ITINERARY IN DETAIL
DAY 01. ARRIVAL – VIENTIANE
Welcome to Laos. You will be transferred to your Vientiane,
a charming and fascinating capital, with an interesting mix
of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Soviet and
American influences. After a short rest, we start visiting
the major sights; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the
temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the
former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed
the famous Emerald Buddha Image. En route to Lao’s national
precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That
Luang Stupa, you will have the opportunity to take some
pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well
known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. Overnight in
Vientiane.
DAY 02. VIENTIANE – VANG VIENG (B/-/-)
We leave Vientiane for our journey northbound on national
way 13. We will see some breathtaking scenery en route as we
pass through spectacular countryside towards the mountainous
region. We make a stop along the way at Vang Xang, a famous
archeological site dating back to the 11th century. In the
afternoon we reach the small and tranquil town of Vang Vieng,
which is nestled on a bank of the Nam Song River. Its
stunning scenery with a mixture of quiet atmosphere and
limestone outcrops remains unspoiled. We cross the Nam Song
river to Tham Jang caves and then enjoy a short trek through
mountain landscape to explore the Tam None cave and some
hill villages. Today ends with a superb panorama of the
sunset reflecting over the Nam Song river. Overnight in Vang
Vieng.
DAY 03. VANG VIENG – THAM PHOUTHAM (B/-/-)
After breakfast, we start on a local tractor through paddy
field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves, where you enjoy
the beautiful and famous limestone cavern, surrounded by
natural forests. Along the way, you have chance to explore
the local cultures by meeting the local villagers and
learning about their daily lifestyle. There is a small
natural pool in front of the caves where you can take a swim
to refresh yourself from the hot climate. You will have a
picnic lunch and spending the day at the caves and its
surrounding areas. On the way to return Vang Vieng we will
visit the ethnic minority villages of Hmong, Souay and
Taidam, meet the friendly hill tribe people and observing
their traditional tribal costumes. Overnight in Vang Vieng.
DAY 04. VANG VIENG - LUANG PRABANG (B/-/-)
In the early morning we leave Vang Vieng for Luang Prabang,
the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. Roads
are well paved and we pass some stunning landscape scenery
with a mixture of steep terraced fields and hill villages
with stops for photos at some small hill tribe village en
route. The Muang Xieng Nguen village is our next stop and we
spend a short time observing the local lifestyle prior to
reaching Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang.
DAY 05. LUANG PRABANG - PAKOU - LUANG PRABANG (B/-/-)
Today, we enjoy a short city tour seeing the city's oldest
temple, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where
you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic pattern set
in colored glass. Its exterior architecture is remarkable
with the roofs sweeping low to the ground, representing
classical Laotian architecture. We then embark in a cruise
upstream on the Mekong river, which also gives us a
beautiful view of the tranquil countryside. We take an
interesting visit to 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 Xang Hai, reknown for
the production of Lao rice wine. On return to Luang Prabang,
we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a small village with
hand weaving. Overnight in Luang Prabang.
DAY 06. LUANG PRABANG – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)
The National museum (close Tuesday) at the former Royal
Palace, which displays a lovely collection of the artifacts
reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days
of the early kings through the last sovereign. You will be
transferred to airport fo onward flights. End of services.
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