Authentic Laos Tour 18 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.

Morning

We leave Luang Prabang and head to the valley just to the southeast of the city. Following our drive, we reach Long Lao Village, the starting point of our hike. This village is home to both Khamu and Hmong, and we may learn about their cultures and ways of life before setting off on our trip. Visit our Fair Trek initiative as well, which consists of a lovely clay cottage where visitors may spend the night and learn about local culture and customs.

Get on your feet and keep exploring the Lao countryside outside of Luang Prabang, which is surrounded by mountains. Before reaching the wooded mountains with rather wild jungle scenery and some graded climbs, hikers will pass through a variety of agricultural landscapes, such as orchards, rice farms, and vegetable gardens.

Afternoon

You'll get to the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall in the afternoon. After a thrilling hike through the forest, we'll reach our destination: the cool waters of Kuang Si Waterfall, where we may swim and relax.

There is a bear rescue center at the Kuang Si Waterfall park that you should check out. Learn more about the Asian sun and moon bears and the Free the Bears initiative.

When the afternoon is passed, we'll drive back. In the late afternoon, you'll arrive at Luang Prabang, where your tour will end.

The entire journey is 9 kilometers (5.5 miles), requiring approximately 3.5 hours to cover. The terrain is relatively easy to walk on. About 20 minutes of the trail go up and down a short, rocky hill.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Morning

After breakfast, we'll be making our way to the pier. We will visit Pak Ou Caves, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, en route. They are a popular tourist destination in Laos because of their convenient location at the meeting point of the Mekong and Ou rivers.

Each of the two massive limestone caverns that make up the sanctuary has its own set of stairs leading to it: Tham Ting, the bottom cavity, and Tham Theung, the upper cavity.

People from all over the world have been making the trek to the Pak Ou caves for hundreds of years to worship and leave behind a gift of a Buddha picture as a token of their devotion. As a result of this custom, thousands of Buddha statues ranging in size from a few centimeters to nearly 2 meters and depicting the Buddha in a wide variety of styles and spiritual poses (mudras), from meditation to ascent to nirvana, may be found today in both cavities. Throughout the way, we get a glimpse of the traditional rural environment and way of life in Laos.

The next stop is Ban Baw, where they make the renowned Lao Lao rice whiskey.

Afternoon

After lunch, go to Pakbeng in plenty of time to check into your accommodation before nightfall.

Overnight in Pakbeng

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning

Enjoy your breakfast, and start your day with a trip to the Pakbeng market, where a fascinating look into the lives of the hill tribes.

After that, we take a different route to Luang Namtha through the northern mountains and jungles of Laos.

The villages of Oudomxay province, home to 23 ethnic groups including the Hmong and Khmu, will be our frequent stops along the trip.

Afternoon

Further travel to Luang Namtha resumes. Get your hotel and relax.

Overnight in Luang Namtha

Meals included: Breakfast

Transfer in the morning to Muang Sing, the district's namesake, and the border between Laos, Myanmar, and China.

People from the Tai Lue and Tai Neua minorities live in the valley, while the Akha populate the surrounding hills. The elevation of the surrounding mountains ranges from 500 to 2000 meters.

Several hill tribe settlements, the stupa Chieng Tung, and the towns of Ban Nam Ded and Ban Nam Mai are on the itinerary for after lunch.

After that, you'll be transferred to your guesthouse in Muang Sing for the night.

Overnight in Muang Sing.

Meals included: Breakfast.

The trip to Muang Sing village follows breakfast.

Soon after, we'll start making our way to Muang La, the rural community where the Pha Chiao Sing Kham temple stands as the undisputed center of village life.

When you get to Muang La in the afternoon, head straight to the inn.

After that, we go sightseeing in the neighborhood to learn more about the customs of the local Khamu people.

The next stop will be the Phra Chao Song Kham shrine, a popular destination for local worshippers.

Overnight in Muang La.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Early in the morning, we head to Pak Khai following a route that offers beautiful views of the Pak Nam River, terraced rice paddies, and small riverside villages.

We begin our trek following the stream through the lush vegetation. During the hike, we meet local people engaged in typical local activities: working in the rice fields, hunting, and fishing in the stream.

We continue into the rainforest and after approximately 1h30′ we reach the hilltop village of Ban Phavie, inhabited by the Khamu tribe.

In the afternoon we visit the waterfalls in the surrounding area where we enjoy a refreshing swim, weather permitting, lulled by the gentle breeze and the peaceful natural setting.

At approximately 2.30 p.m. Let's start the journey back to Muang La.

Overnight in Muang La.

Meals included: Breakfast.

We board a traditional boat at the pier in Muang Khoua after breakfast and travel down the river to Muang Ngoy.

As we make our way slowly down the Nam Ou River, we get to take in the breathtaking landscape of this relatively undiscovered region of Laos and observe the tranquility with which the villagers go about their daily routines.

We get to Ban Sopjam, a little town, around the afternoon.

After settling at the inn, we go explore the nearby community.

Overnight in Moung Ngoy.

Meals included: Breakfast.

We will travel to Muong Ngoy Neau after breakfast.

After arriving in Nong Khiaw by ferry, we'll continue on the gorgeous journey to Luang Prabang.

We detour to see the Thai Lui minority village of Ban Na Yang on the way there.

Checking into our accommodation in the afternoon upon our arrival in Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals included: Breakfast.

We move to Xieng Khouang, where the fabled "plain of jars" is located. The trail is beautiful and true to the natural beauty of Laos. This is a somewhat undiscovered destination, so you won't often see other travelers. The transfer takes a little longer than necessary because there are a few pauses along the way for tourists to take pictures.

