Discover Laos 18 Days Tour Package

DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG ON ARRIVAL, PHOUSI MOUNTAIN & NIGHT MARKET
On your arrival at Luang Prabang, our tour guide and driver will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your centrally located hotel. If you arrive early enough and feel energetic, our tour guide will pick you up at 4:30 pm to visit Mount Phousi. Rising 150 meters above the center of town, Mount Phousi is a popular spot to watch the sunset over the Mekong River. From the summit, you can enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view of the city and its many temples, as well as the surrounding landscape and mountains in the distance. The climb and descent will take a couple of hours, with several stops to see the temples, rest under shady trees, and admire the magical views.
 
After visiting Mount Phousi, we will enjoy a delicious dinner in a local restaurant. After the dinner our guide will lead you to the Luang Prabang Night Market with a hundred stalls. The market offers a wide range of products such as chess games in ornamental stone, silk scarves, embroidery, sculpture, portrayals of Buddha in all imaginable forms, local paintings done around symbolic Buddhist representations, and more. It is a must-visit place where bargaining is often very colorful. First day tour finish when our guide and driver escorts you back to hotel
Overnight: Luang Prabang – Optional hotel
Meals Included: N/A
 
DAY 2: SLOW BOAT TO PAK OU CAVE, TRADITIONAL WHISKY & WEAVING VILLAGE, LAOS BUFFALO FARM AND KUANG SI FALLS
You will meet your tour guide at 7:30 am and embark on a private boat cruise upstream the Mekong River. After your cruise, which lasts approximately 1.5 hours and includes a brief stop in a Rice Wine making village, you will arrive at Pak Ou Caves. This destination is not only particular but also shelters historic cultural values. Visiting the cave, you will see that it is home to thousands of Buddhist statues with numerous dimensions.
 
After visiting the cave by slow boat, we will arrive back into Luang Prabang and then be transported by bus to experience the Lao Buffalo Dairy Farm, an inspiring nonprofit organization. Led by your tour guide, you will have the chance to feed chickens, pigs, buffalos, and even milk a buffalo! After the tour, enjoy lunch with glorious mountain views and a dessert of buffalo ice cream and choice of delicious cake!
 
We will continue to the breathtaking Kuang Si waterfalls, the largest in Luang Prabang. Whilst contemplating the natural beauty, you have the opportunity to take a refreshing swim. We will then transfer back to your hotel in Luang Prabang.
Overnight: Luang Prabang – Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG FREE & EASY DAY
After breakfast, you can choose to relax in your room or take a Half Day Elephant Experience and Elephant Bathing Tour for USD75 per person. The tour is led by an experienced guide who will take you through the lush greenery of the countryside to meet these gentle giants. You will have the opportunity to feed, bathe, and interact with them in their natural habitat. It’s an unforgettable experience that you won’t want to miss!
Optional Tour - Half Day Elephant Experience and Elephant Bathing
Short but not short on fun!  Enjoy the essentials on this, exciting tour. The experience of being a mahout learning how to communicate with the elephant (be a mahout), Lao long boat rides, the Tad Sae Waterfall and a delicious lunch buffet.  We’ll have you back to your hotel with plenty of time to enjoy your afternoon plans in Luang Prabang.
 
- 8:00 am – 8:30 am:  Pick up by our English speaking guide from your hotel lobby within Luang Prabang, Laos
- Arrival at the Elephant Village Camp: Welcome greeting by your guide and participate in a short briefing about elephants
- Elephant Feeding: Get up close and personal with elephants
- Explore Elephant Village:  Visit our elephant hospital, museum, gallery and dung paper making facility!
- Learn to communicate: Enjoy the impressive experience of being a Mahout and how they communicate.
- Boat trip to the Tad Sae Waterfall: Ride in a traditional Lao long boat to the Tad Sae Waterfall and relax or swim in the clear water.  Swimsuit recommended!  (note: water levels will vary with seasonal conditions)
- Lunch: Dine at our Elephant Camp restaurant.  Your buffet lunch is served with coffee / tea and drinking water (vegetarian options are available)
- 1:00pm:  Depart the camp.  Transfer back to your Hotel in Luang Prabang
Overnight: Luang Prabang – Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
 
