Best of Laos 11 days

Upon arrival, tour guide and driver welcome you and take you to hotel. After a soft rest, we visit Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. Then we visit Wat Mai, renowned for its golden bas-relief. Short walk around the small streets of city center to watch the life of local people. In the late afternoon, we climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa and a panoramic sunset view.

We then join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. This traditional ritual expresses the spirituality of Laos and is a highly memorable experience and a deep insight into its culture. You will have dinner with the host family.

Wake up early to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving. From there, we will visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace.

After breakfast, we will visit the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene. Next, we embark on a leisurely cruise upstream the Mekong River to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, filled with thousands of Buddha images. You will stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling.

Back to Luang Prabang, we visit the magnificent Wat Xiengthong, a superb piece of Lao temple architecture. Our last stop is the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures.

We head out to a community-based living rice farm in the idyllic countryside outside Luang Prabang and check out nearby workshops where local bamboo weavers, blacksmiths and sugar cane processors practice their crafts. We then take a tour of the organic garden. After that, we drive directly to Kuang Si waterfalls, the biggest in the Luang Prabang area. We will also take a short visit to the Bear Rescue Center, which houses a couple of dozen animals rescued from of poachers and traffickers. On the way back, we take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics. This is the perfect spot to enjoy a drink, whilst the sun setting behind the mountain.

Transfer to the Elephant Village. Cross the Nam Khan by boat to begin the walk which will lead you to a Khmu village - Hue Fei - where you get an insight into Khmu's everyday life and culture. Follow a small stream to the village Ban Souan where Hmong, Khmu and Lao Loum live together.

In the afternoon you will have an excursion on the Nam Khan with a kayak. Pass the Tad Sae Waterfall, some isolated Lao Loum's and Theung's thatched roof settlements. Finally, you will arrive at the Lao Spirit Resort. Enjoy a relaxing time and taste the unique flavour of our dishes and wines.

Trekking: 3 - 4,5 hours, kayaking: 1 - 2 hours.

Take a 10-15 minutes walk along the Nam Khan River to the Elephant Village. The Riding elephant will take you into the jungle and back to camp about 1 km. You may look around the camp and receive information about the elephants or use the swimming pool.

Then, we drive to Vang Vieng along one of the most scenic region of Laos. Chance to enjoy the panoramic view at the highest peak of the area. From there, we will visit Pha Hom market, where we can find various offer of wild animals. Stop at Ban Phouhin Lekphay to see the life of Khmu hill-tribe. Last photo stop at Phatang Mountain view point before reaching Vang Vieng. We then transfer to visit the cave of Tham Jang.

After breakfast, we will drive 7 km to visit the Tham Poukham. Golden Crab Cave dive 100 meters into the ground where a reclining Buddha statue welcomes visitors. Tham Pou Kham has several wet rock formations, including a pair of “Golden Crabs”. After you are done exploring the cavern, go for a cold swim in the Ka River’s water hold. A small locally-owned shop serves meals and snacks. Optional for Zip line is available at the cave.

In the afternoon, we drive to Vientiane, which conjures up exotic images, with a curious mix of cultures. You will have free time to stroll around this charming town, the most laid-back capital of Asia.

Start our tour today with the first visit to Wat Si Muang, which is very famous for its supernatural power. After that, we transfer out to see Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, close to the Friendship Bridge.

In the afternoon, we see the major sights of the capital; including the oldest Wat Sisaket and the Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. On the way to Lao’s national icon, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stopto take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. Back to hotel to relax and free time for the whole evening.

Free time until driver take you to the airport for a short flight to Pakse, the biggest city of the Southern Laos. Upon arrival, we depart for the Bolaven plateau, a mountainous region with hill tribes, waterfalls, coffee and tea plantations. The first stop is the Tad Lo waterfalls, a beautiful formation of three separate falls. From the bridge, you will first see Tad Hang and Tad Lo in the distance. The most impressive of the three, Tad Suong, is located a further 10km upriver. We will drive to the small village of Ban Houay Houn, famous for its Katu textiles. You will observe the women weaving without a traditional loom but using their legs to stretch the fabric. We continue our journey through the Paksong and Boloven plateau. Back to hotel to relax.

After breakfast, tour guide picks up you and we drive to Champasak. Along the way, we will enjoy the scenery around Tad Fan waterfall with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation. We will also see the cultivation of offee, tea and other crops.

Upon arrival, we visit Wat Phou, an ancient Khmer religious complex recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways. Then, we continue in to Champasak to see samples of French colonial architecture before driving to Done Khong where you can relax or explore the island.

We embark on a long tail boat to the widest reach of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recede and leave behind thousands of islets, giving this area a lovely name "Si Phan Done".

We will explore the local peaceful villages of Ban Khone, where you will see old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with its locomotive. We continue to discover the 4000 islands area by tuktuk and visit the marvelous Liphi waterfall. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone. We return to the mainland at the fishing village of Ban Nakasang and drive to visit Khone Phapheng, the largest waterfall by volume in South East Asia.

Have breakfast at hotel. Free time to stroll around the resort for your own exploration or relax by the inviting pool until driver picks up you and take you to airport for your departure flight.