Postcard From Laos

Meet at Chiang Rai airport and transfer to your hotel, where your room is available anytime after 1:30 p.m. Relax, or discover the city on your own. Meals are on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Enjoy morning breakfast. Then travel to Laos, passing through Chiang Khong, about an hour and a half trip. Cross the Mekong River and be met by your Laotian guide. Embark on a traditional boat to cruise for seven hours. You’ll discover the banks of the Mekong, the mythical river that crosses China, separates Laos from Burma and Thailand, plunges toward Cambodia 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 by 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.

Begin cruising again, descending the Mekong until Luang Prabang. You’ll cruise for about seven hours through beautiful landscapes. The Mekong River is at the bottom of a steep-sided valley, with tropical forest invading its banks, and small villages appearing from time to time out of the forest. Have lunch onboard. Before arriving, stop to visit the sacred caves of Pak Ou, which shelter hundreds of statuettes of Buddha. The caves offer a splendid view of the Mekong which, here, mixes its water with that of the Nam Ou River. Arrive at Luang Prabang, the old royal capital, which is a UNESCO-classified World Heritage Site. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Visit this city on the left bank of the Mekong River. Previously a religious capital, Luang Prabang showcases more than 100 temples, some of the most beautiful in Laos. 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 in 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 in the city, which resembles no other 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.

Towards the end of the afternoon, climb Mount Phousi to admire the sunset. Descending, discover the H’mong Night Market, which operates every day from 5 to 10 p.m. in the main street. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, you’ll visit the Royal Palace, today the National Museum, before heading off to Khuang Sy waterfall on a roundtrip journey of around 70 km. The road is bordered by villages and rice fields. You’ll stop in some of these villages and have a countryside lunch by the waterfall, which is frequented by locals and villagers. You can swim in the waterfall, which scatters into many basins. Return to Luang Prabang and continue to visit the city. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Travel by road to Vang Vieng in an air-conditioned car. The road winds its way through splendid mountain landscapes. Check in to the hotel. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, descend the river in dugout boats, cruising through some very scenic geography featuring limestone rocks reminiscent of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Visit the caves neighboring Vang Vieng – these are a major attraction of the area. Lunch on your own in Vang Vieng. Then travel by road to Vientiane. On the way, you’ll visit Vang Sang, which shelters dozens of Buddha high reliefs dating from the 16th century. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Stop in villages along the way where markets are open. Arrive in Vientiane at the end of the day. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Visit Vientiane, seeing:

Vat Sisaket, which, in spite of the Siamese influence, presents an architecture all its own. The largest temple in Vientiane, it is considered the most beautiful and its old “Bangkok” style has saved it from destruction.

Vat Phra Keo, built in 1565, celebrates the Emerald Buddha it shelters. It was rebuilt identically in 1942. Located in a stunning garden, it shelters the Buddha under sloping, superb carved wood panels and elegant colonnades built in typical Lao style and with a northern Siamese roof.

Pha That Louang, a cloister guarding a large stupa that was saved when the city was raided by the Siamese. Damaged by the Ho plunderers in 1873, it was restored by the French in 1930. It has become the symbol of the nation, representing both Buddhism and Lao’s sovereignty. This large relic is a masterpiece of Laotian architecture. 

Patuxay, a monument established in memory of the war’s victims. A panoramic view of Vientiane can be seen from the top.

Talat Kua Din, the local market opposite Talat Sao, which has less tourists.

Towards the end of the afternoon, walk along the Mekong River. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Leave at 6 a.m. for a flight from Vientiane to Pakse. Upon arrival you will board a local boat to travel on the Mekong River to Champassak. Here, you’ll visit Vat Phou Temple, an interesting architectural collection from 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. Have lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, continue on the river until Ban Phiengdy, where you’ll cross the Mekong to reach Khong Island. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Go by dugout canoe through Si Phane Done, the region of 4,000 islands. Cross to Done Det Island partly by foot. The island is linked by a bridge to Done Kone. Visit Ban Khone fishing village and stop at the ruins of French railway tracks and the old locomotive. Have lunch on the way. Walk to Liphi falls -- those who don’t wish to walk may take a local version of bus boat. Return to Khong Island by boat and spend some free time strolling through the village, relaxing or taking a bicycle ride. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Cross the Mekong River and take the road south to Pa Peng falls, near the Cambodian border,  where fishermen often fish in the impressive rapids. Travel by road to Pakse and stop along the way to visit the Ou Mong ruins in some very beautiful countryside. Have lunch in Pakse, then leave for Chongmek, on the Thai border. After immigration formalities, continue to Ubon airport (from Chongmek, you will be without a guide). Fly home.