PRICE REQUEST

DAY 1:  LUANG PRABANG – ARRIVAL             

On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel.

After a soft rest, your city tour begins with a visit to the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture.  We still have time to visit the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts.  If time permits, 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.  A visit to Luang Prabang would be incomplete without ascending the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. 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 2:  LUANG PRABANG – RICE EXPERIENCE – KUANG SI WATERFALLS  

After breakfast, we drive to Living Land Lao Organic Farm at Phoung Van village. Upon arrival, your guide and the representative of the farm will brief about the historical and activity of the farm. 

After that it is your chance to experience the real activities and life of a Lao farmer. You will really have your hand on all the activities including ploughing, seeding, manuring, until reaping the harvest.  For sure you will know how hard to grow the rice. Last but not least, we will have a short visit to the vegetable garden and the guide will teach you how to realize many type of vegetable. It is really exciting to learn all those things for the first time.

Later on, we drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can splash around in the pools or walk along the forest paths. Before coming back to Luang Prabang, we still have time to visit Kuang Si Falls Butterflies Park, newly opened January 2014; it is now one of the must-see spots in Luang Prabang. We return to the city by late evening, for observing the sunset at Wat Siphouthabath. Overnight in Hotel in Luang Prabang

DAY 3:  LUANG PRABANG – PAK OU CAVES – NONG KHIAW

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.

In the morning, we embark on a 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.  En route, you will stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling.

After visiting the caves and some villages along the way, we will start driving to Nong Khiaw. We will arrive there mid-afternoon. Free for the rest of the day to stroll around and explore this boutique town. Overnight in Nong Khiaw

DAY 4:  NONG KHIAW – 100 WATERFALLS      

Start this day of adventure with a peaceful boat ride on the Nam Ou River where you will be able to explore a small Lao village along the riverside. Learn about the villagers and their way of life along this Northern Laos River before beginning the '100 Waterfalls Adventure Trail'!

Walking through small streams and rice paddies, you will arrive at the bottom of the 100 Waterfalls which were only first explored in October 2008! For the next few hours you will see only water and jungle and hear the constant sound of clear waterfall cascades. The pools around you are very inviting for a refreshing splash.

Your guide will lead you through the cascades and prepare a local style lunch that you can enjoy on the falls surrounded by amazingly green nature.

A small village trail on the top of the '100 Waterfalls' will lead us on our hike back down into the valley, offering wide views over the expansive Nam Ou valley.

Once back in the village we will have some more time to experience the daily life of the Nam Ou riverside village before heading back to Nong Khiaw (Nong Khiau) by boat.

DAY 5:  NONG KHIAW – VIENG XAY – VIENG THONG  

We depart early this morning for our journey to Vieng Thong via Vieng Xay. These back roads are a perfect way to venture off the beaten track and explore the real Laos. We see very few other travelers, mostly rural dwellers who are just as interested in finding out about our lives as we are of theirs. The drive can be challenging on some parts of our journey due to poor road conditions; however the verdant and rugged mountain scenery combined with the colorful local population makes for a memorable experience. On arrival we check in at a very simple hotel and take a walk to explore this picturesque hill town. Overnight in Vieng Thong

DAY 6:  VIENG THONG – NAM NERN NIGHT SAFARI   

8am departure from Viengthong to Son Koua Village, river travel to the Nam Nern Substation with your private van. After a 1.5 hour drive along a curvy road through gorgeous mountainous landscapes you arrive at Ban Son Koua, an ethnic Khmu Village. Village guides and boatmen will be awaiting you to greet you and take you on a short tour of the village where you will learn about the animist tradition of appeasing the village spirit. Guests then embark on a 1.5 hour journey to the park substation on the Nam Nern River by long tail boat, along the way learning about upland rice cultivation and having opportunities to spot monitor lizards depending on the time of year and bird life.

After arriving at the park substation, visitors will be shown to their accommodation, bamboo huts close to the river, and will then be offered a lunch prepared by the village cooking group. After lunch, you will receive a briefing by park staff about the on the ground efforts in protecting tigers and their prey. At mid-afternoon, the group takes the boat again to continue the journey upriver.

After about 50 minutes the boats will stop, and. the group will hike into the forest to visit a salt lick. The local guide, a skilled hunter and tracker, explains how local people track deer and other wild ungulates. The guide points out evidence of wildlife, such as tracks or scat at the salt lick.

