Laos Tour 10 days: A Real Experience

On arrival at the Luang Prabang airport, you will be warmly welcome and  transferred to hotel by private car.
Check in the hotel and have a rest.

We start the half day trip with first stop at Luang Prabang’s famous Vat Xieng Thong which is one of the most important of Lao monasteries and reserves a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art where you’ll be suprised by the temple complex’s struture and gold decoration.

Then we make our stop at Vat Mai which brings us a chance to enjoy the impressive architecture of this Laotian city’s unique architecture. After experiencing the Luang Prabang’s rich religious heritage, continue your trip to climb to the top of Mount Phousi which is considered the city’s geographical center and a great lookout place. Have a closer look at  the golden stupa sitting at the peak as you soak up the sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

The last destination of our tour today would be Luang Prabang’s National Museum, once the country’s royal palace and home to King Sisavangvong in the early 20th century. Explore the museum’s a range of personal artifacts from the Lao royal family as well as the Phra Bang Buddha image and throne from the country’s Lan Xang Kingdom.

In the late afternoon, we will get an oppotunity to join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony is a traditional ritual of the Lao people expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly unforgettable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants.

You will be served dinner and share with family members which helps us have first-hand experience of local life and culture.
Overnight at the hotel in Luang Prabang. 
 

Today, you will be picked up by a tuk tuk as well as our guide who will serve you in an organic rice, fish and vegetable farm on the outskirts of Vientiane. Operated by a Lao non-government organization using traditional Lao farming methods, this is the ideal place to give your hand at rice farming.

The friendly farmers will guide you how to get your feet wet planting rice seedlings (during rainy season), or if it’s harvest season then cut and thresh your own rice for lunch! Go fishing, pick up fresh duck eggs, lstudy organic fertiliser and how it is made, and harvest fresh seasonal organic vegetables and bamboo (if in season).

When you’ve finished in the field, you’ll get opportunity to prepare and cook up a traditional Lao lunch with the days’ produce. Learn how to cook sticky rice and make papaya salad and have chance  to enjoy a picnic-style lunch and a well-earned rest.

On the way back into town, we’ll make a stroll at local fresh food market to check out the amazing diversity of Lao food. Stop for a while in the market for a traditional Lao coffee or sample some delicious Lao sweets.

Transfer back to your hotel late afternoon.
Overnight in Vientiane
 

We leave the city in the early morning  for our journey to the  Northern; we will see some stunning landscape on the way as we pass through beautiful countryside towards the mountainous region.

Along the way,  we will experience the colorful market of KM52 where local people come to trade goods and buy provisions.

We may  stop to take a photo at Hin Heup bridge, and the fish market in Ban Tha Heua. We reach our destination Vang Vieng which lies on the Nam Song River with the limstone hill landscape surrounding the town.

In the afternoon, we  continue our trip by passing through paddy field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves  which is located  to the northeast of the village of Ban Na Thong . On the way, you will experience  the local cultures by greeting the local people and learning about their daily lifestyle.

There is a small natural pool named Blue Lagoon in front of the caves  where you can take a swim and relax by yourself or you could explore the nearby area.

Return to town, we will take the leisurely boat along the Namsong River while enjoying the sun setting behind the mountains.
Overnight at the hotel in Vang Vieng.   

We get up a bit early to walk around the town and visit the local market to have a closer look at daily life in a typical Lao rural area.

After breakfast, we  head to the southwest of Vang Vieng to visit the cave of Tham Jang, which is famous for being used in defense against the Chinese invaders in the early 19th century.We transfer to visit Ban Phathau village  where we could experience different local lifestyles.

Then we make our way to Luang Prabang which is considered as the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia.
we go through some stunning landscape scenery with rice terraced fields and moutainous villages, we should miss to have a few  photo when stopping  at some small hill tribe village on the way.

We also have chance to enjoy the panoramic view over the surrounding area at the peak of over 2000m. We may make a short stop to visit the local school at Ban Nasala before reaching Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Be welcomed and met  by our guide this morning around 8:30 am, for the short road transfer to the boat pier which departs Ban Wat That at 9:00). Experience a 15-minute leisurely boat trip down the Mekong River, as well as views of charming Luang Prabang town from a unique perspective.

Upon arrival, a professional reception at Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden will give us a short introduction about the gardens. Then pass through the Ginger Garden and the Ethno-botanic Garden, which is the middle of the garden. Follow the path through the Limestone Walk and take in the amazing mountainous Mekong landscape. Study how to make a bamboo stick animal at the site of the hunting lodge of the former royal family.

Then going on our tour of the gardens, passing through the Arboretum, Palm Garden and Bamboo Garden to a viewpoint which overlooks rice fields. Make a stop by the Mist House to learn more about the necessary of biodiversity conservation. End of your excursion with an optional orchid talk at Pha Tad Ke Nursery.

