Laos Authentic 9 days

After breakfast, you will be welcomed by your local driver and Laotian guide who will take you to Buddha Park (also called Wat Xieng Khouane) which is located 25 km south from Vientiane. Along the way, you can observe the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, built by the Australian government, which connects Vientiane with Nong Khai in Thailand.

Upon your arrival, take your time to have a walk in the park. The latter is filled with more than 200 artistic statues linked to Buddhism and Hinduism, including an enormous statue of the 40-meter-high Buddha. All these works of art are mostly made of concrete or bricks coated with cement. Near the entrance is a building 6 meters high, called the Pumpkin Tower, which is divided into 3 floors: Hell, Earth and Paradise. At the top of this tour, you will have an amazing view of all this beautiful Buddha Park. End of your visit, transfer back to town.

At the beginning of the evening, we invite you to attend the traditional dance performance show at the Kualao restaurant while enjoying delicious Laotian food.

Lunch on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, transfer to Wattay airport for morning flight to Pakse.

Upon your arrival at Pakse airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your local driver and Lao guide who will take you to the fascinating Pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phou, one of the oldest archaeological sites in Laos. This Khmer temple is at the base of a curiously shaped 1,416 meters mountain and reserves some peculiarities to be discovered, namely: engraved cliff, elephant figure carved out of the natural rock and gatekeepers Dvarapala, etc. Enjoy a magnificent view over the Mekong River from the third platform of the ruins.

Continue to explore the Oumong temple, small Khmer ruins housed on an infinitely bucolic place.

End of the day, drive to Don Khong where you will spend the night.

Meals on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, the driver will then take you to the Ban Nakasang village where you begin your cruise on a traditional long-tail boat to Don Khone in the 4000 islands area (Si Phan Don).

Only 5 km long and 3 km wide, Don Khone is an ideal destination to take a walk or bike ride. On this island there is an abandoned railway and Colonial French Buildings.

Once you reach Don Khone, do not hesitate to explore the Li Phi waterfall (also called Somphamit Waterfall), which lies between the 2 islands of Don Xang and Don Khone and thus forms a natural border between Laos and Cambodia. The main road to go there is well preserved and decorated with bamboo groves.

Before ending your excursion, cross an old French bridge connecting Don Det, a neighboring island for a pleasant stroll. Then, cruise back to Ban Nakasang then transfer back to Pakse to check-in your hotel.

End your day by enjoying your own discovery of Pakse, a diamond crude in Southern Laos.

Meals on your own. Overnight in Pakse.

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we go to Ban Don Kho, a weaving village on Kho Island, about 15 km north from Pakse. This hamlet is known for their weaving of Ikat (a technique of dyeing and weaving) as well as the making of the traditional skirts Laotian by using cotton and silk.

End of your visit in Don Kho, transfer back to town. Depending on the flight schedule, our guide and driver will take you to the airport for flight to Luang Prabang.

Upon arrival at Luang Prabang Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our local driver and Laotian guide who will take you to the hotel for check-in.

Luang Prabang is a must-see destination on your trip to Laos. It is a site surrounded by magnificent mountains with a healthy atmosphere and which has been classified by UNESCO on the list of world cultural heritages for thirty temples and buildings with a maximum of 2 floors. The first impression of tourists on Luang Prabang is the beauty of the landscapes and architecture, combined with the rigors of daily life.

Meals on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

Morning option: At about 05:00, the monks walk barefoot in the streets of Luang Prabang in search of offerings(alms). If you wish to attend this original parade with the locals (only in Laos), you should get up early.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then depart for the first discovery of the Luang Prabang’s cultural and spiritual heritages.

Your city tour begins with a visit of the Wat Aham temple (Monastery of the Open Heart) which is the shape of a tent standing on a white and rectangular base that seems to be made of marble with a pointed, tiled and gigantic three-tiered roof.

Next door is the neighboring Wat Wisunarat temple, one of the oldest temples in Luang Prabang, whose architecture is simple, except its metal roofs have more details of decoration.

Continue to the Wat Xieng Thong temple, which plays an important role in the psychic life of Laotians. Wat Xieng Thong means the "Monastery of the Golden City", one of the higher symbols of Buddhism in Laos. This place is built in a particular architectural style of Laos, with a curved roof that nearly touches the ground. 

Then, begin your afternoon with the Wat May temple which lies on a vast ground and features a style of religious architecture and consists of an ordination hall (sim) and some koutis (the monk’s dwellings).

Afterwards, explore the Royal Palace Museum, it is an ideal place to study or learn some history and Royal lifestyle of Laos. The architecture of the building is a mixture of French Beaux –Art style and traditional Laos style, making it not only old, but also contemporary.

Before returning to your hotel, do some physical exercise by climbing up the top of Phou Si Mount to enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the UNESCO city.

Meals on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, join the pier located behind the Royal Palace for a cruise on the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Sanctuary Caves, which were formed thousands of years ago and in recent times have attracted Buddhist pilgrims, who have decorated the caves with thousands of Buddhist statues and paraphernalia, over 4000 at last count. On the way, just contemplate the beautiful scenery on two shores of the Mekong River and stop in the villages of Ban Xang Hai, specializing in the distillation of rice wine, and Ban Xang Khong, where the guide will provide you with information about silk and Sa paper production process.

After visiting Pak Ou, cruise back Luang Prabang and stop on the other side of the Mekong River in the Ban Xiengmene, a very quiet village where the Kmus and Lao Loums reside. This is certainly a memorable experience that takes you off the beaten path of Luang Prabang.

Then discover Ban Tjan, a traditional pottery-making village. By using the local manufacturing techniques, this small village have specialized on bricks and manufacturing pottery. The raw material is processed directly on spot and everyone can participate in this activity, even children. Finish your day by crossing the Mekong to reach the pier in the city center.

Meals on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, try to become a farmer in the Living Land, located 5km from city center.

During your visit, you will have the opportunity to observe the process of rice production and to join the activities of Asian rice farming: selection of viable seeds for planting, plowing a field with a buffalo, recovery of young shoots, transplanting manual, harvest, threshing, drying and separating the bark from the grain. Do not miss an organic garden with fresh vegetables, located in a green setting of the farm.

You cannot leave this ancient capital without visiting Kuang Si, the most beautiful waterfalls in Luang Prabang. Take to the road, (about 30km), to discover these waterfalls where the water is turquoise all year round. At the bottom of the falls, a series of natural pools invites you to swim. In addition, you can take a walk in the forest or continue to climb to the top of the falls. On the way back to the city centre, you can observe daily life in a few ethnic minority villages of Laos, like the Hmong village (in Ban Ouay), the Laoloum village (in Ban Ou), and the Khmu village (in Ban Thapene). 

Meals on your own. Overnight at your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast

After your breakfast in the hotel, depending on flight schedules, you will be transferred to Luang Prabang Airport by your driver for your departure flight.

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Meal: Breakfast