The boats continue upriver to the dinner site, a sandy, flat bank, where the group takes a picnic around a campfire. After dinner, the guides tell Khmu folktales and stories about dragons, wildlife, and ghosts. The guides also educate tourists about the species of animals they may see during the spotlighting and explain the rules and expectations for spotlighting. The group may also look at photos of animals captured by the camera trap at the salt lick.

The group departs for the night spotlighting 2-3 hours after dark, floating down the river with engines off. The guides 1 per boat use their headlamp to spot wildlife. If they see something, they will give a clear sign. Then you can switch on your own flashlight to have a better look at the animal. Hence, tourists will have their flashlights switched off most of the time to avoid scaring animals. The guides and boat drivers communicate via hand signals to avoid talking that might disturb the animals. Animals that may be seen include Sambar deer, otters, barking deer, various species of civets, loris, porcupine and owls.  Seeing tigers is very rare because they usually don’t come close to the river.

Overnight at the Ecolodge at the middle of the jungle

At the end of the spotlighting, the boats arrive at the ecolodge near the substation. 

DAY 7:  NAM ET – XIENG KHUANG      

Medicinal Plant Walk, Breakfast & Float Downriver

Before breakfast, local guides take you on a walk around the jungle, teaching about the use of some medicinal plants and explaining the history of the site, which was once a major settlement during the Secret War. After breakfast, the boats float back through the core zone at a relaxing pace with engines off, while the guides point out wildlife along the way.

Upon arrival in the village, you are invited to try earthen jar rice wine “lao hai”. We may have a soft rest to talk with the villagers before transferring directly to Xieng Khouang. Overnight in Xieng Khouang

DAY 8:  XIENG KHUANG – MUANG KHOUN AND PLAIN OF JARS        

In the morning you will journey through Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.

The Plain of Jars is a huge archaeological complex littered with mysterious 2000 years old stone jars sized from 70cm up to 3 or 4 meters. Their true origin remains a mystery. It seems that they were carved into boulders. Several researches lead by the French archaeologist Madeleine Colani in the 30’s suggested that they could be old graves, but to this day they remain an enigma.

Your trip will enable you to visit the 3 sites and also discover some local villages where you can observe local village life. Site 1, close to the town is settled at Thong Hai Hin and is the biggest site. Site 2 is at Hai Hin on Phou Salator, “Phou” in Lao means “Mountain”. End your tour at site 3 in Hai Hin Lat Khai. Site 3 is the most impressive with over 150 jars. Close to this site, you will visit Ban Xiengdi where there is a small monastery with Buddha images. On the way back, you will pass areas that were important battlefields during the American secret war. You can still see bomb craters from that time today.

Attention: The Plain of Jars has been heavily bombed during the war and you have to respect all the signs and stay along the defined trails due to bombs, UXO and landmines.

In the afternoon, enjoy a half day trip to Muang Khoun. Muang Khoun one place in the old provincial capital that was not been destroyed by the American bombings during the secret war. Muang Khoun is home to unique sitting giant Buddha as well of some old pagodas that lies in ruins. The foundation and columns of Wat Pia Wat are still standing and close to this site, there is also an old 30m stupa constructed in the Lan Xang/Lanna period.

Then return to Xieng Khouang and overnight.

DAY 9:  XIENG KHOUANG – VANG VIENG       

After breakfast, we have time today to explore the site and some nearby villages, populated by the Hmong hill tribe and Tai Dam people; they are very poor but possess a vibrant local culture and an interesting history. We leave Xieng Khuang for our scenic drive to Vang Vieng, a small town, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Its stunning scenery with its limestone outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent developments with the advent of tourism. Depending on road and traffic conditions, we will arrive at Vang Vieng by mid or late afternoon. Overnight in Vang Vieng

DAY 10: VANG VIENG – BIKING TO THAM PHOUKHAM – VIENTIANE  

Early morning, start to cycling to Blue Lagoon (7Km from the town center), of which the waters are an aqua-blue, and are always cool. We will also visit the nearby Tham Phoukham Cave, which contains a reclining Buddha statue as well the requisite formations normally found in caves.

