Laos Luxury Tour 8 days: Romatic Laos

Arrival at the LuangPrabang 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, LuangPrabang 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
Accommodation             : At the hotel in LuangPrabang
Meals                            : None

After breakfast we visit LuangPrabang’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 LanXang Kingdom. We then begin our temple tour taking in some the city’s most beautiful, including LuangPrabang’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’s unique architecture. In the afternoon we visit the excellent Arts and Ethnology Centre which gives us a 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 Phousiwhich 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.
Accommodation             : At the hotel in LuangPrabang
Meals                            : Breakfast

The day starts with a visit to the Big Brother Mouse shop to select some books for the village visit. We then head north by car along route 13, before taking a unpaved road to Ban KhiaLuang village. We then have ample time to visit the school, play with the kids and watch them enjoy their new books. We also take some time to explore the rest of the village, where you can see weaving and visit the local temple. We stop for lunch at the village, which can either be a western picnic lunch, or traditional Lao food such as sticky rice, laap and fresh vegetables cooked by the villagers. After lunch we say good bye to the village and drive to Ban Khoklin, which takes us through some beautiful scenery of mountains and paddy fields.We then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which gives us breathtaking views of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.  Along the way, we stop at the picturesque village of Ban Chan, a pottery village which is famous for its traditional pottery-making, where you can watch pots being hand-thrown and fired in old ovens. The village's lamps and pots decorate the small streets of LuangPrabang's old town, and are known all over northern Laos.
Accommodation             : At the hotel in LuangPrabang
Meals                            : Breakfast

Morning after breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. In the afternoon start our private tour by the first stop Wat Si Saket, the only temple left undamaged by  the Siamese invaders in 1828. It is considered as one of the most magnificent temples in the city, and its breezy teak-covered hallways with thousands of miniature sculptures of Buddha statues.
 
The second stop we make would be a religious museum of Wat Ho PhraKewhich expresses a collection of both Lao and Khmer works of art. Then we visit the Presidential Palace and have a look at the building from outside ( we are not allowed to go inside). Catch a sight into the town’s colonial past as this building formerly served as the French governor’s palace.
 
DicoverWat Si Muang, one of the most popular and respected temples in Vientiane. Then continue out trip with the Patuxai monument (Victory Gate), Laos’ version of the Arc de Triomphe, where you can climb the stairs to the roof for sweeping panoramic views of the city.
 
Then we move on That Luang, the holiest site in Laos. Constructed by King Setthethirat in the 16th century, the temple is resplendent as the sun shines upon its towering golden spire. Overnight in Vientiane
 
Accommodation             : At the hotel in Vientiane
Meals                            : Breakfast

Early morning we catch a flight to Pakse. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred directly onto a private traditional boat for a 2-hour cruise to Champassak. Disembark at this ancient town, of the Champa Kingdom; continue by car to Wat Phou, a beautifully dramatic pre-Angkorian temple being considered as World Heritage Site by UNESCO that located amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. The temple was built in three levels: the bottom level is mainly concentrated on the baray (water reservoir) and promenade, the second level features quadrangular pavilions and galleries of carvings, and the top level is the sanctuary itself. The temple was constructed by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat. The temple was the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most respected temples.
 
In the afternoon you will drive to Don Khong, an area of 4000 islands which is the widest point of the Mekong River during the rainy season, although during the dry months the river recedes, leaving behind thousands of islands and islets. This area of the river is also famous for being the home to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. En route, we visit the atmospheric ruins of the Khmer temple of OupMong at Ban HoueiTomo, located in the forest. Arrive at Khong Island via ferry early evening. Overnight at the hotel in Khong Island
 
Accommodation             : At the hotel in Khong Island
Meals                            : Breakfast

Following breakfast, we enjoy a visit to the surrounding countryside, and embark on a long tail boat tour to Don Khone, where we disembark and have the option of exploring the island by bicycle, which takes you to visit the remains of the French period and
the breathtakingLiphi waterfall, also named the “Corridor of the Devil” one of the most beautiful waterfalls between Lao border and Cambodia. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin at Ban Hang Khone. We return to the mainland at the fishing village of Ban Nakasang and drive further south to visit KhonePhapheng. KhonePhapheng is considered the biggest waterfall by volume in South East Asia; this is an impressive spot near the Lao-Cambodian border, set within an area which is teeming with wildlife, making this area one of the most breathtaking destinations in Laos. Afterwards we drive back to Khong Island. Overnight in Khong Island.
 
Accommodation             : At the hotel in Khong Island
Meals                            : Breakfast
 

This morning we leave early and drive north to the Bolaven Plateau. The Bolaven Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Our first stop is to visit Houey Ten, a Katu village specializing in knifemaking. We then stop at a tea plantation, followed by a stop at Tad Fan Waterfall, a magnificently picturesque  twin chute waterfall.
Tad Fane is built by natural twin 120-metre high waterfalls basing on the merging waters of the Champy and Pak Koot rivers. These falls are located on the edge of Dong Hua Sao protected area, far from 38 km from Paksé (Note: water level may vary accordingly to the previous rainy season). In the afternoon, we then make a stop at a coffee plantation, en route to ThaTeng Market, a colorful ethnic minority food market. Next we explore another interesting minority village, Ban Bong Neua, an Alak village, that boasts a sacrificial alter. We arrive at the beautiful Tadlo Waterfall by late afternoon and head back to Pakse, stopping at Ban Houi Hun, an Alak weaving village, where they keep coffins under their houses, and at another picturesque waterfall, Paxuam, before arriving back in Pakse by early evening. Overnight at the hotel in Pakse 
 
Accommodation             : At the hotel in Paske
Meals                            : Breakfast

After breakfast; there will be free time for your own exploration of Pakse Town before catching a flight to Siem Reap-Cambodia or exiting Laos overland from the Chongmek International checkpoint to UbonRatchathani Thailand
 
Accommodation             : NA
Meals                            : Breakfast