Arrival in Chiang Rai, meet at the airport then transfer to hotel. Check-in time: 14h00. The rest of the day is at your leisure, either relax at the hotel or explore the surrounding shops and restaurants.

Accommodation: Hotel in Chiang Rai

After completing border formalities, you will board a traditional boat for the trip down the Mekong River. Serene, timeless Laos is one of the Asian countries that have yet to be affected by commercialization and industrialization.

This once-powerful kingdom known as Lane Xang (Million Elephants) was founded in the 14th century with the help of the Khmers, and it went on to become one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia until its demise in the late 19th century.

Bisected and bordered by the Mekong River, the omnipresent symbol of Indochina, Laos today is an amalgam of cultural influences; Theravada Buddhism, animism, France, and the socialist ideal. It is a peaceful place, and the legendary hospitality, resilience and friendliness of the Lao people is much in evidence. Laos is Old Asia preserved.

As your journey downriver you will stop at some tribal minority villages such as the Hmong, Yao and Khmu. Upon arrival in Pakbeng, visit local market; experience daily lifestyle of colorful hill tribe traders exchanging their goods.

Accommodation: Hotel in Pakbeng

Breakfast. As you sail further downriver, you will pass areas of unmarred lush forest with little villages along the riverbanks and perhaps the odd elephant or two with his mahout. You visit a fishing village and a rice winemaking village and perhaps even taste some of the infamous beverage known as Lao Rice wine. You also visit the Pak-Ou caves, where thousands of Buddha statues are stored.

You arrive in Luang Prabang around sunset and transfer to your hotel. This charming city of UNESCO world heritage site, The Luang Prabang is a small, dream-like town on the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, in a beautiful mountainous setting. From 1353 until 1545 it was the capital of Lane Xang before power was transferred to Vientiane.

Despite the move, Luang Prabang remained the seat of monarchical power and when the kingdom broke up in 1694, one of the deceased king’s grandsons established a rival kingdom to those in Vientiane and Champasak. Though weakened, the Luang Prabang royalty endured until 1975, when after the reign of 63 kings it was formally dissolved.

You will spend the day exploring the temples and sites in what is called one of the last Shangri-La’s of Southeast Asia.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning alms giving ritual to saffron clad monks. This tradition is unique to Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession.

After breakfast, we visit The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture throughout the ages. We then enjoy a short-guided tour to see the city’s oldest temple Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong.

We’ll also see visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. We then 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.

From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textile made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Start your day with a visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre where you are able to observe valuable artifacts and traditional clothing and implements from each of the 20 ethnic minority groups which inhabit the Luang Prabang area. Later in the morning we go to Phosi Market, which has an eclectic selection of foods and souvenirs.

Afterwards, we head out to visit some ethnic minority villages and see how these colorful people live. We then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfalls where you can swim in the turquoise pools or walk along forest paths.

Free day at your own exploration.

Accommodation: Hotel in Luang Prabang

Today we leave the charming town of Luang Prabang and drive to Xieng Khouang, an area once devastated by American bombings. These back roads are a great way to experience an authentic Laos experience. We’ll see very few other travelers, just mostly rural dwellers who are just as interested in us as we are about them!

Upon arrival, we transfer out to visit the Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are scattered all over the plateau.

After breakfast, depart for a trip to Mouang Khoune, former capital of the province, which was almost completely destroyed by American bombing during the Vietnam War.

En route, visit the H’mong ethnic minority villages, Thai Dam (Black Thai) and Phuan. Orientation tour of Mouang Khoune and visit the remains of the temples of Wat Phia Wat and Wat Tha Foune.

Lunch at local restaurant. Continue exploring the sites (which houses the largest jars) and the 3 Plain of Jars, both located near Mouang Khoune before returning to Phonesavanh.

Accommodation: Hotel in Xieng Khouang

Following breakfast, we visit the Central Market, after which, we will take a long drive to Vang Vieng. The drive can be strenuous as this route is one of the roughest in Asia. We’ll arrive in the afternoon to this small and tranquil town nestled on the bank of the Nam Song River.

Local tractors will take you up north 17km to visit the beautiful “Phatan village” where our trained guides will give you some basic paddle instruction. From here, we kayak downstream to visit Elephant Cave named Tham Xang which lies on the opposite banks of the Nam Song. It is an important Buddhist temple and owes its name to a remarkable limestone formation.

We then continue with our trekking through the open rice fields to the splendid Patao mountains and visit the Water Cave (Tham Nam), also a good place for a swim. After a pinic lunch at a Bamboo house on the bank of Nam Song river, we kayak back to Vang Vieng varies according to the level of the Nam Song.

It leads us through idyllic scenes of rural life: a unique sight with the limestone mountains in the background. We return to the town in the late afternoon for a panorama view of the river at sunset.

Accommodation: Hotel in Vang Vieng

As part of our half day tour of Vang Vieng, we explore the famous caves of Tham Jang, which was once used by the local people as a hideout from Chinese invaders. We also cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai, a very pleasant village where we can explore the different lifestyles of the locals.

Following lunch we head south to Vientiane. A spectacular view of over the Mekong River at sunset is a perfect way to finish the day.

Today we begin to see the major sights of the capital, including Wat Sisaket, which contains more than 8000 Buddha statues, Wat Ho Prakeo the former home of the Emerald Buddha statue and That Luang Stupa, the single most important monument in Laos. We also see the Patuxay (Lao Arc de Triomphe), which was built in commemoration of those who died during past wars and today it is the city’s main landmark.

In the afternoon we transfer out to see Buddha Park, a scattered and enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious artifacts here dating back over 500 years. Observing the spectacular sunset view over the Mekong River is a perfect way to finish the day.

You will be transferred to the airport early this morning for your flight to Pakse. On arrival in Pakse, you will be met by our staff and transferred to the Bolevean Plateau. The Bolevean Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. The area is famous for its many waterfalls, and the most beautiful of these falls, Tad Fan, is where we will visit. Tad Fan waterfall is spectacular with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation.

A trip to the plateau provides a refreshing break from the heat and allows you to observe the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops that can be seen en route. In the afternoon we arrive at Tad Lo, home to another scenic waterfall and numerous ethnic minority groups.

We visit the villages of Alak, Nge, and Katu before returning to Pakse.

After breakfast, we will go down to the pier for a cruise down to Champassak and visit the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia’s largest archaeological sites. We have time to explore these intriguing Khmer ruins, which are perched at the base of Mount Phu Kao. We continue our journey by road to the 4000 Islands area, where you have the rest of the day to relax.

After an early morning breakfast, we explore Khong Island. Here we begin by re-tracing the French colonial-past at Ban Khone, where some old colonial houses still stand, and take a glimpse at the first Lao railway with its own locomotive.

We continue our exploration of the area of the 4000 islands by boat and visit the beautiful Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which forms a natural border between Lao and Cambodia.

Return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the famous waterfall of Khone Phapeng – the largest waterfall in South East Asia, also known as the ‘Niagara of the East’.