Discover Laos Tour
In this two week trip you will get beyond the main tourist stops and see the hidden highlights of this amazing country. Enjoy a kayaking adventure through caves in stunning Vang Vieng, meet the people living and working on the Mekong River, enjoy the night market in Luang Prabang and visit the mysterious Plain of Jars. Laos is so often overlooked or added on at the end of a tour, but with more time this beautiful and peaceful company really comes to life and can truly be an amazing trip all on it’s own.
Day 1 Vientiane - City Tour
Catch your flight.
Arrive Vientiane where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel to check in. Afterwards hit the town and take a guided city tour including Haw Pha Kaeo, Wat Si Saket, Pha That Luang, and Patuxai. You may choose to be dropped off for lunch in center of town or return to the hotel. In the evening you will be picked up for a traditional dinner including a Lao music and dance performance.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Green Park Boutique Hotel - Classic Room
Day 2 Vientiane to Vang Vieng
After breakfast enjoy the north bound drive through beautiful landscape before reaching Vang Vieng in the early afternoon. Once you have reached Vang Vieng check in to a quaint riverside bungalow. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant of your choice before bicycling through the countryside and across the Nam Song River. Your first stop will be at one of the most famous caves, Tham Jang. It was used as a bunker during defense against the Chinese in early 19th century. The view from the cave, surrounding landscape and tranquil pools make this a must see.
Then you will head out through the village of Ban NaThong on a scenic dirt road for approximately 6km until you reach Tham Phu Kham. The Lao consider this the most sacred of the caves in Vang Vieng and contains a bronze reclining Buddha. After your decent from the 200m climb cool off with a dip in the inviting blue lagoon before heading back to town for the evening.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Thavansouk Resort BanLao - Bungalow Room
Day 3 Vang Vieng - Kayaking
In the morning you will be transferred from Vang Vieng to the Khmu village of Vieng Samay, about 10 km north of Vang Vieng. After an introduction to the basics of kayaking, the Nam Song offers various small but fun rapids on the way to the first stop at the cave of Tham Nam Thaem. This cave cuts straight through the mountain, so one emerges on the other side of the range for some panoramic views of the Nam Kouang valley. A trek back over a small pass leads up to a Lao style picnic lunch on the riverside.
The next paddle stop is at the Organic Farm, where mulberry tea and a variety of fruit wines are produced. The Tham Non Cave lies further downstream. As one of the biggest caves in Vang Vieng, it served as a rescue shelter for the villagers during the Second Indochina War. Today it is home to a bat colony and 'The Magic Stone of Vang Vieng'. The final leg is a gentle paddle - before returning to Vang Vieng in time to catch the sunset from the terrace of the Ban Sabai Riverside Bungalows if desired or a short walk back to the resort.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Thavansouk Resort BanLao - Bungalow Room
Day 4 Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang
After an early breakfast continue by private van with new guide through the winding mountainous roads of the north. Stop and have lunch at local noodle shop in Phou Khon The scenery on the drive is some of the best in the whole country but this long journey on the winding roads can be difficult at times. Don’t worry; your guide will have all proper medications and solutions to ease the journey. Arrive to Luang Prabang in the early evening and unwind with a massage or take a stroll through the night market.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 5 Luang Prabang - Sunrise to Sunset
Wake-up at sunrise to participate in giving the local monks morning alms. You’ll be accompanied by your guide who can demonstrate the proper method of alms giving and explain this daily Buddhist ceremony. Return to your hotel for breakfast, after which your guide will take you on a tour of the city, including visits to The National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visun and Wat Sen. Enjoy lunch in town at a restaurant of your choice. After lunch your guide will meet you and you’ll continue your tour, finishing with a hike up Mt. Phou Si in the late afternoon to see a sweeping view of Luang Prabang and watch the sunset.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 6 Luang Prabang - Life on the Mekong
Today you’ll escape the tourist hubs in town and see Luang Prabang through local eyes. First, you will drive up the Mekong to the village of Pak Ou. From here board a small boat and take a tour of the local fishing area, checking traps with the fishermen along the way and collecting any fish you might find. You will then cross the Mekong by longtail boat to visit the small village of Ban Mueng Keo, known for its production of local whiskey. Here you will be able to watch a demonstration of the whiskey-making process by a local Lao Lao Whiskey producer and, if you’re up for it, sample the finished product for an early morning punch! Continue on travelling downstream to visit the Pak Ou Caves, famous for the thousands of Buddha statues left inside by pilgrims. Return to Ban Pak Ou, where the former village chief and his family will cook you a Lao-style lunch and you’ll learn about dining customs and etiquette.
