied under the guidance of Confucius teachings.
Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Day 8: Hanoi – Halong Bay | Voyage Halong Bay with Cruise by Orchid
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner In the morning, our guide and driver will assist you with a transfer to Halong Bay. Then continue to the Orchid Private Lounge and enjoy the refreshments until boarding. Then board Orchid Cruise.
Receive a safety briefing and check in your cabins. The boat sets adrift for Da Chong islet, home to an old French lighthouse. Enjoy a sumptuous feast in the panoramic dining hall while en route to the isles of Con Vit and Gia Luan. The bay opens up to you with stunning green karsts towering above the water. This area receives very few cruise ships as it has just been newly opened up. Continue to Ba Trai Dao beach of Lan Ha Bay. A paradise with perfect beaches and natural beauty. Stop at one of the beaches for swimming or kayaking during the afternoon.
As dusk approaches, welcome the sunset with a local specialty – “Ba Kich”(a liquor made from Noni fruit). Back on board, you’ll join a cooking demonstration to learn a few Vietnamese culinary secrets. Enjoy your creation! Then time for supper in the dining hall. Delicious Vietnamese cuisine and seafood in a romantic setting. After dinner, you may enjoy watching the stars from the sundeck, watching a movie in the restaurant, or give night squid fishing a try with the staff(subject to seasonal availability).
Accommodation: Orchid Cruise
Day 9: Halong Bay – Ninh Binh | Halong Bay Sunrise | Ninh Binh Bai Dinh Temple
Meals: Breakfast Rise early for one of the top best sunrises in the world. Then head to the sundeck for an invigorating Tai Chi session amongst a picture-perfect backdrop of karsts, sea, and nature. Enjoy a breakfast in the dining hall before taking a journey to explore the area around Sang Tai sea cave via canoes.
Kayaking at Halong Bay
Return back to the pier for check out. Our guide will be waiting to help you with luggage and transfer to Ninh Binh for overnight.
Check in at the resort with stunning views all around.
Time to stretch your legs! Go with our guide to visit Bai Dinh Temple, the largest temple in Vietnam. This Buddhist temple was built into the mountain with 3 terraces and faces the river. Explore the many halls, rooms, carvings, and statues during the late afternoon. Our guide will then take you to the best place for watching the sunset over this untouched part of Vietnam. Shortly afterward, you’ll witness the 13-tier pagoda – Chau Bai Dinh – be lit up for the evening: a true spectacle to behold! Return to the resort for overnight and leisure.
Accommodation: Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh
Day 10: Hanoi – Danang | Wonders of Ninh Binh | Flight to Danang
Internal Flight:Included Meals:Breakfast, Lunch In the morning, go to visit Tam Coc, a spectacular excursion by small boat along the Ngo Dong River, proceeding thru a scenic landscape dominated by rice fields and karst hills towering overhead. You will travel through three natural caves by paddle boat.
Check out in the afternoon and then you’ll go to visit Hoa Lu, the ancient capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for only 41 years. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present-day Hanoi. Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu there are now two temples dedicated to two Vietnamese kings, which have been built on the grounds of the old royal palace. The visit offers a chance to learn more about the feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.
After the adventure in Ninh Binh, transfer back to Hanoi and then take a flight to Hoi An. Upon arrival, our guide in Hue will transfer you to your resort next to the beach for check-in.
Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang
Day 11: Hoi An – Danang | 4th Century Cham Ruins | Relax on the Beaches
Meals: Breakfast Today you’ll explore the My Son Holy Land, a UNESCO Heritage site and Vietnam’s most important Cham site.
In the morning, your tour guide and driver will escort you from your hotel to the My Son Holy Land. Tucked in the mountains up winding roads with serene views lay the 1,100-year-old My Son Holy Land Ruins. The surrounding mountains are strictly forbidden from living or development. The ruins lay in a beautiful surrounding mountainous landscape. You’ll enter the temples while your tour guide gives you the history and stories of the Cham and the site. Afterward, you’ll watch an Apsara show nearby the site, passed through the Cham tradition. The show features live music and colorful costumes.
The afternoon is at your leisure to relax.
Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang
Day 12: Hoi An – Danang | Leisure | Hoi An Ancient Port Town
Meals: Breakfast Morning is at your leisure.
In the afternoon, transfer with our guide to Hoi An Ancient Town. This town features the 16th-century Hoi An port town in it’s preserved state. You’ll start the day visiting the Museum of Trade Ceramics. This museum houses art and pottery dating from the 1,500s to the 1,700s.
Then you’ll briefly visit the Chua Ong Pagoda, a temple from the 17th century which features China’s influence in the region. You’ll continue through the Ancient Town as the streets take on a magic of their own with old lanterns, French-style houses, intricately carved wooden doors and more. You’ll take a stroll through the Old Tam Ky House to see it’s imperial styles meshed with French overtures. Continue on to stroll along the river and see traditional boats and locals on bicycles passing by. You’ll then approach the Japanese Covered Bridge. This bridge has connected the Chinese and Japanese sides of town over the waterway for centuries. The old wooden structure has shown amazing resilience for more than 400 years.
At dusk, enjoy walking along the riverside as old colorful lanterns light up the town. After you’ve finished the tour, return to the hotel.
Hoi An Ancient Port Town
Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang
Day 13: Hoi An – Danang | Relax on the Beaches
Meals: Breakfast Today is at your leisure to relax on the beautiful beaches of Hoi An.
Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang
Day 14: Hoi An – Danang | Relax on the Beaches
Meals: Breakfast Today is also at your leisure to relax the beautiful beaches of Hoi An.
Danang Beaches
Accommodation: Fusion Maia Danang
Day 15: Hoi An | 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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One of our Travel Experts will reach out to you and assist you with an itinerary and quote. Also, feel free to leave your phone number and we will give you a quick call just to say hello and clarify any questions we have about your inquiry.
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