Northern Laos Tour 15 days: Royal Beauty

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. 

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.

Arriving in Luang Prabang, we will climb the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a stunning sunset view of the city and its brightly shining reflection on the majestic Mekong River.

You will stay overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, we take a local boat on Mekong river in 2 hours to reach the best famous and spiritual Pak Ou Buddha Caves, where we could have a look at confluence of the Mekong & Ou Rivers. Since the 16 century, the villagers built many thousands of Buddha images here.

On the way , we’ll make a stop  at Ban Muang Keo, a famous village for its traditional Lao rice whisky prodution. You will return back to the capital in the late afternoon and continue by road transfer to the outskirts of town to visit Ban Xangkhong , a village well-known for its wood paper making and also Lao silk weavings with natural dyes.

Our driver will pick you up from your hotel/guesthouse at 6:30 AM, and transport you to the boat pier. The boat leaves at 7:00 AM for the upstream cruise to Pakbeng. French breakfast is served onboard after the introduction of the crew. Shortly thereafter, we will stop to visit the famous Pak Ou Caves (Tham Ting) and its thousands of Buddha images. For lunch, local food is served onboard.

Then, you will have free time for relaxing in the afternoon, until the boat arrives in Pakbeng at dusk. You will be served a typical snack and drink on board in the afternoon. Here, you will retreat to your accommodation for the night.

Wake up early, we will visit the morning market where inhabitants of the nearby villages and hill tribes regroup to buy and exchange their merchandise.

Lunch will be served at the lodge, we will depart for Luang Nam Tha. Along the way, we can experience the local rural life, local markets on the side of the road, closer views on corn and banana plantations and stunning views over the mountains. You will go through the provincial capital, Oudomxay.

Once a very sleepy town, this has become an important trading hub and indicates the changes which are happening quickly in the region.  Our final leg of the journey will be more interesting away from the busy town and in to unspoiled nature. The contrast also highlights just how special the experiences are in the remaining wilderness. Luang Nam Tha, which is situated on the banks of the Namtha River, is a land of rugged mountains and beautiful tropical forests and shares its border with China and Myanmar. We arrive in Luang Nam Tha in the afternoon. Overnight in Luang Nam Tha

After leisurely breakfast, our guide will meet and pick you up at your hotel. Today, we will have  a short visit to the Luang Namtha museum. Then visiting Luang Namtha Stupa that help you experience stunning view of Luang Namtha city. Followed by the old Phou Pouk Stupa, visit Ban Nam Ngean “Tai Dam” and Ban Pieng Ngam “Tai Deang” both of them are well-known for their many different handicrafts, make a stroll around the villages to see & learning how to process Lao Whisky making, traditional weaving, black smith, bamboo basket making.

From there, we will transfer approximately 6 km to reach the village of Ban Nam Dee “Lanten” along a dirt road . Today you will learn &  have chance to practice how to make paper from young bamboo, natural dyeing & the traditional weaving, join in the traditional Baci-ceremony & local music, taste local meals, talk about village history with owner homestay & go to bed.

Overnight at a basic homestay.
 

The local market is also attractive with numerous ethnic minorities of the surrounding mountainsides or valley to exchange and trade their merchandise. We continue to transfer directly to Oudomxay, which is inhabitants to a mixture of 23 ethnic minority groups. We make a few short stops on the way, which offers you the chance to see the ethnic minority groups.

Once arrive at Oudomxay, we will head to Namkat Yola Pa Resort, which situates 30Km from Oudomxay center. The resort is well-known for its pure natural surround with the thick jungle, and especially the stunning Namkat Waterfalls, which we will experience in the few couple of days. Upon arrival, check in your riverside bungalow. Free for the rest of the day at the resort pool, or just relax and enjoy the sound of nature.
Overnight at Namkat Waterfalls

Have breakfast at resort. After that, we leave for the resort and ride upwards to the Namkat Waterfall. You will feel the fresh smell of nature as the road is covered by thick forest. It takes us approximately 2 hours to cycle towards the waterfall.

Our bike will be parked at the entrance point of the waterfall, and we walk towards the waterfall by flying bridges walk. We enjoy picnic lunch at the waterfall about 1.5 hour. After lunch we will do zip-lining back to the entrance/meeting point where we parked the bikes and cycle back to the resort. Overnight at Namkat Yola Pa Resort.

After light breakfast, we will leave for Muang Khua, the small town situated along the way to Tay Trang Border with Vietnam. Once arrive at the town, you will  spend an hour to visit the old bamboo bridge that linking the town and the beautiful H’Mong village of Ban Natoun. Afterward, we will hop on a long-tail boat downstream the Nam Ou River to Muang Ngoi, the village in the middle of nowhere.

The scenery along the way is said to be the most spectacular part of the gently Nam Ou River. We arrive in Muang Ngoi just in time to admire the sunset before checking in your standard guesthouse. Overnight in Muang Ngoi
 

After a simple breakfast, we will have soft trek to the local village of Ban Na, and the caves of Tham Kaang, which is said to have the supernatural powers.

