Authentic Laos Itinerary 10 Days

Sabaidee!

Welcome to the beautiful country of Laos! Your private guide and driver will be waiting for you at the Luang Prabang Airport with a sign with your name on it. They will then take you straight to your hotel.

After check-in at your hotel, you will have time to relax and adjust to the pace of Luang Prabang.

NOTE: To get into Laos, you must have both a passport and a visa. You must also have at least six months left on your passport after the date you enter Laos. You can get a visa on arrival in Laos. Make sure you have two photos that fit the size of a passport.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Morning

Let's go check out the Morning Market, a bustling thoroughfare where you can buy anything from fresh frogs to brightly colored vegetables...

From the busy market, you can go to Wat Mai, one of the city's most ornate monasteries, and Wat Visoun, a temple dating back to the 16th century famous for its large stupa and its collection of antique gilded Buddhas,

Next is the former King's Palace, where you can learn about Luang Prabang's past and present. The old Wat Xieng Thong temple is close by. It has a beautiful low, sweeping roof. It is the most famous and well-known monastery in Luang Prabang.

Afternoon

After lunch at a local restaurant, drive out of the city to visit Ban Xangkhong, the Thai Lue village known for its arts and crafts. We also go to Ban Xienglek, a nearby village that is known for making traditional Saa paper.

Go back to the City and take a short walk around the small roads to see the traditional wooden house of Heuan Chan, which is 100 years old and is called the Chantal wooden house.

Visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Centre (TAEC), which is the only independent resource center in Laos that is focused on the many different ethnic groups that live there. If you have time, you can visit the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center. It is near the Mekong and has a beautiful, traditional style. Weavers, spinners, and batik makers work there to make high-quality fabrics. Free tours are given every half hour.

When you feel like you've learned enough, you can climb to the top of Mount Phousi, the highest point in the city, where you can see the city and the Mekong River below.

The tour ends after a stop at the famous Night Market, where you can find beautiful handmade textiles made by people from Luang Prabang and the nearby hill tribes.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Early morning

At 5:30 a.m., Let's wake up early to see the Tak Bak ceremony, also known as "the monks' quest." This is an old Asian Buddhist religious custom that is only kept up in Luang Prabang. Since 2,500 years ago, hundreds of monks have walked barefoot from their temples to the center of the city every morning. In a long line, they slowly walk through the streets to get alms, especially "sticky rice," from people who are religious and are waiting quietly on the sidewalks. In exchange for prayers and blessings, these people give them food, especially "sticky rice."

After you're done, go back to the hotel for breakfast to get full energy before going to two amazing places. The Pak Ou Cave is to the north of Luang Prabang city, and the Kuang Si Waterfall is to the south. This tour will take you to both of them, with a beautiful drive along the Mekong River in between.

Morning

Early in the morning, you'll meet your guide and take a forty-minute drive to the Pak Ou Village. There, you can check out the many crafts that the locals make before taking a small boat across the Mekong River to the base of a limestone cliff, where the Pak Ou Cave is. The lower cave is very impressive, and it is full of statues and relics from Buddhism. Take your time to look around the sacred area, which smells like burning incense and looks out over the beautiful Mekong landscape. Up a winding set of stairs, grab a flashlight, and you'll find another interesting cave with ancient Buddhist relics that is easy to get around in before lunch.

Afternoon

After that, we'll take a boat across the Mekong River again and then drive 1.5 hours downriver to the famous Kuang Si Waterfall. On the way, we'll stop at the well-known Whiskey Village and try some Lao Lao made in the area. All year long, the jungle around the waterfall stays lush and beautiful. During the dry season, the water is calm and turquoise. During the rainy season, the water is loud and powerful. In either case, you'll get to enjoy the fresh air and beauty of nature. An Asiatic Bear Sanctuary is built into the landscape. Here, you can see these beautiful animals up close and help take care of the animals in the area.

Late in the afternoon, we'll drive back to Luang Prabang so you can do your own thing in the evening.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Morning

We move to Xiengkhouang, where the fabled "plain of jars" is located. Contrasting with the more tropical lowlands of Laos, this mountainous area displays a wealth of biodiversity. We'll be seeing some Hmong and other hill tribe settlements along the way.

Afternoon

The Plain of Jars in Phonsavan is an intriguing archaeological site that we plan to explore. A huge region stretching from the southwest to the northeast around Phonsavanh. Around 300 enormous stone jars, seemingly carved out of solid rock, are strewn about the plateau, adding to the plateau's mystique and apparent antiquity. The Plain of Jars may weigh up to six tons and measure in at 1.25 meters in height. The jars are thought to be between two and three thousand years old, and their function has been the subject of much speculation. US bombings from 1964–1973 left scars on the plateau.

Before checking into your hotel in Phonsavan. Relax for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Phonsavan

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Morning

Let's get up early and ride to the ruins of the old Phuan capital. Here, we'll have a breakfast of Lao noodle soup and go to Wat Piawat to see a Buddha statue and an old stone stupa. Depending on when your flight is, you might also want to check out the local markets before boarding. The flight to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, will take 30 minutes.

