Itinerary
Grand Laos Tours( 11 days)
Itinerary in brief:
Day1. Luang Prabang Arrival – Luang Prabang City Tour
Day2. Luang Prabang Temples – Cruise to Pak Ou Cave on traditional boat – Handicraft villages:
Day3. Luang Prabang Monks Good Morning - Khouangsi Waterfalls
Day4. Luang Prabang – Xiengkhouang:
Day5. Xiengkhouang – Vientiane
Day6. Vientiane City Tour
Day7. Vientiane - Pakse - Don Khone Island
Day8. Don Khone Island and Surroundings by boat
Day9. Don Khone Island - Tadlo – Pakse
Day10. Pakse – Free
Day 11: Departure
Itinerary in details:
Day 1. Luang Prabang Arrival – Luang Prabang City Tour
Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos.
• Guided tour to visit Wat Visoun, the Shrine of Wat Aham and Wat Mai
• Walk up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as capture a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset
• Overnight at your hotel in Luang Prabang.
Day 2. Luang Prabang Temples – Cruise to Pak Ou Cave on traditional boat – Handicraft villages:
• After breakfast, enjoy a short guided tour to see the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground symbolize the classical Laotian architecture
• Cruise upstream on the Mekong River with great view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.
• On returm, we disembark to visit traditional villages of Ban Xienglek and Ban Xangkong - the villages of handmade jute paper making and take a short drive to visit Ban Phanom - a village well known for its hand weaving.
• Overnight at the hotel in Luang Prabang.
Day 3. Luang Prabang Monks Good Morning - Khouangsi Waterfalls
• Optional join in Alms Giving Ceremony in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents and visit Morning Market to watch locals with their exotics trades for sales in this early morning.
• Drive to Khoang Si waterfall with stops to visit Ban Ouay, Hmong Village, Ban Ou, Laoloum Village and Ban Thapene, Khmu Village en route and enjoy beautiful tall Waterfall where you can have an opportunity for a swim in the turquoise pools and visit Black Bear rescued center nearby.
• Keep drive to Ban Xangkhong - a village well known for silk handweaving and for making traditional Saa Paper.
• Back to Luang Prabang and Enjoy the sunset on Mekong river at Wat Siphouthabath.
• Overnight at the hotel in Luang Prabang.
Day 4. Luang Prabang – Xiengkhouang:
• Guided tour to visit National Museum at the Former Royal Palace which displays a lovely collection of the artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign.
• Drive 306km through a mountainous areas surrounded by wonderful natural scenery to Xiengkhouang with numerous stops for taking photos and encounters with locals.
• Visit the Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are scattered all over the plateau.
• If time permits, visit the old capital of Muang Khoun and the nearby villages of Hmong hill tribe peoplewith their interesting local culture and a colorful history.
• Overnight at the hotel in Xieng Khoang
Day 5. Xiengkhouang – Vientiane
• Guided tour to visit central market before your flight to Vientiane.
• Airport pickup and transfer to your hotel for chek-in before drive to visit Buddha Park - scattered enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow with approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and revealing his ideas about the universe.
• Overnight at the hotel in Vietiane.
Day 6. Vientiane City Tour
• AM: Guided tour to the oldest Wat Sisaket and the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues, the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa and imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph
• PM: Visit nice temples of Wat Ong Tue, Central Market of Talad Sao and Talad Kouadin where locals selling exotic stufff including fresh food, household goods, souvenirs, textiles, gold, silver and antiques.
Day 7. Vientiane - Pakse - Don Khone Island
• Transfer to the airport for a flight to Pakse
• Drive to Champassak and to visit the fascinating pre-angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia's most dramatically situated temples. This is one of the Lao World Heritage sites recognized by UNESCO in 2001, this wonderful archeological site of Khmer civilization dates back to the 10th century, predating the famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
• Keep on our journey by taking long-tail boat for a great cruise to Don Khong, the largest island in the South Mekong river region known as the “4000” islands, one of the most scenic areas in Laos.
• Overnight at the hotel on Don Khone Island
Day 8. Don Khone Island and Surroundings by boat
• Guide visits to the local villages of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with it’s locomotive.
• Keep on discover this 4000 islands area by boat at our leisure to visit the Liphi waterfall, one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking the end of Lao border to Cambodia, also known as the Samphamith.
• Possibly see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone
• Back to Ban Nakasang and drive to famous waterfalls of Khone Phapeng, the largest waterfall in South East Asia, known as Niagara of the east.
• Overnight at the hotel on Don Khone Island
Day 9. Don Khone Island - Tadlo – Pakse
• Drive to Tadlo, through Boloven plateau which is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Rivers run off this high plateau in all directions and then plunge out to lush forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls. This drive provides you a refreshing break from the heat and allows you to observe the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops that can be seen en route. It also gives visitors the chance to venture off the beaten track and to discover some of the lesser-known areas of Laos, exploring the wild beauty of this southern region.
• Upon arrival at Parkse, we cisit TadLo waterfall and the villages of Alak, Nge, and Katu of ethnic minority groups.
• We return to Pakse by late evening. Overnight at the hotel in Pakse.
Day 10: Pakse free at leisure.
Day 11. Pakse – Departure
• Free time on your own to explore Pakse town before transfer to the airport for your outgoing flight to Cambodia.