After lunch, board a long tail boat and travel along the Mekong for a scenic ride until you reach the small weaving village of Ban Phone Xay, where you’ll enjoy a weaving demonstration and have a chance to purchase handmade items directly from the source. Learn the story behind who really makes the beautiful textiles sold at the night market! At the end of the day you’ll be the only tourist in town who knows the real story behind the bottles of Lao Lao, the grilled Mekong fish and the night market.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 7 Luang Prabang - Market and Village + Kuang Si Waterfall
Start your day with a walk through town where you'll see everything from a silversmith to locals shopping at the morning market for their daily produce. Take a short walk to the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre, a museum dedicated to the culture and customs of ethnic village in Laos. Afterwards visit a couple of villages, each with a different handicraft skill. Then head a little further outside of town for a scenic drive to visit the stunning Kuang Si Waterfall. On the way you'll stop at a Khmu village for a glimpse of local life. Once you reach the falls, enjoy a picnic lunch amongst the beautiful scenery and then wind down with a relaxing afternoon dip in the serene pools.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 8 Luang Prabang - Ock Pop Tok Weaving Course
You will be met at your hotel and transferred to the Ock Pop Tok Weaving Center on the bank of the Mekong River. After an introduction to silk making, your guide will take you on a tour of the center and its garden, pointing out the trees and plants used as natural dyes. Spend your morning preparing natural dyes of your choice and practice dying your own bundles of silk. Take a break with a home-cooked lunch on the patio and enjoy the riverside view. After lunch, you will be paired with a local Lao weaver who will demonstrate the stages of the weaving process. Try your hand at the loom for the remainder of the afternoon, where you’ll weave a small, placemat-sized section to take home as a souvenir. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon with your handiwork.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 9 Luang Prabang - Day at Leisure
Have a free day to explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Three Nagas Hotel - Superior Room
Day 10 Luang Prabang to Phonesavanh
Depart Luang Prabang after breakfast for a seven-hour drive along the winding mountain roads to Phonesavanh, home of the Plain of Jars. On the way, you'll stop to visit a Hmong hill tribe village and have lunch at a local restaurant. Once you reach Phonesavanh, visit a local mulberry farm and weaving center before checking into your hotel for a relaxing evening.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Phouphadeng Auberge Plaine des Jarres - Standard Room
Day 11 Plain of Jars
After breakfast spend the morning touring two of the mysterious Plain of Jars sites nestled in the breathtaking countryside. Come up with your own answers as to their purpose over 2000 years ago! Stop and have lunch before continuing on to Muang Khone district. Explore the That Foun stupa and Wat Pia, where bombs destroyed the entire temple but left a giant Buddha statue fully intact. Walk through a local rice farm to reach another Plain of Jars site. Afterward, stop by the UXO office, where you can learn more about the de-activation efforts in the area and the startling statistics about how Laos became the most bombed country in the world.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Phouphadeng Auberge Plaine des Jarres - Standard Room
Day 12 Phonesavanh - Departure
In the morning, visit the local market in town before driving to the Muang Kham district, about one and half hours outside Phonesavanh. Here you'll visit the Tham Piew cave, a historic site where many Lao civilians were killed during the "Secret War." Return to town and have lunch before transferring to the airport for your flight to Vientiane - .
Arrive Vientiane where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight at Green Park Boutique Hotel - Classic Room
Day 13 Vientiane - Day at Leisure
Take the opportunity to allow all you have seen and experienced in Laos to settle in with a trip to Papaya Spa for a little pampering or just relax by the pool. If you still want to add to those experiences, hit the town and do some shopping by market hopping and have lunch Lao style on the banks of the Mekong at one of the many local restaurants.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overnight at Green Park Boutique Hotel - Classic Room
Day 14 Vientiane - Departure
You will be transferred to Vientiane Airport in time for your onward
flight -
Meals included: Breakfast
Tour Rate: $2,725 per person double with $2195 single supplement
Price includes:
- Air tickets Phonesavanh - Vientiane
- Boat tickets as specified above
- Accommodation as specified above
- Air-conditioned car/van with driver
- Licensed English speaking guides
- Tours and admission fees as mentioned above
- Meals as specified in itinerary, including water
Price excludes:
- Personal expenses
- Visa fees
- Airport tax
- Drinks (except water) and meals not mentioned in itinerary
- Tips