EXOTIC LAOS – 8 DAYS 7 NIGHTS

During the 8-day Lao package tour, we cover the 02 main destinations:

- 1. Luang Prabang, as the most well-known tourist destination of Laos, is what we cannot miss;
  2. Southern Laos, which is famous for its colorful Bolaven plateau, the ruin of Angkor style Wat Phou temple, the peaceful 4000-island area, or the biggest waterfalls in Southeast Asia of Khone Phapheng. The package gives you the chance to cover most of the Lao essential tourist destinations.

Your Lao travel plan starts with the Baci ceremony, the most important spiritual practice in Laos. The ceremony will be held by the elders of the village at the host family, which will give you the chance to really emerge into Lao culture. The visit to Luang Prabang continues with the cuise along the mighty Mekong to the mysterious Pak Ou caves. The visit to the exciting Kuang Si waterfalls is also included in this Lao package tour.

Southern Laos including : Bolaven plateau, where we will the life-time experience with the Jeep tour following the Coffee Trail; The Angkor style Wat Phou temple; 4000-island area, the most peaceful palce in Laos; and Khone Phapheng waterfalls, which is called Niagara of Southeast Asia.

Tour Highlights….

- - Emerging into the Lao culture with the spiritual Baci ceremony
  - Cruising the mighty Mekong river to the mysterious Pak Ou caves
  - Impressed by the long line of saffron clad monks collecting the daily morning alms giving in the streets
  - Driving to the exciting Kuang Si waterfalls
  - Exploring the colorful Bolaven plateau, admiring the beautiful waterfalls, green tea and coffee plantation, and plenty of tribe villages
  - Experience the Coffee trail with Jeep Tour
  - Reveal the mysteries of the ruin of the Angkor-style Wat Phou temple
  - Discovering the 4000-island area, the chance to see the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin

DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG – ARRIVAL – BACI CEREMONY

On arrival at the Luang Prabang airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel. Situated in the center of northern Laos, Luang Prabang is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding cultural, historic and architectural values and its harmonious relationship between the natural and built environment. Late afternoon, join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony as a traditional ritual of the Lao people to expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly memorable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants. Dinner will be served after that for you to share with the host family. This is the best chance for you to have first-hand experience of local life and culture.

DAY 2: LUANG PRABANG – PAK OU CAVES

After breakfast, you will first visit Royal Palace Museum, which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family. We then embark on a leisure cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view 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 village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine.
On arrival back in the city, we will visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong a superb piece of Lao temple architecture, which presents a sweeping two-tiered roof and ornate mosaics including a beautiful ‘tree of life ‘glass montage on the rear temple wall. Afterwards, we will visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. From there, we will transfer to visit Wat Prabath to admire the sunset; this is the really peaceful place to catch the last beauty of the day. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hilltribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG – KUANG SI WATERFALLS

Wake up as the sun rises, we will prepare to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving, which dates to the 14^th century. More than 200 Buddhist monks depart from various temple to gather their daily meal from the faithful residents sitting quietly on the streets. From there, we will visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace. Just set on the ground, the local people come here to barter their day’s catch from rice, to vegetable, to fish, or chicken. This is the best way to experience the taste of local life After breakfast at the hotel, we ascend the 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. We then visit Wat Visoun, dating back to 1513 during the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), this is Luang Prabang’s oldest temple and was once home to the Prabang Buddhas.
We then transfer directly to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls which is the biggest in the Luang Prabang area with three tiers leading to a 50-metre drop into spectacular azure pools before flowing downstream. The pools also make great swimming holes and are very popular with both tourists and locals We will also take a short visit to the Bear Rescue Center, which houses a couple of dozen animals rescued from the hands of poachers and traffickers.
Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed from 15 APR – 30 JUN; 01-14 SEP, & 01 JAN every year), whose mission is to create a research centre studying and publishing about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we will take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics, offers free tours every half-hour.

DAY 4: LUANG PRABANG – PAKSE – BOLAVEN PLATEAU

We will take the morning flight to Pakse, the biggest town of southern Laos. QV513 LPQ PKZ 10:40 12:20

Then depart for the Bolaven Plateau, a mountainous region home to dozens of hill tribes, waterfalls and coffee and tea plantations. The first stop is the visit of Tad Lo waterfalls, a beautiful formation of three separate falls. From the bridge, you will first see Tad Hang and then Tad Lo in the distance. The most impressive of the three, Tad Suong, is located a further 10km upriver. From there, we will drive to the small village of Ban Houay Houn, famous for its Katu textiles. Here, you will have the chance to observe the women weaving without a traditional loom but using their legs to stretch the fabric. We continue our journey through the Paksong and Boloven Plateau. The Boloven Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. Rivers run off this high plateau in all directions and then plunge out to lush forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls.

DAY 5: COFFEE TRAIL EXPERIENCE

09:00Am, we will meet the Jeep tour specialist at Chai Coffee, and have some discussion with him there when enjoying a cup of coffee.
After that, we will hop on the Jeep and drive 30 minutes to Tad Moun waterfalls, where we can enjoy the fresh cool water, and visit the nearby vegetable farm. 11:00 Am, we continue driving to the Coffee Farm of Mr. Khamsone via the 10KM bumpy and muddy road, which will take you 01 hour with your special Jeep car.
Upon arrival, Mr khamsone, the Coffee farm’s owner will take 1 hour to demonstrate about coffee roasting step and finishing by a coffee cupping to Savor the different kind of coffee (Robusta, Arabica and Typica).
We will have the picnic lunch on the farm at around 1:30PM before continue driving to Laven village to see their daily life and their paddy field. From there, we will drive to Suay village, where we can find many traditional long house made by bamboo, which is shared by some generations of 01 family. Finally, we will drive back to your hotel. Free for the rest of the day. Overnight in Bolaven Plateau

DAY 6: BOLAVEN PLATEAU – WAT PHOU – BAN KHIET NGONG

After breakfast, transfer by road to Wat Phou. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. The temple was constructed in three levels: the bottom level is focused 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 built by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat. The temple served as the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people’s most revered temples. Pass through the small town of Champasak, where French colonial buildings offer a great contrast to Wat Phou. Continue south, stopping at the wood carving village of Ban Nong Bune.

On arrival in the small Lao village of Ban Kiet Ngong you will have lunch (your own account) at a simple local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will explore the village of Ban Khiet Ngong and the surrounding area. The 2-hour trek takes us through an extensive wetland which is good for bird watching.

Many water birds can be seen, so bring binoculars if you have them. On the way you will pass the Giant Rock (Hin Houa Yak in Lao), a sacred place with a superb view. Free for the rest of the day for your own exploration of the village and the surrounding area. Overnight at King Fisher Eco-Lodge

DAY 7: BAN KHIET NGONG – 4000 ISLANDS

Saying goodbye to the village of Ban Khiet Ngong, we continue driving to Khong Island, the biggest island of 4000-island area. Upon arrival, we embark on a long tail boat for venturing into the widest reach of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recede and leave behind thousands of islets, giving this area a lovely name” Si Phan Done”. Upon arrival, explore the local peaceful villages of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with its locomotive. We continue to discover the 4000 islands area by tuktuk and visit the marvelous Liphi waterfall, also called the “Corridor of the Devil” one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking Lao border with 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 Khone Phapheng. Khone Phapheng is considered the largest 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

DAY 8: KHONG ISLAND – DEPARTURE

From the island, you can choose to continue to Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonders; or back to Pakse to take the departure flight for the next destination.

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