DAY 4: ALMS GIVING CEREMONY, LUANG PRABANG TEMPLES CITY TOUR AND TRAVEL TO NONG KHIAW  (MEALS: B)
Rise early to the sound of the temple gong, then join your guide for a walk through the quiet streets to watch the daily procession of three hundred young monks walking silently by, collecting sticky rice and other foods in their bronze bowls. The ritual is linked to a Buddhist tradition in which monks beg for their daily food as a way to demonstrate humility. Alms giving is an important religious act in Buddhism and it must be carried out respectfully by locals and tourists alike. If you would like to be involved in the offering of food, your guide will be more than happy to show you the best way to interact with monks. After this wonderful experience you will be transferred back to the hotel for breakfast.
The tour starts with a pick-up from your hotel and a drive to the nearby morning market, which is very popular for fresh vegetables, fish from the Mekong River, medicinal plants, and other curiosities. From there, we will cross over to the Wat Mai Suwannaphumaram Monastery built in the late 18th century by King Anurat (r. 1795-1817) in 1796 and restored in 1821 by King Manthatourat.
 
We will then walk to the Royal Palace Museum called Haw Kham the Golden Hall, built between 1904-1909. It is a blend of Laotian and French Beaux Arts architecture and was the new official royal residence for the monarchs of Luang Prabang. It was converted into a museum in 1976.
 
On our way to Wat Xieng Thong temple, we will discover the colonial architecture. Wat Xieng Thong Ratsavoravihanh was built in 1560 - 16th century by The King Setthathilat to commemorate the Chanthaphanith and Jataka stories from Buddhist cosmology. Xieng Thong Ratsavoravihanh, also known as the “Golden City or Golden Tree Monastery,” is one of Luang Prabang’s most historically significant and impressive temples with typical Lao architecture.
 
Next, we will visit Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre - the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. You can create your own textiles with our Master Weavers and experienced teachers.
 
We will then go to UXO Lao Visitors Centre where you will have a chance to visit and watch some wonderful short movies about unexploded ordnance. Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.
 
At noon, we will return to your hotel for lunch before moving to Nong Khiaw by minivan at 2:00 pm. We will arrive at Nong Khiaw at around 5:00 pm where you can check-in at your hote
Overnight: Nong Khiaw – Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 5: FULL DAY VISITING MUONG NGOI & KAYAKING TO 1000 TADMOK LIMESTONE WATERFALLS (MEALS: B,L)
We will pick you up at 8:30 am and cruise in a traditional long boat for 1.5 hours up the scenic and peaceful Nam Ou river on our way to Muang Ngoi village. The scenery along the way will give you a sense of tranquility as you pass animals bathing and villagers fishing and going about their daily routines. In Muang Ngoi, we will have time to explore the village, which has become a bit of a traveler’s retreat with local cafes sprinkled along the one road that the village is built around. We will venture out to a nearby cave where people lived during the Secret War. Afterward, we will enjoy your tasteful picnic lunch overlooking the river.
 
After lunch, we will kayak downstream on the gentle Nam Ou river for 2 hours, admiring the mountains and jungle and passing small villages before stopping at Sopkong village. We will have a simple walk across the countryside and panoramic rice paddies and through the jungle on our way to the attractive and refreshing Tad Mok limestone waterfall. Here, we will have a snack and the chance to cool off and swim in the natural pool at the base of the waterfall. Bring your swimsuit as there is a basic bamboo changing room nearby.
 
