Charming Laos

Your first landing place is at Chiang Rai, a Thai city nearby the famous Golden Triangle and the fabled Mekong River (Mae Khong). Relax, or discover the city on your own.

Enjoy breakfast, then travel to Laos, passing through Chiang Khong, about an hour and a half trip. Cross the Mekong River and and you will step into Laos’ territory at Houeixay, where you will be met by our Laotian guide. Embark on a traditional boat for a seven-hour Mekong River cruise. You’ll discover the banks of the Mekong, the mythical river that crosses China, separates Laos from Burma and Thailand, plunges toward Kampuchea and emerges in Vietnam. The landscape is splendid. As the main entry to northern Laos and Luang Prabang, it’s a busy route bordered by villages all along the way. You’ll stop in a village bordering the river, enjoy lunch onboard, and arrive at Pakbeng at the end of the afternoon. Check in to the lodge and then discover this area on foot. Located halfway between Houeixay and Luang Prabang, it is a mixing point for local hill tribes including H'mong, Lue, Khamou, and others. Dinner and overnight at the lodge

The morning is devoted to the discovery of the Mekong Elephant Camp. First, you cross the Mekong River to attend a show of elephant bathing. Then, you’ll ride an elephant for about two hours through ethnic villages still off most tourists’ routes. Return to Pakbeng Lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, leave for Muang La via Oudomxay, stopping in a few Lu and Khamou villages on the way. You’ll then arrive at Muang La at the end of the day.

Leave at 9:30 a.m. by minibus for Pak Khai, travelling about 20 minutes through some magnificent scenery around the Nampak River, including terraced rice fields and Khamou villages. Upon arriving, walk along the paths at the river’s edge. During this trek, you’ll meet local country people working in the rice fields and be able to see how they cultivate their land, fish and hunt for small game. After an hour and a half of walking through lovely green forests, you’ll arrive at the village of Phavie, situated high on a hill. You’ll be invited into the village chief’s house for lunch and experience Laotian friendliness and hospitality firsthand. Continue your walk after lunch, coming across some waterfalls where you’ll be able to swim and relax in the clear waters, refreshed by the light breeze and relaxation. Around 2:30 p.m., you’ll  head back to the resort, arriving at the end of the afternoon.

Leave for Muang Khua by road. After about an hour and a half, you’ll board a traditional slow boat to descend the Nam Ou River until Muang Ngoi, about a three-hour cruise. The scenery features limestone outcrops partly covered in heavy vegetation. Stop at a beautiful village, Thai Ed, before arriving at Muang Ngoi. This charming village stretches along the Nam Ou and has a tropical ambiance with its coconut palms and thatched cafes. Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, walk for about two hours in the rice fields surrounding Muang Ngoi, featuring limestone outcrops reminiscent of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. You’ll see different stages of rice-growing, depending on the season. Return to the boat and continue down river to Nong Khiaw. Check in to your hotel. 

Leave for Luang Prabang by road. Visit the Lu villages of Bane Na Yang and Bane Hat Kho. Have lunch on the road. Arrive at Bane Pak Ou and cross the Mekong River to visit some sacred caves, two of which – Tham Ting and Tham Poum – shelter thousands of Buddha statuettes. Continue by boat until Luang Prabang. Check in to your hotel. 

Luang Prabang is a town of great charm, a combination of centuries-old Buddhist temples and colonial residences stretching on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Mekong and the Namkha river.

Previously a religious capital, Luang Prabang is home to more than 100 temples, some considered among the most beautiful in Laos. During your today’s visit of the town, you’ll discover:

● Vat Xieng Thong, the Temple of the Royal City, a vast collection of sacred buildings, one of the jewels of Laotian art and the most beautiful temple of the city.

● Vat May, built at the end of the 18th century, a capped sanctuary featuring a five sided roof topped by three parasols.

● Vat Visoun, the oldest temple of the city, unique in its own right with its wooden windows inspired by the Khmer Temple of Vat Phou.

