Laos at Glance

Around World Heritage Site Temples and the Town of Luang Prabang surrounded by thickly forested mountains and situated at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong Rivers, Luang Prabang has a tranquil, old world charm rarely found in Asia today.

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Duration: 8 days/7 nights

Tour Code: MLHL07

Price from: US $ 600.00 Pax

Tour Valid: Until December 30th, 2013

Highlights: Luang Prabang - Vientiane - Pakse

• Day 1 - Luang Prabang Arrival - City Tour

  Place Transport: Airplane->Car 
  Meals: Dinner

  Welcome to Luang Prabang! Your guide will meet you upon arrival at the airport and bring you to your hotel. Then enjoy a half-day to visit a number of Wats and some of this peaceful town’s main highlights. In the late afternoon, you will climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset and the Mekong River. Enjoy dinner and stay overnight in Luang Prabang.

  Day 2 - Luang Prabang - Pak Ou Buddha Caves - Weaving Village

  Place Transport: Boat 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  After breakfast, begin a Mekong Riverboat trip with your guide on the mighty Mekong River to visit the famous and sacred Pak Ou Buddha Caves. These caves, overlooking the confluence of the Mekong & Ou Rivers from on high, have been home to many thousands of Buddha images that were placed here by local people since 16th century when King Setthathirat found the caves and declared them a holy spot. Today, many of them still pay respect with this old tradition. Walk through the caves before returning to your boat and to Luang Prabang town. Enjoy lunch en route. Then visit the village of Ban Xang Khong where weaving of traditional Lao textiles takes place on traditional wooden looms. Return to Luang Prabang and spend the rest of the day to explore or relax on your own. Stay overnight in Luan Prabang.

  Day 3 - Traditional Lao rite of Almsgiving - Kuang Si Waterfall - Fly to Vientiane

  Place Transport: Car->Airplane 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

  If you wish, get an early start (5:30am) and go watch or participate in the traditional Lao rite of Almsgiving to the monks. In the city, monks file through silently collecting alms. This is an amazing sight and your guide will be on hand to demonstrate and explain this important ritual. Return to your hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, drive with your guide by car to the Kuang Si waterfall. The falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred feet into a series of cool, turquoise pools. The water here has a clear blue-green tint due to the high mineral content. You can climb the stairs and look down from various high viewpoints on the way to the top! Enjoy a local lunch and in the afternoon, return to the hotel for check-out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. Upon arrival, you'll transferred to your hotel for overnight and dinner.

  Day 4 - Vientiane City Tour

  Place Transport: Car 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  After breakfast,you'll enjoy a city tour to Wat Sisaket with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. Other sites, you will see include the huge golden That Luang monument, and next door, Vientiane’s own Victory Monument, which looks like the Arc de Triomphe. This was built at the end of the Indochina war with money rumored to be American, and earmarked for the airport’s new runway. Thus, the departing Americans dubbed this monument the vertical runway. Then let's take a look at the lovely arches inside the monument. We also visit Wat Simuang and Wat Prakeo which was the original home of the famous Emerald Buddha, which today lives in Bangkok. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and then return to your hotel, and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

  Day 5 - Vientiane - Fly to Pakse - Bolaven Plateau

  Place Transport: Car 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  Please get up early and have breakfast. Then we'll transfer to the airport for your flight to Pakse. Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up for transferring to the hotel. Check into your hotel and commence enjoying a day-trek in this lovely area. In the morning, make an easy 4 hours hike on the Bolaven Plateau. This hike goes trough a local village, coffee plantations, over a hanging bridge and on to the plains. Huge boulders, epiphytes and wild orchids abound. Large pine trees grow here, giving it a wholly different character of landscape. Return to hotel for lunch. After lunch, it’s time to relax.

  Day 6 - 4000 Islands - Wat Phou - Elephant Camp

  Place Transport: Car->Boat 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  After breakfast, continue on to the 4000 Islands area (Si Phan Don) by van. En route, visit the famous Khmer Temple complex of Wat Phou. This represents the easternmost border of the Khmer empire although the influence of the Khmers was felt deep into central Vietnam). Also visit an Elephant Camp to see how handlers (“mahouts”) train these giant friendly beasts! Ride one of the friendly pachyderms to the top of Phou Asa to see mysterious ruins there. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to 4000 Islands by bus and boat.

  Day 7 - Boat to the largest waterfalls in Asia (Khone Phapeng & Li Phi Falls)

  Place Transport: Boat 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch

  After breakfast, enjoy a trip by boat to the largest waterfalls in Asia. Khone Phapeng  and Li Phi Falls were the major obstacles which thwarted the French in their efforts to open the Mekong River to navigation. Here, there are 50-100 about Irrawaddy (freshwater) dolphins. If lucky, you’ll have the chance to see them! Have lunch in a local restaurant. See the small gauge railway and Colonial Bridge which were built by the French to circumnavigate the falls. Then return to the island to spend the afternoon at leisure or explore the island on your own. 
  

  Day 8 - Pakse Depature

  Place Transport: Car->Airplane 
  Meals: Breakfast

  After breakfast, we'll take you yo Pakse for your flight onward.