After 30 minutes, we will trek back to the village and enjoy another relaxing scenic slow boat ride returning to Nong Khiaw at around 4:00 pm.
Overnight: Nong Khiaw – Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 6: NONG KHIAW TREKKING & ZIPLINE FULL DAY
After breakfast in the hotel, we depart from your hotel at 8:30 am and head 12 Km east to the starting point, where we will start to trek. The trail passes through a bamboo forest and jungle, giving us the chance to hear and see wildlife (around 20 min trek), until we reach the Zipline area.
We will enjoy the sensation of being weightless in our 6 Zip-lines through the jungle (up to 340 meters long). Once we get to the middle point of our adventure, we will take a short trek to an old hospital used in the Indochina war. Before stopping for lunch we have some new challenges with abseiling, sky-high walk, V rope-bridges and a rope bridge and nets (up to 150 m long and around 65 m high). Then a  delicious Lao style lunch is provided. This lunch will be enjoyed at a scenic spot next to a waterfall. After lunch we will head to our Tarzan swing. Finally we will arrive at our highlight with our longest, fastest and most exhilarating Zip-line (400 m long) followed by three more flights through the jungle.
Finally, we will walk across bamboo bridges, pass through rice paddies and enjoy the spectacular views of the  surrounding mountainous landscape (approx. 40 min) before approaching the end point and returning to the hotel.
Overnight: Nong Khiaw – Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 7: NONG KIAW - MUANG HIAM
Departing at 10am from your hotel in Nong Kiaw arriving Muang Hiam around sunset. Today's journey (approximately 6 hours) is a long one through one of the most remote areas of Laos, but there is some wonderful scenery along the way.
Overnight: Muang Hiam. - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 8: MUANG HIAM - Night Safari in Nam Et National Park.
Deep in the northeast of Laos lies Nam Et-Phou Louey, home to some of the most remote wilderness in Southeast Asia. Due to the near inaccessibility of the park, wildlife is left relatively undisturbed and as a result, gaur, sambar Sam Neuadeer and white-cheeked gibbon have been spotted in recent years. Today you will take part in the Nam Nern Night Safari that provides one of the few opportunities in Laos to view rare wildlife. This tour has been designed to create a direct link between conservation and tourism so that the money you pay has a positive impact on encouraging local people to protect endangered tigers and other wildlife. Start the adventure by boat upstream toward the park substation, along the way you will spot colorful bird life, the best in Indochina. On arrival, enjoy a lunch prepared by the village. Later, receive a briefing by park staff about the efforts to protect tigers and their prey. In the middle of the afternoon, travel a further upstream for the night safari. Your guide will explain how local people track deer and other wild species. The boats will continue upriver to the dinner site, a sandy, flat bank, where a dinner will be prepared for you around a campfire. After dark you will board your boat and float down river with the engines off. There is only one light per boat which is used deftly by the guide to avoid scaring any wildlife. If you are fortunate you may spot Sambar deer, otters, barking deer, various species of civets, Slow Loris, porcupine and owls (hogbadgers, Asian golden cat and wild dogs have also been seen).
Overnight: A Simple Lao-Style Hut in Nam Et National Park.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
DAY 9: Night Safari in Nam Et National Park - SAM NEUA
Start your day early by exploring the jungle with a local guide. You’ll learn about medicinal plants and the history of the site, which was once a major settlement during the Secret War. After your walk, return to the main hut for breakfast and to pack up your kit. Then, enjoy a relaxing boat journey back to the village with engines off, while spotting birds along the way. Next, continue your journey by road to Sam Neua, a narrow valley filled with spectacular limestone peaks and caves. Visit some of the impressive historically important and well-preserved caves, including Kaysone Phomvihane’s cave. Kaysone Phomvihane was one of the Pathet Lao leaders who later became the first prime minister of Lao PDR. You can also visit Prince Souphanouvong’s cave, known as ‘The Red Prince’. He lived with his family in one of the caves and fought against the French as a nationalist. Late in the afternoon, you’ll arrive in Sam Neua, literally ‘northern swamp’. This capital city of Houaphan Province is one of the country’s least visited travel destinations by Western tourists. Spend the night in a simple guest house.
Overnight: Sam Neua - Optional Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
DAY 10: SAM NEUA - PHONSAVAN
Early breakfast at the hotel and then head to Phonsavan. The route is packed with dramatic beauty and often described as "a journey of a million turns". We will have chance to visit villages of Hmong and Khmu on the way, whose main income is from weaving. As traders employ villagers for production in almost each house there will be family members working on looms. Learn more about this traditional handcraft. and visit Tham Piew Cave in Muang Kham District. Tham Piew is a vast cave that served as a shelter for the local community seeking refuge from the bombing campaigns that were designed to contain the Marxist Pathet Lao. It is a tangible reminder of an atrocity that took place during a secret war.
5pm Arrive hotel in Phonsavan, check in your hotel then free to explore the town and dinner
Overnight: Phonsavan - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch,
 
DAY 11: FULL DAY VISIT PLAIN OF JAR – VANG VIENG
Start your day at 7:30 AM with a pick-up from your hotel. First, explore the local lifestyle at the Central Market. Then, visit the UXO MAG Exhibition Room to learn more about the work that MAG has been doing in Lao PDR since 1994 to clear the deadly remnants of the bombings. After that, transfer to the picturesque Jar Site 1, 2 and 3, which consist of over 150 jars located on top of a hill and offer great views over the surrounding countryside. Next, drive out to the ancient town of Muang Khoun, the former provincial capital. Here, you can explore the ruins of a number of ancient pagodas in the Lanna style, including That Fun sputa and Wat Phiawat, a ruined temple containing a huge sitting Buddha. Enjoy lunch before moving on to Vang Vieng in the afternoon.
Overnight: Vang Vieng - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch,
 
