Trips & Tours: Journey Through Laos

Your guide will meet you upon arrival at Luang Prabang's airport and transfer you to your hotel and the start of your Laos adventures.Having settled in you next enjoy a half-day exploration of the town, immediately understanding why it deserves the World Heritage Site status!

Surrounded by thickly forested mountains and situated at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong Rivers in colonial times it served as a provincial headquarters of the north. The legacy of the European presence here - well-preserved French architecture and careful street planning – has blended delightfully with more than 30 gilded Buddhist temples to create a town rich in atmosphere and history.

Visits include Wat Visoun, the site of impressive Thad Makmo stupa whose rounded dome is stylistically more Sinhalese than Lao.

Mt Phousi stands right in the centre of this small city - climb its 350 steps to enjoy commanding views for many miles in all directions. Continue to visit Wat Mai, built in 1796. The five-tiered roof of the wooden sim (chapel) epitomizes the graceful Luang Prabang architectural style. Wat Xieng Thong further emphasizes and characterizes the uniqueness of Luang Prabang, its several roofs sweeping low to the ground - see also the impressive "tree of life" mosaic here. The gilt panel on the exterior of the chapel depicts semi-erotic episodes from the Ramayana.

Then visit the National Museum, once a king's palace, inside are a lovely collection of personal artefacts of the royal family, including photos, musical instruments and many gifts received from the dignitaries of foreign countries.

This town is wonderful for walking and today’s excursion will help to give you your bearings. After the above sightseeing spend the rest of the day exploring or relaxing on your own - you can find dinner at any number of great restaurants.

After breakfast you begin a Mekong riverboat trip travelling with your guide to visit the famous and still-sacred Pak Ou Caves. These caves overlook the confluence of the Mekong and Ou Rivers from on high and have been home to many thousands of Buddha images placed here by local people since the 16th century when King Setthathirat found the caves and declared them a holy spot.

Walk through the caves before returning to your boat and returning to Luang Prabang town, enjoying lunch en route. Next you’ll visit the village of Ban Phanom where weaving of traditional Lao textiles takes place on ancient wooden looms, a traditional skill happily being kept alive.

After breakfast you begin a Mekong riverboat trip travelling with your guide to visit the famous and still-sacred Pak Ou Caves. These caves overlook the confluence of the Mekong and Ou Rivers from on high and have been home to many thousands of Buddha images placed here by local people since the 16th century when King Setthathirat found the caves and declared them a holy spot.

Walk through the caves before returning to your boat and returning to Luang Prabang town, enjoying lunch en route. Next you’ll visit the village of Ban Phanom where weaving of traditional Lao textiles takes place on ancient wooden looms, a traditional skill happily being kept alive.

After breakfast today you’ll enjoy a city tour, including Wat Sisaket with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. Other sites you will see include the huge golden That Luang monument and, next door, Vientiane's own Victory Monument, which looks like the Arc de Triomphe. This was built at the end of the Indochina war with money rumoured to be American, and earmarked for the airport’s new runway.

Also visit Wat Simuang and Wat Haw Pha Kaeo, which was the original home of the famous Emerald Buddha, which today is kept in Bangkok. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and then return to your hotel, and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

After a very early breakfast you transfer to the airport for your flight to Pakse. Upon arrival your guide and driver will transfer you to Tad Fane Resort on the Bolaven Plateau. After check you will commence an enjoyable and easy 4-hour hike up to the Dan Sin Say Plateau. This hike goes trough a local village, coffee plantations, over a hanging bridge and on to the plains. Huge boulders, epiphytes and wild orchids abound and large pine trees grow here, giving the area a wholly different character.

The afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the surroundings of the resort.

Your journey today takes you to the far south of Laos and the amazing Si Phan Don, ‘4000 Islands’ area. En route you will visit an elephant camp to see how handlers or mahouts train these giant friendly beasts! You’ll also ride an elephant to the top of Phou Asa to see the mysterious ruins there.

Afterwards you’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then continue to the Si Phan Don by bus and boat.

Khon Phapheng Falls are reputed to be the largest falls in Asia and were major obstacles which thwarted the French in their efforts to open the Mekong River to navigation.

Here also live some 50-100 Irrawaddy dolphins and if lucky you'll have the chance to see them on your boat trip! You enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and then see the small gauge railway and bridge built by the French to circumscribe the falls.

Return to your accommodation you can spend the afternoon at leisure or exploring the island on your own. The Si Phan Don region is famous for being a relaxed, laid back place. Very rural it is picture-postcard Laos at its very best.
 

After breakfast you drive north to the famous Khmer temple complex of Wat Phu. This temple represents the easternmost border of the Khmer empire, although the influence of the Khmers was felt deep into central Vietnam. The setting of Wat Phu is superb and it is the major draw for visitors to southern Laos.

After lunch at a local restaurant you continue to the Thai/Lao border at Chong Mek. Browse the extensive market here for last minute souvenirs, local products and duty free items before you cross to Ubon Rachathani in Thailand for your onward travels. Many transport options await you and the transfer to Bangkok is easily arranged, making accompaniment un-necessary.