Laos Family Tour 11 days: Family-friendly Activities

Arrival at the Luang Prabang Airport, our guide and driver will pick up and transfer to your hotel in city center.
Check in hotel and relax.
Located  in the centre of Northern Laos, Luang Prabang is recognized  as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding cultural, historic and architectural values and its harmonious relationship between the natural and built environment.
 
We are transferred back to your hotel. Time free at leisure.
Overnight at the hotel in Luang Prabang.
 

After breakfast we visit 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.

We then begin our temple tour taking in some the city’s most beautiful, including Luang Prabang’s famous Wat 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 surprised by the temple complex’s structure and gold decoration.

Then we make our stop at Wat Mai, which brings us a chance to enjoy the impressive architecture of this Laotian city unique architecture. In the afternoon, we visit the excellent Arts and Ethnology Centre, which gives us further insight into the ethnic mix and culture of Laos. We then visit the weaving and textile villages of Ban Xangkhong and Ban Xienglek.

Our final stop of the day is a climb Mt 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.
 

About 15 kilometres outside Luang Prabang is the serene Shangri-Lao Explorer Camp, also known as Elephants Village. The Park is located in the middle of a green, natural area on the banks of the Nam Khan River
 
After breakfast we will depart at around 9:00 AM, along the way stop at the grave of Henry Mouhot’s, the famous adventurer who re-discovered Angkor Wat in 1859.
 
Chat with a local vet to learn more about the camp's efforts in taking care of the animals and then, get the chance to feed elephants and enjoy an elephant ride through the jungle paths. Continue the expedition with an hour elephant ride on a howdah (elephant seat) through forests and over hills into the protected Huay Sae hidden valley. Say goodbye to the gentle giant and have a delicious lunch near the picturesque waterfall. If the weather permits, you can go for a soothing swim in the natural pools.
 
After lunch, continue trekking 1.5 hours on foot. The adventurous trail cross bamboo bridges and pass by more waterfalls as you trek along the Huay Sae Stream. You are sure to love the sight of the turquoise pools. Reaching the end of the valley, traditional horses from the hill tribes will be waiting to help transport bags.

Board a luxury bamboo raft and slowly float downstream, which is a relaxing 1.5 hour journey with an optional 30 min stop at the Tad Sae Waterfall where a moment of total relaxation awaits you. At 16:30, the guide will provide transport back to Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang
 

Laos is also well-known for its traditional crafts, we will move on to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, where you will be provide with full information about Silk , about weaver, about the Women working in the Centre by a short tour. This then takes us to reach one of the most beautiful Kuang Si Falls situated 30 kilometers of Southern Luang Prabang.

The Kuang Si Waterfall consists of a tiered many of turquoise pools put amongst the dense Laotian jungle where we will have plenty of time to refreshing swim in the pools and hike around the falls. You can also have a closer look at Asiatic bears at the Bear Rescue Centre along the jungle walk to the waterfall.  Before returning to Luang Prabang, we will visit Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park, one of the must-visit spots, a project that was newly opened on January 2014 studying about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation.

Afterwards we drive down the spectacular Route 13 towards Vang Vieng. Stop in Kasi, a fruit-growing area along the way. This journey passes through spectacular scenery and there will be plenty of opportunities to stop for photos. Please be aware that there are numerous sharp bends, steep climbs and descents along these mountain roads. Arrive in Vang Vieng, a small town on the banks of the Nam Song River surrounded by spectacular limestone karst scenery. The remaining time would be spent at your own pleasure. Overnight in Vang Vieng
 

We will transfer to Phatang Resort around 18 km north of Vang Vieng. After an introduction to the basics of kayaking we shall set off down  the beautiful Nam Song river which offers various small but fun rapids along  the way to our first stop at Tham Xang Cave. Here we will walk up to the massive theater like cave while hearing about local history about the area!

After emerging from the cave a short kayaking will lead us to a picnic spot on the riverside where we shall enjoy lunch. After lunch we shall continue down the river until the next stop at the Organic Farm where mulberry tea and a variety of different fruit wines are produced.