We've arrived at the Plain of Jars, a massive archaeological site where hundreds of huge jars are strewn across the plateau. This 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 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 Phonsavanh hotel, let's visit Ban Na Pia (War Spoon Village). Relax for the rest of the day.

Overnight in Phonsavan.

Meals included: Breakfast.

After a full breakfast, we'll go to Phonsavan's vibrant market to mingle with residents of the area's many tribal communities.

Vang Vieng is our next stop. Vang Vieng is more of a huge village than a town, and its main attractions are the stunning karst terrain and the mysterious caves, some of which have names that appear again in local mythology and are said to be home to spirits.

The transfer takes us through some stunning scenery that provides a glimpse into the hill tribes' way of existence.

Stop at Thampra to see a Buddha picture that was erected over 200 years ago, as well as some Hmong minority settlements.

As soon as we get to Vang Vieng, we head straight to Tham Chang Cave, the most well-known and storied of all the caves in the area. In the past, it served as an unassailable safe haven from the terrible attacks of northern Chinese predators. Now that the upper cave has electricity, visitors can glimpse the breathtaking scenery and the Nam Song River via a crack in the limestone wall.

Overnight in Vang Vieng

Meals included: Breakfast.

We depart for Laos's tranquil capital of Vientiane on the Mekong River in the early morning.

As soon as we arrive in Vientiane, we set out to see the city's top attractions, including Wat Si Saket, which is famous for its thousands of pictures of Buddha and which, locals believe, safeguarded the temple from the Siamese invasion in 1828.

The next stops are the That Luang Stupa, considered the most important landmark in Laos, and the ancient temple of Wat Ho Prakeo, which was constructed in 1865 to hold the famous Emerald Buddha. Locals believe that a relic of the Buddha was transported to the area in the third century BC, and it is kept in the latter.

We conclude our visits to Vientiane in the day at the Patuxai or ‘Laotian Gate of Triumph‘ the monument dedicated to the fallen of all wars.

Overnight in Vientiane

Meals included: Breakfast.

We go to Khammouane, a province in the heart of Laos, in the morning after breakfast. On the route, we stop by the fascinating Ban Ton Na Mae Hmong market.

For the entire ride, picturesque limestone mountains, little towns, and fields of rice serve as a backdrop. We pull over at the Khoun Kham viewpoint so that you can take in the breathtaking views.

After arriving in Ban Kong Lor, we take a small boat over the 7-kilometer-long river into the amazing Kong Lor cave. The roughly 100-meter-high cave gradually engulfs us in its pitch-blackness.

As we quietly make our way inside the cave, we can see the walls that the water has carved over millions of years thanks to the beacon on our boat. This is just a glimpse of the spectacular and massive stalactites and stalagmites we'll be able to view on foot halfway through our journey.

Overnight in Khammouane

Meals included: Breakfast.

The trip to the southern Laotian provinces will resume after breakfast.

After arriving in Savanakhet, we take in the sights of the French Quarter, the stupa That Inhang, and the Soundra Salt Factory.

We spend the afternoon in Don Khor, a village famous for its exquisite Buddhist temple carvings.

You should then proceed to Bolaven Plateau

Overnight in Bolaven Plateau.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Bolaven Plateau, nestled between the Annamite Mountains and the Mekong River and crisscrossed by dozens of rivers and surrounded by lush forests, coffee, tea, cardamom, and banana plantations, is where we'll be spending the morning.

The Laven people, who have long held sway here, are responsible for giving this region its current name, Bolaven. Cooler temperatures than the rest of the country are waiting for us on the plateau, which is 1,000 to 1,350 meters above sea level.

Then, we travel to the beautiful Tad Fane waterfalls in the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area, not far from the town of Ban Lak.

The two streams of the waterfall, which have a combined drop of 120 meters over the sheer cliff, are fed by the Champee and Pak Koot rivers, which originate on the plateau below and plunge down to meet here.

Afterward, we'll head to Champassak to see the ancient temple of Wat Phu, located at the foot of Phu Kao. As early as the fifth century, during the pre-Angkorian period, the temple was constructed. However, the majority of the current ruins date back to the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, during the Angkorian period.

Unlike other temples built about the same time, this one follows a specific architectural plan as it climbs the mountain to its final resting place atop Shiva's sacred sanctuary. The Buddhist temple of Wat Phu has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2001.

Overnight in Champassak

Meals included: Breakfast.

After breakfast, we departure head south in the morning to Si Phan Don, also known as the "4000 Islands."

During the "dry" season (November to May), as the water level in the Mekong drops, thousands of islands of varying sizes emerge, hence the name "4000 islands."

Numerous buildings and an authentic locomotive from the French Indochina period line a stretch of the ancient railway that was constructed for commercial purposes with the unrealized goal of connecting to China via a route that avoided the Mekong River's rapids.

Our afternoon excursion takes us to Li Phi Falls, also called Samphamith Falls, which serves as a de facto border between Laos and Cambodia. From there, we take a boat back to Ban Nakasang jetty and then head south to the largest waterfalls in Southeast Asia, Khone Phapeng.

When the day is done, we head back to Don Khong Island to spend the night.

Overnight in Don Khong

Meals included: Breakfast.

Start your day with a tasty breakfast at your hotel.

Free time to do some shopping and explore around before transferring to Pakse airport in time for your departure flight.

And this is how the tour ends!

The tour may be over, but the memories you have collected during these last 18 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!