Afternoon

Take a short sightseeing tour, and move to Wat Xieng Khouan, which is also called "Buddha Park." In 1958, the Buddhist-Hinduist cleric Boun Léua made many sculptures that were influenced by both Buddhism and Hinduism. He did this to try to "unite" the two religions through art.

The 40-meter-long statue of a Buddha lying down and the large hollow sculpture in the shape of a head, which leads to an upper level with a beautiful view of the park and is meant to represent the way from hell to heaven, are two of the most interesting things in the park.

Then we go back to the city just in time to see the beautiful sunset over the Mekong River. After that head back to the hotel for the rest of the day at your own leisure.

Overnight in Vientiane

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

Following breakfast, your tour guide and driver will pick you up so that you can continue exploring this wonderful city. Begin at Vat Sisaket, renowned for its thousands of Buddha images that, according to local mythology, safeguarded the temple during the 1828 Siamese invasion.

Proceed to Wat Prakeo, constructed in 1865 to hold the renowned Emerald Buddha, and That Luang Stupa, the most significant structure in Laos. According to local belief, the latter contains a Buddha relic brought over in the third century BCE.

We complete our morning tour of Vientiane at the Patuxai, or "Laotian Gate of Victory," a memorial to the slain of all wars.

Afternoon

In addition to the Buddhist monasteries of Wat Ong Tue and Wat Haysoke, you will discover further interesting places after lunch at a local restaurant. See the Laos National Museum, a charming example of French colonial architecture, and Wat Si Muang, a Khmer temple with a fascinating legend that remains of great importance to Laotian society.

You can conclude your day in the Vientiane Central Market of Talat Sao and Talat Kouadin, where fresh food, household items, textiles, gold, and silver are traded. Even ancient keepsakes may be on show.

The remainder of today is at your leisure. You can take a stroll along the Mekong Riverbank and sip a refreshing Lao beer while the weather cools towards nightfall.

Overnight in Vientiane

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

After breakfast, you'll be taken to the airport for a domestic flight to Pakse, which used to be the capital of the Champasak Kingdom and is now the provincial capital and Laos's second-largest and most populated city.

When you get there, you will be taken to Champassak to see the ruins of Wat Phu Temple, which are at the base of Mount Phu Kao. During the pre-Angkorian era, the temple was built as early as the 5th century. However, most of the ruins that can be seen today were built during the Angkorian era, between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Compared to other temples from the same time period, this one has a unique design. As it goes up the mountain, it becomes more and more like a sanctuary for the god Shiva. Since 2001, Wat Phu Temple has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Afternoon

You head south to Si Phan Don, also known as the "4000 Islands." This is where the Mekong river bed is the widest, at a maximum of 12 km wide during the rainy season.

This place is called "4000 Islands" because when the water level in the Mekong goes down during the "dry" season (November to May), thousands of islands of different sizes come to the surface.

When you get there, we go to Don Khong Island. You'll have a lot of free time to look around at your own pace.

Overnight in Don Khong

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

We travel to Don Khon Island after breakfast. Several references and artifacts from the French Indochina period are visible in the area, including a few dwellings and an original locomotive from that era on a section of the old railway built for commercial purposes with the goal, though never attained, of bypassing the Mekong River rapids and reaching China.

Next, we proceed to Si Pan Don, where the Mekong River is at its widest during the rainy season, spanning up to 12 kilometers. Many little islands form when the tide recedes, giving the region its name. The thunderous roar of the Li Phi falls, which we will see, is audible from a distance. These waterfalls are renowned for the Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins that swim in the vicinity. Ban Hang Khon is one of the few sites on earth where these endangered species can be observed. In order to avoid the rapids and waterfalls in this portion of the Mekong, we will also witness an old locomotive, a railway, and a colonial bridge constructed by the French.

Afternoon

We continue by boat to Nakasang Ferry Boat and then drive south to the greatest waterfalls in Southeast Asia, Khonephapeng.

We then return to Don Khong Island to spend the night.

Overnight in Don Khong

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

Upon leaving Khong Island we towards Bolaven Plateau. The Bolaven Plateau is located in the Annamite Mountain Range, which forms Laos's eastern border with Vietnam. It is traversed by a multitude of rivers and surrounded by a gorgeous natural scenery of forests, coffee, tea, cardamom, and banana plantations, as well as dozens of waterfalls. This region is where the renowned coffee of the Lao PDR is grown. With its milder temperatures and sufficient precipitation, the climate of the plateau is ideal for coffee growing.

Following this, we explore the breathtaking Tad Fane waterfalls in the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area close to Ban Lak. The Champee and Pak Koot rivers pour off the plateau and converge here to form the two branches of the waterfall, which, with a 120-meter drop, cascade over the sheer rock to create an endless flow of water.

Afternoon

We travel to the village of Tad Lo to see the renowned Tad Lo waterfalls. Many ethnic minorities, including Alak, Nge, and Katu, inhabit the region.

Overnight in Pakse

Meals included: Breakfast

Start your day with a tasty breakfast at your hotel.

Free time to do some shopping and explore around before departing to the airport.

And this is how the tour ends!

The tour may be over, but the memories you have collected during these last 10 days will stay in your mind for the rest of your life. This is what we want to offer you: a tour that brings you memories that last a lifetime and make you smile each time you think of them!