DAY 12: FULL DAY PHA NGERN VIEWPOINT & THAM PHU KHAM CAVE & BLUE LAGOON, KAYAKING ON NAM SONG RIVER
Your tour guide will pick you up at 7:00 AM. Upon arrival in Pha Ngern, you’ll start the climb to the Pha Ngern viewpoint, which is approximately 650 meters high and takes around 45-60 minutes to reach. Once you reach the top, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of the picturesque landscape and paddy fields that “pop” out in clear view from their flat surroundings. From the top, you’ll also witness a sea of clouds cuddling rocky mountain peaks.
 
After the trek, we’ll travel to Tham Phu Kham Cave and Blue Lagoon, an improvised eco-water park in a scenic village close to Vang Vieng. Descend down steep walls to reach the largest hall of the cave, which holds the bronze statue of a reclining Buddha, with several other smaller Buddha images revered by locals. Observe sharp stalactites and stalagmites as you explore the cave.
 
The green-blue waters of the lagoon outside the cave provide a beautiful relaxation spot, as well as an opportunity to relive your younger years by jumping off a tree into the water. During your tour, you can also try your hand at abseiling one of the water slides.
 
We’ll enjoy lunch in Blue Lagoon before continuing with kayaking. A quick drive 10km north will take us to the ethnic Khmu village of Viengsamay. After an introduction to the basics of kayaking, you’ll set off down the beautiful Nam Song River. From here, you’ll continue traveling downstream to Tham None (Sleeping cave), one of the biggest caves in Vang Vieng that served as a rescue shelter for villagers during the Second Indochina War. Today, it is home to a family of bats and the ‘Magic Stone’ of Vang Vieng. The final leg of your journey is a gentle paddle that will return you back to Vang Vieng, hopefully just in time to catch the sunset
Overnight: Vang Vieng - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch,
 
DAY 13: VANG VIENG TO VIENTIANE (APPROX 130 KM DAY) – BUDDHA PARK
After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure. Alternatively choose to join an optional activity: Vang Vieng Hot Air Balloon Experience" - US$120/pax
Optional Activity: Vang Vieng Hot Air Balloon Experience optional activity 
5:30am You will be picked up by our staff 30 minutes before the flight and then take a 10-minute drive from Vang Vieng downtown to Nathong valley. Here, you will meet the flight crews and be trained to get used to the flight regulations and safety measures to ensure that you have the best memory and experience. Enjoy the peaceful Lao countryside, far enough from the hustle and bustle of VV! The beauty of ballooning is that you’re stepping out of the beaten track and getting to see places you couldn’t normally access. What better way to discover Laos?
 
Every flight is an adventure since a hot air balloon cannot be steered. All we can control is the altitude and play with the different wind layers. This means we have a rough idea of where we will land, but can’t be sure. Some days we manage to fly back to the takeoff field (it’s called a box in balloonist lingo), sometimes we land next to one of the villages or in a rice paddy. Sometimes we cover a bit of distance, sometimes there’s very little wind which allows us to fly quite high and admire the view as far as Nam Gnum lake… No two flights are the same! – back to hotel by 8:30am for breakfast.
 
At 1 PM, we will put all the stuff in our minivan and move to Vientiane. Take a stroll around the Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), which is filled with more than 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. The tranquil setting along the Mekong River is a contrast to the slightly eccentric sculptures built in 1958 by a Laos shaman. The concrete sculptures are unique and intriguing, sitting majestically in the peaceful park.
 
At 5:30 - 6 PM, our guide and driver will pick you up for a traditional dinner with live music at the famous Khop Chai Deu Restaurant. After dinner, you will be escorted to the Vientiane night market where you can take a look around before going back to your hotel
Overnight: Vientiane - Optional Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
 