Then we continue ahead to Tad Mork which is situated close to the ethnic Khmu village of Ban Sop Kong, an hour trek from the river. At the waterfall we might be able to relax or swim at your leisure. A picnic lunch will be served.

After enjoying our time at the waterfall we return to the river where we board a local boat to reach Nong Khiaw. We will head off down the river through a narrow gorge where we will make a stop at another small but enchanting village.

Our last destination today before reaching Nong Khiaw will be Ban Sopvan where Tai Lue people live together. The village is situated right next to the river, opposite the village on the river bank is a farm which is home to many different types of animal including Pigs, Chickens, Ducks, and Buffalo.

We are pleased to pay them a visit so it is worthwhile bringing some food along if you would like to feed them and surely very appreciated by both the animals and the villagers.

We reach Nong Khiaw to catch sunset. Overnight in Nong Khiaw

Begin this day of adventure with a tranquil local boat ride on the peaceful Nam Ou river where you will be able to experience a small Lao village along the riverside.  We have chance to study the local people and their way of life along this Northern Laos river before starting the ‘100 Waterfalls Adventure Trail’!

Passing through small streams and rice paddies, you will reach the bottom of the 100 Waterfalls which were only first discovered in October 2008. In the next few hours you will find out only water and jungle and hear the constant sound of clear waterfall cascades. The pools around you are very attractive for a refreshing splash.

Your guide will take you through the cascades and a local style lunch will be provided that you can enjoy on the falls surrounded by beautifully green nature.

A small village path on the top of the ‘100 Waterfalls’ will take us on our hike back down into the valley, offering wide views over the expansive Nam Ou valley.

Once back in the village we will have some more time to experience the daily life of the Nam Ou riverside village before heading back to Nong Khiaw (Nong Khiau) by boat. Overnight in Nong Khiaw
 

Today, we will pass through Vieng Kham to reach Muang Hiam which is considered  the most rural and least developed part of Laos . It is a bit risky to explore off the beaten track and discover the real Laos throught those back roads . We will catch very few other travelers, mostly rural inhabitants who are just as interested in finding out about our lives as we are of theirs.

We may get difficulty in driving on some parts of our journey due to poor road conditions; however the verdant and rugged mountain scenery combined with the colorful local population makes for a unforgettable experience.

Arriving in Muang Hiam, we have much time to make a stroll around this small town before continue to head to the Khmu village of Ban Son Khua. This village is the entrance to the Nam Et – Phou Louay NPA, where we will discover the next day with Nam Nern Night Safari. Dinner with the local family; overnight in Ban Son Khua

After breakfast depart for the Nam Et-Phou Louey NPA (National Protected Area).

From here, you will explore the Nam Nern Night Safari and stay in a simple standard ecolodge which has been built and developed by the local villagers . We study about wildlife preservation, medicinal plants, traditional agriculture and the history of the Secret War from your knowledgeable local Khmu guide.

When we arrive at Ban Son Koua - an ethnic Khmu Village, our local knowledgeable guides and boatmen will welcome you and take you on a short tour of the village where you will study about the animist tradition of appeasing the village spirit. After that, we take a local boat on 1.5-hour journey to the park substation on the Nam Nern River, on the way we have chance to study about the upland rice cultivation and having opportunities to spot monitor lizards and bird life.

Upon arrival at the park substation, lunch will be provided by the local villager group. After lunch, we get a briefing by park staff about the on-the-ground efforts in protecting tigers and their prey. Around the middle of the afternoon we will leave for the night safari.

We continue to have a soft trekking into the forest. Our local guide, a profession al hunter and tracker, will show us how local people track deer and other wild ungulates. The guides notice evidence of wildlife, such a tracks or scat at the salt lick.

The boats will continue upstream to the dinner site, a sandy, flat bank, where  a picnic dinner will be served around a campfire. After dinner, our guides tell Khmu folktales and stories about dragons, wildlife, and ghosts. They teach you about the species of animals they may find out  during the spotlighting and explain the rules and expectations for spotlighting.

Basing on the amount of moonlight, we leave for the night spotlighting 1-2 hours after dark, floating down river with engines off with only one light per boat. Only guides use the light to avoid scaring the animals. The guides and boat drivers communicate via hand signals to avoid talking that might disturb the animals.

The boat is very quiet so as not to disturb the animals. Animals that may be seen include Sambar Deer, Otters, and Barking Deer, various species of Civets, Slow Loris, Porcupine, and Owls (Hogbadgers, Asian golden cat and wild dogs have also been seen).

At the end of the spotlighting, the boats arrive at the evening camp. Before going to bed you will be able to check out a variety of insects attracted to the black light set up near the substation.
 Overnight in Nam Nern
 

In the morning,we will first visit  the oldest Wat Sisaket which is not the only temple that was destroyed during the invasion of the Siamese army and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo.

We then discover a national symbol of Laos -  That Luang Stupa or the Great Stupa which is coverd with gold.
The last sights would be Patuxay Monument which is famous for Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

We are then free before taking the departure flight.