In the afternoon, we bid farewell to Vang Vieng and drive to Vientiane. Along the way we make a stop to visit Vang Xang, a famous archeological site dating back 11th century. Vientiane is the charming and fascinating capital of Laos. This city conjures up exotic images, with the curious mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French influences. We arrive in Vientiane just in time to catch the sunset, transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Vang Vieng

DAY 11: VIENTIANE – ORCHID TREKKING

7:30 The car and guide will pick you up at your hotel. After around 2-hour drive, we will arrive in the village of Ban Hatkhay. Here, we will meet the local guide, the expert for Lao orchid.

Afterwards, we will drive through the small road among the paddy field to Ban Pha Say. From here, our orchid trek will start.

We move on small trails and discover shade different forest types: semi-deciduous jungles, bamboo, accompanied by two guides and an expert on orchids.

Do not be surprised by abundance of orchids in some places, all the rocks are covered!

Some biotopes are extraordinary. We will also have the opportunity to learn many things on medicinal lants and other plant families such as: Cane, the Gingers, the Dypterocarpes ...

The picnic will be in the bed of a dry river any part of the year. The afternoon will end with a swim at the waterfall of Tad Say before returning to the village. Back in Vientiane expected around 18h. Overnight in Vientiane

DAY 12: VIENTIANE – PAKE – DONE DAENG (Homestay)        

In the morning, we will take a short visit to Wat Si Muang, which is very famous for its supernatural powers. After that, 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.

We then take the short flight to Pakse, the biggest city of the Southern Laos QV303 VTE PKZ 10:20 11:35

Upon arrival, we will take a short transfer further to the province of Champasak before take the boat to Done Daeng where we will spend the night at the home of a local family. The rest of the day is free to stroll around the island. Dinner will be spent with the host family. Overnight in Done Daeng

DAY 13: DONE DAENG – WAT PHOU – DONE KHONG 

We will take the boat back to Champasak to visit Wat Phou, 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. The temple served as the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most revered temples.

After your visit, we continue in to Champassak to see samples of French colonial architecture before driving to Done Khong where you have the rest of the day to relax or to explore the island. Overnight in Done Khong Island

DAY 14: DONE KHONG – 4000 ISLANDS – DONE KHONE        

Heading out of town we embark on a long tail boat for venturing into the widest reach of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recede and leave behind thousands of islets, giving this area a lovely name” Si Phan Done”. We 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 tuktuk 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. Overnight in Done Khone Island

DAY 15: DONE KHONE – PHAPHENG WATERFALLS – BAN KHIET NGONG – PAKSE  

In the morning, we will take a long-tail boat to Ban Nakasang; from there, we drive south 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. 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 in Ban Khiet Ngong for the night

DAY 16: PAKSE – COFFEE EXPERIENCE – BOLAVEN PLATEAU

We leave Pakse in the morning and head to the highlands of the Bolaven Plateau. Passing the Plateau’s capital Paksong, we drive to the village Katouat. On the way to the village we will pass rice paddies, small rivers and of course coffee plantations. The village, which rarely sees tourists, is located in a beautiful setting with a viewpoint overlooking the whole plateau as far as Pakse and the Mekong Valley. Many families of the village are coffee farmers who work with the AGPC.

We join the farmers for their work on the plantations where we learn how to pick the coffee cherries. The harvesting is done by hand, and only the ripe cherries are picked. With a full basket of cherries we return to the village’s coffee factory where the coffee is pulped, fermented and washed. We will enjoy lunch with the villagers before we will take the beans to be dried by the sun, which takes up to 25 days depending on the weather. We will see how the dried beans are hulled to become the green beans, which are then sold to France, Germany and Japan. As the last step in the production chain, we roast and grind the green beans – to finally enjoy a delicious cup of the freshest coffee!

In the early afternoon, we will head back towards Pakse and stop by the beautiful waterfall Tat Nyeaung, where we can relax and enjoy a refreshing swim. On the way back to Pakse, we visit a tea factory where we observe how the tea, which is grown in the Plateau, is processed.

Late afternoon, we will transfer to Sinouk Coffee Resort, this is the resort of one of the biggest coffee producers in Laos. Overnight at Sinouk Coffee Resort

Approximately: 3 hours transfer, 6 hours sightseeing & activities

DAY 17: BOLAVEN PLATEAU – PAKSE – DEPARTURE           

You are free in the morning before transferring back to Pakse on time to take the departure flight for the next destination