DAY 14: FULLDAY VIENTIANE CITY TOUR
At 8:00 AM, our guide and driver will pick you up to explore the hidden charms of Vientiane, one of the quietest capital cities in the world, far away from the bustle and hustle of other Asian capitals. Your tour begins at Wat Sisaket, one of the most beautiful temples in the capital, and the only temple left intact after the Siamese (Thai) invasion in 1828. Its breezy teak covered hallways are filled with thousands of miniature Buddha statues. You will then visit Wat Phra Keo, which is used as a religious museum and displays a collection of both Lao and Khmer works of art. Also nearby is the Presidential Palace, which formerly served as the French governor’s palace and provides a good glimpse into the town’s colonial past. You will also visit COPE, an association working to help landmine victims. A visit to the center provides in-depth information about the history of the American/Vietnam war and the lasting impact of unexploded ordinances (UXO) in the area and the efforts underway to clear them. In the afternoon, you will continue to Patuxay Monument, Laos’ version of the Arc de Triomphe, where you can climb the stairs to the roof for sweeping panoramic views of the city. Next, your tour takes you to That Luang, constructed by King Setthethirat in the 16th century and considered as the holiest site in Laos. The temple is resplendent as the sun shines upon its towering golden spire. Finally, end your tour of the capital along the banks of Mekong River as the sun begins to set. Stroll along the river, stop to enjoy a cold drink or sample a snack from one of many local food stalls. Tour end.
Overnight: Vientiane - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 15: VIENTIANE - PAKSE BY AIR
In the morning after the breakfast we will put all stuff in the minivan to get to airport to take the flight to Pakse Arrive Pakse check in hotel.
Have your lunch and relax till 2:30 pm our tour guide will come and take you to visit temple and market in the town.
Overnight: Pakse - Optional - hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast,
 
DAY 16: FULL DAY DISCOVER BOLAVEN AND TAD YUANG WATERFALL, TAD FANE WATERFALL, PAKSE – DONE KHONG
This tour takes you on a full circuit of the Bolaven Plateau, starting from your hotel on request. As soon as you leave Pakse, the road climbs in elevation as you ascend onto the Plateau. The area of volcanic rock makes for superb tea and coffee plantations that thrive on the rich soil and cooler climate. You will visit tea and coffee plantations and learn about their processing before carrying on to Tad Fane Waterfall. Tad Fane Waterfall sits at an elevation of 1100m and has two stunning cascades dropping 120m off the edge of the plateau. A further 2km from Tad Fane, which makes for a pleasant walk or drive through the coffee plantations, is Tad Yuang Waterfall. It makes a great spot for a swim or a photo. Continue north along the Plateau, traveling past Paksong and into Salavan Province. The next stop is the Katu Village of Kok Pungtai, where you can learn about this ethnic group and their tradition of building their coffins before they die. Enjoy lunch before visiting Tad Lo. From Tad Lo, spend your time at the waterfall or take an optional walk to a Laven Village about 2km upstream of Tad Lo. Here you will learn about the culture of this tribe and their focus on the center of the village for spiritual worship. Although you may be tempted to stay on in this stunning place, there is one more village stop on this circuit before arriving in Pakse. The ethnic village of Lao Ngam is home to the Katu people and has a strong tradition of silk weaving. The many beautiful clothes on show are for sale and make great souvenirs. You can also watch local women weaving cloth.
Overnight: Pakse - Optional hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 17: VISIT WAT PHOU; PAKSE – 4000 ISLANDS
At 8 am, we will travel to Wat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wat Phou (meaning ‘mountain temple’) is situated on a hillside and offers stunning views over the surrounding land and Mekong River. Visitors who appreciate art and history will be amazed by the magnificent workmanship in this ruined Khmer temple complex in the form of temple pillars, barays, lintels, pediments, terrace, courtyard, walls, doorways, sanctuary, shrine, library and palaces. After visiting Wat Phou, we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. We will then continue our journey to a 4000 islands tour cruise downstream passing Don Som and Don Det to see great views on the river. You will witness many fishermen fishing by net and animals and people working on the river bank until Don Khone. We will have a short trek to Somphamid (Lii Phii Mekong waterfall) on the way to the waterfall stop on the old bridge. It is a link between two islands Don Det and Don Khone since the French colonial era for the railway, the old locomotive and visiting the temple after lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will drive to visit the great waterfall - the pearl of Mekong called “Khone Phapheng” which is 130kms to the south. After that, we will drive back to Donkong Island for overnight.
Overnight: 4000 islands - Optional Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
 
DAY 18: DON KONG (DON KHONG) ISLAND DRIVE BACK TO PAKSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
This morning after breakfast we ‘ll check out and get on our Bus to travel back to Pakse International Airport where you can take the next flight out of Laos to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh city, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap.
Meals Included: Breakfast