INDO 01: TREASURE OF LAOS
5 days / 4nights
Day1. Arrival – Vientiane
On arrival in Vientiane Capital, you will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. After a short rest, we see the major sights of the capital; 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. On the way to Lao’s national precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, we stop enroute to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. We watch the sunset by the Mekong Riverside and spend the evening here absorbing the city at night.
Overnight in Vientiane
Day2. Vientiane – Luang Prabang (B/L)
Today, we transfer to the airport for a short flight to Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. After checking into your hotel, we visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the sh rine of Wat Aham and Wat Mai. We then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as have a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can browse a lovely selection of handmade textile made by the local people and hill tribers surrounding Luang Prabang.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day3. Luang Prabang – Pak Ou caves (B/L)
After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham, Wat Mai, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its low sweeping roofs, representing classical Laotian architecture. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of 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 Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine. On our way back to the city, we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village well known for its crafts, pottery and hand weaving.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day4. Luang Prabang – Vientiane (B/L)
An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession. After breakfast we visit The National Museum (close Tuesday) at the former Royal Palace, displays a lovely collection of artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. The National Museum and the Central Market is not to be missed. We visit these sights in the morning before catching our flight back to Vientiane. After checking into your hotel, we transfer out to see the Buddha Park, a scattered enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and to reveal his ideas about the universe. A spectacular view of over the Mekong River at sunset is a perfect way to finish the day.
Overnight in Vientiane
INDO 02: HIDDEN 4000 ISLANDS
3days / 2nights
Day1. Arrival – Pakse – Tadlo
On arrival at Pakse, you will be met and taken by road to Saravanh province via Tateng. We take a tea break enroute to the Boloven Plateau area, to observe the locals and their way of life as they make traditional tea and coffee. The Boloven Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Rivers run off this high plateau in all directions and then plunge out to lush forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls. The scenery around 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. This trip gives visitors the chance to venture off the beaten track and to discover some of the lesser-known areas of Laos, exploring the wild beauty of this southern region. Upon arrival at Tad Lo waterfall, we visit the villages of Alak, Nge, Katu, populated by ethnic minority groups.
Overnight at Tad Lo
Day2. Tadlo – Pakse – Wat Phou – Don Khone (B/L)
After an early breakfast, we head out towards Khong Island. On the way we make a short detour to visit Pha Suam waterfall and to stroll around the ethnic minority villages of Lao Teung. We continue to travel by road via Pakse town crossing the Mekong by ferry to visit the fascinating pre-angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia’s most dramatically situated temples. We have time to explore these intriguing Khmer ruins, which are p erched at the base of Mount Phu Kao. Wat Phu is one of the Lao World Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO in 2001, this wonderful archeological site of Khmer civilization dates back to the 5th century, predating the famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We continue our journey by road to Ban Nakasang and taking a long-tailed boat to Donekhone island, the largest island in the South Mekong river region known as the 4000 islands, one of the most scenic areas in Laos.
Overnight in Don Khong
Day3. Don Khone – Khong Island – Pakse (B/L)
Following breakfast, we enjoy a visit to the surrounding countryside, and embark on a long trail boat tour of the Don Khone area, which takes you to visit the remains of the French period, Liphi Waterfall or “the Corridor of the Devil”. We return to the mainland at the fishing village Ban Nakasang and drive further south to visit Khone Phapheng on the journey. Khone Phapheng is considered the largest waterfall by volume in the South East Asia; this is really an impressive sight with marvellous nature near the Lao-Cambodian border, which is teeming with wildlife making this area one of the most breathtaking destinations in Laos. Afterward we drive back to Pakse.
Overnight in Pakse
INDO 04: TIMELESS LAOS
6days / 5nights
Day1. Arrival –Vientiane
On arrival at the Vientiane Capital, you will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Vientiane is 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 of the capital; 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. Enroute to Lao’s national precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, you will have the opprotunity to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.
Overnight in Vientiane
Day2. Vientiane – Luang Prabang (B/L)
We board a short afternoon flight to Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in South East Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. On arrival, we start seeing the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham, Wat Mai, w e then climb up to the top of Phousi Mount for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River. From there, we explore Street Night Market, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day3. Luang Prabang – Pak Ou cave (B/L)
After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, representing classical Laotian architecture. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside as well as 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. En route, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where the local speciality of rice wine is produced. On our return, we stop at the local villages of Ban Xiengmene and Ban Chan then continue to see the royal temple at Wat Longkhoun, which once belonged to the royal family near the Sackarine Caves. Once back in Luang Prabang city we take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village well known for its hand weaving. We also have time to visit Ban Xangkhong, Ban Xienglek, small villages well known for its silk weavings and for its Saa (jute) Papermaking
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day4. Luang Prabang – Khouangsi Waterfalls (B/L)
An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. You will visit the morning Phosi Market where you will find dried buffalo skins, local teas and saltpeter among the many chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, and today you will have the opportunity to visit the local village of the Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, Hmong Village, Ban Ou, Laoloum Village, Ban Thapene and Khmu Village. After visiting the villages, we then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfalls where you may wish cool off by splashing around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest paths. We continue to Ban Phanom, another well-known weaving village and return to Luang Prabang by the late evening to observe the sunset at Wat Siphouthabath.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day5. Luang Prabang – Vientiane (B/L)
The National Museum (close Tuesday) at the former Royal Palace, displays a lovely collection of artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. The National Museum and the Central Market is not to be missed. We visit these sights in the morning before catching our flight back to Vientiane. After checking into your hotel in Vientiane, we transfer out to see the Buddha Park, a scattered enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and revealing his ideas about the universe. Observing the spectacular view of over the Mekong River at sunset is a perfect way to finish the day.
Overnight in Vientiane
Day6. Vientiane – Departure (B/)
After breakfast, we will visit the Morning Market, and the weaving village of Ban Nong Bouathong [if time permits]. The tour ends after your transfer to airport or for departure. (B)