Continuing on down stream we arrive at Tham None Cave which is one of the largest caves in Vang Vieng! It served as a bomb shelter for local villagers during the Second Indochina War. However, today it is home to a bat family and the 'Magic Stone of Vang Vieng'. The final leg of the journey is a gentle paddle downstream to Vang Vieng where we shall arrive just in time to catch the sunset.
Overnight in Vang Vieng
 

In the morning, we will first stroll around the town to visit the local market to catch a glimpse of everyday life in a typical Lao rural area. After breakfast, we transfer to visit the cave of Tham Jang, which was used in the early 19th century in defense against the Chinese invaders.

After that, we head out of the city and make our way to Nam Ngum, a huge reservoir created by damming the Nam Ngum River.  On the way, we'll stop at a fish market in Ban Tha Heua where you can view the abundance of fish indigenous to Laos. On arrival at Nam Ngum Lake, we embark on a long tail boat enjoying a leisurely cruise on the lake and having lunch on boat.

Along the way back, we will stop at Ban Keun, which is famous for its salt extraction plant and a village that distills the local Lao whiskey. From there, we drive further to Dong Makkhai Market, where various hill tribes come to trade goods and buy provisions. We arrive in Vientiane in time to catch the sunset. Overnight in Vientiane
 

In the morning, be driven to Buddha Park. The drive takes around 45 minutes, along a road which serves as an important link between the Lao capital and Thailand. On the way, we make a brief stop and take photos of the Friendship Bridge, built by the Australian government in 1994, which connect Laos and Thailand.

On arrival, we go around the Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan) 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’s shaman. The concrete sculptures are unique and intriguing, sitting majestically in the peaceful park. 

After the park, pay a visit to the serene Wat Sisaket, one of the most beautiful temples in the capital. Continue on to the nearby Wat Phra Keo, which is used as a religious museum displaying a collection of both Lao and Khmer works of art. Also nearby is the Presidential Palace, which offers some unique insight into the colonial history of Laos.
 
Lunch is at your own account. After lunch, the remaining time would be spent at your own pleasure
 
Overnight in Vientiane
 

Morning have breakfast and then head south to Ban Kong Lor. It will take around 3 hours with a stop to Wat Prabath Phansane a stupa dating back to the 15th Century. It is also home to the Budhhas footprint, discovered in 1933, and now an important religious site in Laos. Lunch served at a local restaurant. After lunch we continue the route 13 and enter the Phou Hin Poun NPA (National Protected Area) with spectacular scenery of forests, rice paddies and limestone karsts on the road.

Once we reach to Ban Kong Lor, we have free time to explore the town. Dinner served at a local restaurant. Overnight in Ban Kong Lor
 

Wake up early, we spend our time to walk at around 06:30 to experience the villages in the morning as  local people get up  and prepare for the day. Back to hotel for breakfast, we start driving around 5-10 minutes towards the Kong Lor Caves. Life jackets and head torches will be provided before walking shortly around to the main entrance of the cave.

Upon reaching the cave, you will take a long tail boat which will lead you through the length of this impressive cave along an underground section of the Hin Boun River – a length of 7.5km before you find out daylight again! The river flows all the time and indicates vast formations of stalactites and stalagmites, which you will discover partly on foot whilst inside the cave with width of 90m wide and the height of 100m.

Villagers still used this cave as an access route to the region beyond (it is far quicker than climbing over the mountains which this cave cuts through!). Once get out pf the other side you might make a short stop for refreshments and walk to local villages, admiring the scenery and observing a simple way of life (talk with your guide how far you would like to walk).
 
Return by boat, board ‘downstream’ through the cave, to Ban Kong Lor. Have  lunch on your own account before traveling south.
 
Overnight in Ban Kong Lor
 

Enjoy your breakfast before returning back to Vientiane for approx. 5 hours of driving. Upon arrival in Vientiane you have free time for relaxing or exploring the town. In the evening you will have an opportunity to join in a traditional Laos ceremony- Baci ceremony. It is performed in celebration of important events such as weddings, births, or for welcoming guests, and is a means of expressing good will and good luck to others.  Overnight in Vientiane
 
 

Today you have free time until we transfer you to the airport for your departure flight