Exploring Laos : Sept 8th to 14th' 2024
Travellers come to Laos to experience the rolling mountains, remote villages, simple people, tribal crafts and the magic of the Mekong. Lao is a land of Buddhist traditions, where saffron-robed teens peek curiously out from wats (temples) and no one is in a hurry. Luang Prabang’s UNESCO-protected temples and mixed heritage soothe the soul, Vientianne – one of the world’s smallest capitals – moves at the same serene pace as the Mekong River meandering by its shores, and Vang Vieng surrounded by karst mountains and beautiful topography. For those searching for an authentic South East Asian experience, Laos is the place to go
Essential Info
Cost: Rs 47500/-
Country: Laos
Start: Vientiane
End: Luang Prabang
Start Date: 8th Sept’ 2024
End Date: 14th Sept’ 2024
Duration: 7 Days
Group Size : Min 5 / Max 15
Theme: Culture, Adventure, Experience
Highlights
– Boat Cruise on the Mekong River
– Explore one of the least explored countries in South East Asia
– Visit Kuang Si falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Asia
– Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang
– Explore the Karst mountains, pools and caves of Vang Vieng
– Experience the simplicity of the Laotian people and the easy-going lifestyle.
– Witness the Alms giving ceremony for the Monks.
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.
Trip Info
Vientiane
Luang Prabang
Vang Vieng
INCLUSIONS
-1 Night stay in Vientiane, 2 Nights stay in Vang Vieng, 3 Nights stay in Luang Prabang
– Breakfast on all days
– 1 Lunch
– Vientiane to Vang Vieng, Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang in train / mini bus
– Airport transfer’s at Vientiane and Luang Prabang
– Half-day tour of Vang Vieng
– Full-day tour in Luang Prabang, Kuang Si Waterfalls & Pak Ou Caves
– Mekong River Boat Cruise in Luang Prabang
– Alms giving ceremony to monks and Luang Prabang walking tour.
– Service charges
EXCLUSIONS
– India to Vientiane & Luang Prabang to India flight tickets ( we can advise you which flights to book )
– One month single entry Laos Visa to be taken on arrival
– Any extra excursions and tours other than mentioned
– Entry tickets and camera charges at sightseeing points ( wherever applicable )
– Dinner & Lunch ( 1 Lunch included )
- Laos Visa is available on entry at the airport ( Provided your passport is valid for 6 months from the date of entering Laos )
- Stay will be in Standard category hotels and Bed n Breakfast places with good reviews on double/twin sharing basis.
- Asian, Western and Local food is available at all places. Some of the places also have few Indian restaurants
- Breakfast ( Included ) with me mostly western/local breakfast at most places
- Private Car/van for Airport transfers
- Public Mini van for intercity transfers
- Car/ Van for group tours
For this trip
This tour is for travellers who want to experience the best of Laos with a good mixed of the popular and the offbeat. For the exploring traveler to soak in the culture, adventure, food, and topography of the country in this Laos adventure.
For all our trips
Our small group tours also allow enough time for yourself ( mostly in the evenings ) and the group leaders will assist you too if you need to do your own thing.
Stay and food is a big part of the travel and we make sure you are made comfortable and therefore we choose some of the best-reviewed places to stay and eat.
We try to incorporate more local experiences on our tours with the help of our experienced tour leader and local guides to make your experience even more memorable.
Our tours are not standard sightseeing package tours, it’s more experience-oriented so as to give a real travel value to the guests.
Who are we?
Exotic Expeditions is an experiential based travel company founded in 2010. We are based out of Bangalore and Mumbai and we create uniquely designed tours that have high travel value. We include activities, local interactions, and offbeat destinations so that the guests go back with experiences to remember for a long time.
What are all included in our tours?
A comprehensive list of inclusions and exclusions is mentioned on the respective trip page, but across all our trips, we have these in common: exclusive private transfers, breakfast on most days, good accommodation, unique experiences,
expert guides and an experienced trip leader who’s there to assist you around the clock.
Are flights & visas included in your costs?
No.We don’t include flights and visa costs in our prices unless specified. We, however, will help you with booking flights and getting the visa done.
What is the typical group size?
We believe that a small group is can enjoy the journey better and have closer interactions with the group members, therefore, we restrict our group size to a maximum of 15. Group size typically between 5 and 15. Our travelers are
friendly, open-minded, well traveled and we have a good gender mix on our tours.
Who can join this trip?
Anyone above 18 years of age can join our trips. Participants below the age of 18 must be accompanied by an elder.
Which cities do travelers come from?
Our travelers come from all over India. Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Calcutta are represented the most.
What are the payment options?
You can make payments through credit and debit cards, net-banking, cash or cheque. Installment options are also available.
Can solo travelers join one of the tours?
Yes. On most of our tours, we have a high turnout of solo travelers seeking a different travel experience. Many of them even end up becoming friends after the tour.
How safe is it to travel with you?
Your safety is our number one priority and we design our travel journeys keeping this in mind.
- You can contact us at contact@exoticexpeditions.org / exoticexpeditions@gmail.com
- Call / whatsapp us at 9986450370
- Bookings can be done by online bank transfer / cash/ cheque or credit / debit card
- Installment options are also available
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