● Vat Aham, located just beside Vat Visoun, framed by two large Banyan trees.

● Vat Senna, the first monastery with a roof covered with yellow and red tiles.

● At the end of the afternoon, climb Mount Phousi to watch the sunset. Coming back down, discover the H’mong Night Market which sets up every day in the main street between 5 and 10 p.m, where you can stroll among all the stalls, try your hand at bargaining and bring home some beautiful Laotian handicrafts.

In the morning, visit the Royal Palace, which today is the National Museum, before heading off to Khouang Sy waterfall, a journey of about 30 km. The road is bordered by villages and rice fields. You’ll stop in some of these villages and continue on to the waterfalls. As you approach the falls, you will feel cooler as the  area is in higher altitude and surrounded by a forest. Have a countryside lunch at the waterfall. These places are frequented by locals and villagers. The waterfall is spectacular, scattering into many clear, turquoise basins in which you can have a swim. Return to Luang Prabang and continue to visit the city. It is sheer pleasure strolling along the riverbank and watch villagers going about their daily life.

Transfer to the airport to fly to Vientiane, where you’ll be met and taken to the hotel. Welcome to Vientiane, the quietest capital of South-east Asia! Although in recent years, Vientiane has been a bit waken up by the vertiginous development of neigbouring countries, it has retained much of its leisurely pace, content with its large boulevards and charming villas –a heritage of its colonial past, alongside a number of old, interesting Buddhist temples.

The afternoon is dedicated to visit Vientiane, including:

 ● Vat Sisaket, the oldest temple, with cloistered walls pierced with small niches containing 2,000 Buddhas.

● Haw Pha Kaew, a royal temple, which is today a museum but which previously housed a jade Buddha removed by the Siamese and now installed in Bangkok’s Royal Palace. 

● That Luang, a cloister guarding a large stupa that was saved when the city was raided by the Siamese. 

Finally, don’t miss walking along the banks of the Mekong River at sunset!

Fly from Vientiane to Pakse where, on arrival, you’ll drive to Champasack. Here sarts your exploration of southern Laos and the widest portion of the Mekong river. You’ll visit Vat Phou Temple, an interesting architectural collection of pre-Angkorian times. This will remind you that the region was once part of the kingdom of Tchen-La in the Khmer nation. Vat Phou is a Shiva temple leaning against a sacred mountain and is a predecessor of the mountain temples now found in Cambodia and Thailand. Vat Phou has been recognized as a World Heritage by Unesco. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Then, transfer to La Folie lodge to check in. The afternoon is free to relax by the hotel pool or go for a bike ride around the neighboring area. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Travel by road to Khong Island in the middle of the Mekong river, stopping along the way at different ethnic minority villages. Visit the ruins of Ou Mong in the picturesque countryside and ride an elephant to the mysterious ruins of Vat Phu Assa Temple. Have lunch and continue on to Khong, arriving at the end of the day. Check in to the hotel. 

Travel by dugout canoe in Si Phane Done – 4,000 islands – region.  The area got its name from the numerous sandbars that appear like small islands in the middle of the Mekong river at dry season. Cross to Done Det Island and walk to Done Kone across a bridge. Visit the fishing village of Bane Khone, stopping to see the old ruined French railway tracks and locomotive. Continue walking until Liphi falls (or take the local version of a bus if you don’t want to walk). Return to Khong Island by boat and spend some free time strolling through the village, relaxing or riding bicycles. Enjoy lunch. 

Afternoon free.

Cross the Mekong and then take the road south until Pa Peng Falls, very near the Cambodian border and where fishermen often fish in the strong rapids. Have lunch at Pakse. Leave for Chongmek, the Thai border. After immigration and customs formalities, you will be transferred by a private vehicle to Ubon airport (from Chongmek, you’ll be without a guide). Fly to Bangkok from Ubon.