laosgrouptrip

ITINERARY

Day 1:  Sept 8th – Vientiane
Arrive in Vientiane and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon and evening explore the downtown area, Mekong Riverfront, the wats ( pagodas ) and the nightlife of Vientiane on a walking tour. Overnight at Vientiane.

Day 2:  Sept 9th – Vientiane to Vang Vieng ( 130 kms / 2.5 hours )
After breakfast transfer to Vang Vieng in a Mini Van/Train. The mountain scenery en route is as impressive as that of your destination. Situated on the Nam Song River, Vang Vieng is surrounded by towering limestone karsts. Evening visit the night market at Vang Vieng. 

Day 3:  Sept 10th – Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng is known as an adventure town, thanks to its unique and varied surrounding countryside. Its many local caves and lagoons ( natural swimming pools ) which are easily accessible and make for great day trips. Today we do a half day tour of Tham Chang Caves, Tham Phu Kham Cave and Blue Lagoon. Later after lunch you can choose to do tubing, ziplining or kayaking (optional ).Evening explore Vang Vieng night life and markets. Overnight at Vang Vieng.

Day 4:  Sept 11th – Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang ( 185 kms / 5 hours ) 
After breakfast transfer to Luang Prabang by Mini Van/Train. Evening free to walk around Luang Prabang and the riverside. Overnight at Luang Prabang.

Day 5:  Sept 12th – Luang Prabang City Tour
Those who are interested can wake up early to see the alms giving ceremony where hundreds of monks walk through the streets collecting alms from the locals. Its a beautiful experience and makes for good photo opportunities.
After breakfast we go on a half day walking tour of Luang Prabang and visit the Morning Market ( As Luang Prabang is also the largest town in Northern Laos, people from surrounding villages, come here to sell their products. They can be fresh vegetables, to steamed fish, frogs, dried buffalo meat, banana chips, deep-fried bamboo shoots and anything else that might be the day’s catch from nearly river or jungle ). Later explore the Old quarters with its many wats ( buddhists temples ) like Wat Wisunarat, Wat Aham and Wat XiengThong. Afternoon lunch and rest. Later optionally we could take a local ferry and cross the Mekong river. After some afternoon rest evening visit Royal Palace and Phousi Hill for panoramic beautiful sunset views of the Mekong river, Luang Prabang town and the surrounding countryside.
Late evening we visit the Night Market. From 5PM, the entire length of the street is closed off to vehicles and turned into a walking and shopping street. Shops and hotels lining both sides of the road are also opened for business, selling handmade souvenirs, Lao coffee beans, homemade whiskys, and books. At the end of the market, you can see food stalls selling Laotian street food at affordable prices. Overnight at Luang Prabang.

Day 6:  Sept 13th – Kuang Si Falls, Pak Ou Caves and Mekong Sunset Cruise.
After breakfast we visit one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Asia, Kuang Si falls. This multi-layer waterfall has turquoise pools under most of the falls, and might be one of the most beautiful falls you will see. Swimming is allowed in some of the pools. After spending 2 hours at the falls we leave for Ban Na Uang (a Hmong resettlement village). Here you can meet the Hmong people who originally lived in the highlands. Later visit Manifa Elephant Camp, for lunch. Enjoy a buffet lunch at the restaurant with a view of the Mekong River and free-roaming elephants. Around 14:30, we take a long tail slow boat to trip on the mighty Mekong river. Enjoy the many views from the water, witness rural Laos, pass by local villages, fishers, and children and soak up the scenes of daily life by the river. Our boat travels slowly along the Mekong to Pak Ou Caves. We arrive at a small boat landing dock where stairs lead you straight to the cave. These limestone caves have been places of worship for thousands of years, and Buddhist statues and idols have filled these natural caves. Hear legends and stories about the caves from your guide and explore the caves.
After visiting the caves, the boat will enter the Ou River to see the spectacular limestone cliffs. Back on the Mekong River again, we go down the river and we stop at the Ban Xang Hai, also known as the Whisky Village. Here you see the process of making Lao Lao, the country’s beloved rice whiskey, and taste the fresh local delights. Depart from Ban Xang Hai from 16 to 16:30 and slowly return to Luang Prabang for an hour and a half to two hours. You can see the beautiful sunset from the boat.
Back to Luang Prabang by 6 – 6.30 p.m. and rest after a long day. Overnight at Luang Prabang. 

Day 7: Sept 14th – Luang Prabang  ( Departure )  
After breakfast transfer to the airport. End of tour.