PRICE REQUEST

DAY 1:  LUANG PRABANG – ARRIVAL

On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel. The rest of the day is your own time at leisure. Overnight in Luang Prabang

DAY 2:  LUANG PRABANG – PAK OU  CAVES (NAVA MEKONG)          

Today, you will first visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. Afterwards, we will visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture.  We then embark on the Nava Mekong cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.  Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine. The authentic Lao lunch will be served on the leisurely cruise back to Luang Prabang

On arrival back in the city, we visit Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. From there, we will transfer to visit Wat Siphouthabaht to admire the sunset; this is the really peaceful place to catch the last beauty of the day. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang

DAY 3:  LUANG PRABANG – MAHOUT COURSE          

After breakfast, we will transfer directly to the Elephant Village (start at 8:00 AM in the morning). On arrival at the Elephant Village Camp, welcome and greeting by our camp manager and participate in short briefing about elephants. After that we will enjoy the impressive experience of a 30 minute elephant ride on the howdah (elephant seat) or on your elephant’s neck. We then receive basic mahout training on how to control an elephant.

Lunch at the Elephant Restaurant

Bathe Your Elephant: Take your own elephant down to the Nam Khan River for an exhilarating bathing experience!

Boat trip to the Tad Sae Waterfall: Take a traditional Lao long boat to the Tad Sae Waterfall and relax in the clear water.

We are free to stroll around the Elephant Village before transferring back to city center

DAY 4:  LUANG PRABANG – KUANG SI WATERFALLS            

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. From there, we will take a short visit to the morning local market near the Royal Palace. At the market, you can find anything from rice, to fresh vegetables, to steamed fish, frogs, and anything else that might be the day’s catch, just set up on the ground, this is what the locals do every day. This is really the chance for you to get a real flavor of the local culture.

After breakfast at the hotel, we ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. From there, we will take a stroll around the city to visit Big Brother Mouse, which is the most famous bookshop in Laos. The next stop is Ock Pop Tock, meaning East Meets West, where you can learn about the traditional weaving in Laos. We then visit Wat Visoun, dating back to 1513 during the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), this is Luang Prabang’s oldest temple and was once home to the Prabang Buddhas. 

Laos is also known for its traditional handicrafts, and today you will visit local village of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay and Ban Thapene. We then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest paths. Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed on Tuesday), one of the must-visit spots, newly opened on January 2014. Overnight in Luang Prabang

DAY 5:  LUANG PRABANG – PAKSE – DONE DAENG              

You are free before taking the flight to Pakse, the biggest city of the Southern Laos QV513 LPQ PKZ 10:40 12:20

On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to the province of Champasak, before taking the leisurely cruise to the island of Daeng, home to the beautiful La Folie Lodge, our accommodation for the night

DAY 6:  DONE DAENG – WAT PHOU – BAN KHIET NGONG      

After breakfast, we take the boat back to Champasak to visit the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia's most dramatically situated temples. We have time to explore these intriguing Khmer ruins, which are perched at the base of Mount Phu Kao. Our next stop is Ban Khiet Ngong, which is located inside Xe Pian National Protected Area. Upon arrival, we go for an elephant back ride (1:30) to mount Phou Asa, surmounted by the ancient citadel. Beyond we will have a panoramic view over the unspoilt area of Dong Houasao and the Mekong valley. We then transfer to the King Fisher Ecolodge for the overnight

DAY 7:  BAN KHIET NGONG – KHONE PHAPHENG – 4000 ISLANDS    

In the morning, we drive further south to to visit Khone Phapheng, which is considered the largest waterfall by volume in South East Asia; this is a really impressive near the Lao-Cambodian border, set within an area which is teeming with wildlife, making this area one of the most breathtaking destinations in Laos.

From there, we will drive back to Ban Nakasang and take the small boat to 4000 Island area to explore the local peaceful villages of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with its locomotive. We continue to discover the 4000 islands area by tuk tuk and visit the marvelous Liphi waterfall, also called the "Corridor of the Devil" one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking Lao border with Cambodia. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone.

The rest of the day is your own free time at leisure. Overnight in Khone Island

DAY 8:  4000 ISLANDS – BOLAVEN PLATEAU 

The next destination of our trip will be Bolaven Plateau. On our way we pass many lush plantations, hills, forests and villages. Part of our pleasure of travelling in this region is to observe the beautiful countryside and meet local people. We stop over at some of the nearby villages, home of the Kato hilltribe group. The hill tribe people are unfailingly friendly; welcoming you with waving hands and smilling faces. These ethnic minorities still retain their age and old cultural traditions and are recognisably distinct from each other by their dress. We continue our journey through the Paksong and Boloven Plateau. The Boloven Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Rivers run off this high plateau in all directions and then plunge out to lush forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls. The scenery around Tad Fan waterfall is spectacular with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation. A trip to the plateau provides a refreshing break from the heat and allows you to see the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops that are grown in the area. This trip gives visitors the chance to venture off the beaten track and to discover some of the lesser-known areas of Laos, exploring the wild beauty of this southern region. We will spend the night at Sinouk Coffee Garden

DAY 9:  BOLAVEN PLATEAU – DONE KHO – BAN SAPHAI – PAKSE   

In the morning, we will bid the farewell to Bolaven Plateau and drive back to Pakse. Upon arrival, we will have a short transfer about 15 Km to the north of the city to visit Ban Saphai, and take the boat to visit the isolated island of Done Kho. The village is very famous for its unique history and culture, and also the traditional hand-weaving.

We then transfer back to your hotel mid-afternoon; free for the rest of the day. Overnight in Pakse

DAY 10: PAKSE – DEPARTURE           

You are free for your own exploration of Pakse city before taking the departure flight