All of the gardens have introductory panels and labels, for the most detailed information. Enjoy a delicious Lao set lunch at the Pha Tad Ke café, before returning by boat, then vehicle to your hotel in Luang Prabang.

This morning , our guide and driver will pick up you and  driver for one hour to Ban Xeng Mouk Village.
We start to visit to the ethnic Khmu village of Ban Longlao Nung and then  the nearby Hmong village of Ban Longlao Song.

You will have chance to  observe the lifestyles of these two differently cultural minority groups and a bit suprise because of despite of differences , they still manage to work together day by day and  even sharing the same school.

We pass through rice paddys and vegetable fields and heading the moutainous forest. On the way we could discover a cave which was a bomb shelter for local villagers in the second Indochina War.

After visiting the cave one more hour of trekking brings us to one of the many springs which feeds Kuang Xi waterfalls, here a beautiful pool full of sacred fish can be seen. After descending from the top of the waterfall we enjoy a Lao style lunch amongst some beautiful settings!

After that, we have a soft trekking in one hour reaching the most famous Kuang Si Waterfalls in Laos. We spend full afternoon in bathing and relaxing around the turquoise pools below the waterfall or we could also visit

You can see up close Asiatic bears have been rescued from illegal farms at the Bear Rescue Centre which is located nearby.

The final leg today, we shall make a short stroll  to a nearby Khmu village of Ban Thapene which is home to some of the most beautiful pools of Kuang Xi Waterfalls.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Free time at your leisure in the morning to relax at Kamu Lodge or make a stroll around the lodge and the surrounding village. We will embark at around 9:30Am by the boat Shompoo Cruise with upstream to Pakbeng, a small village situated on the Mekong River.

On the way, we will have a short tour at Ban Baw, which is well-known for its traditional hand weaving. Reaching Pakbeng at around mid-afternoon, you will check in your hotel before take an orientation walk around the town.
Overnight in Pakbeng.
 

The guide will pick up you at your hotel and take you embark on the boat at 06:45 AM, departing at 07:00 AM for heading to Houay Xay. On the way, we make a stop at a Hill Tribe village. Our guide will show us the way of living and the origins of these rural populations. Lunch will be provided on board. Finally, we have a brief stop in Pak Tha for having necessary boat documents signed.Before arrival in Houay Xay, we will have chance to enjoy local flavors by offering a tasting of seasonal fruits, drinks, snacks.

Reaching Houay Xay approximately  5:00pm, heading to the border crossing to Chiang Khong (Thailand)
Once arrival in the Huayxay, we will cross the border to Chiang Khong (Thailand), where our driver will welcome and pick you up with the sign the LANJIA LODGE.

Arriving at the lodge, a welcome drink will be served, a short introduction of the lodge manager together with the video about the different tribal people residing in Thailand will be presented, with the main concentration on the Hmong and Lahu tribes, for them being your hosts at Lanjia Lodge.

Another presentation will give you insights on the various activities affecting the lives of people living by and from the Mekong River over decades and on the famous Giant Catfish (locally known as Pla Buek), the world’s largest freshwater that can still be found in the Mekong.

In the evening, a sumptuous dinner with local delicacies will be provided, followed by a performance of both, Hmong and Lahu music and dances.
Overnight at Lanjia Lodge

We have local breakfast in the lodge and ready for an adventurous day.  Our local guide will then take you through the Hmong and Lahu village adjacent to the lodge, named “Baan Kiew Karn”.

You will have chance to learn about the many traditions, beliefs and the daily way of life of these two tribes, and also enjoy a hands-on experience of the local Batik making, which you will be guided by an extraordinarily skillful Hmong woman. Then, the Shaman of the village will be delighted to answer all your questions related to the local belief in Shamanism.

Later, a local truck will pick up and take you to the close-by village of Baan Muang Karn, from where you will hop on a local boat and cruise downstream the famed Mekong River to the city of Chiang Khong. You will have your lunch today in a local restaurant right by the river.

After lunch, you will pass through parts of this charming border town accompanied by our guide, and you will visit two temples along the way, before reaching the village of Ban Had Krai, where you will meet with local fishermen who have seen and caught the famed Giant Catfish, and who will be ready to share their interesting stories with you.

As a last stop before arriving back to the lodge, you will visit the temple Wat Phra That Jom Meng on a mountain top with a most scenic view over the Mekong River basin and Laos.

Return to the lodge in time for relax and prepare for another meal showcasing the unique flavors of the local cuisine.
Overnight at Lanjia Lodge

After breakfast, we will catch a local truck and head to a small waterfall, where you have chance to swim in your own pool in the middle of a tropical forest. A wonderful picnic lunch will be served for you to enjoy, before back to the lodge in the early afternoon, we will make a short stop to the Organic Tea Farm, producing the well-known Oolong tea, said to heaven array of healing effects on your body.

We will serve you refreshment at Lanjia Lodge, before the transfer to the airport in Chiang Rai to take the departure flight