Upon arrival at the airport in Luang Prabang, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. We’ll head out after checking in and freshening up to see the city’s oldest temples, including the magnificent Wat Xiengthong, with its roof sweeping low to the ground and representing classical Lao architecture, the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, and the shrine of Wat Aham. We then proceed to the Royal Palace Museum, which houses a variety of interesting artifacts from the Royal period in Luang Prabang. You have the afternoon free to indulge in a spa treatment or massage, go shopping, or simply relax at the hotel. We climb Mount Phousi late in the afternoon to explore the sacred gilded stupa and to enjoy the panoramic view of the city and the sun setting over the Mekong River. As you leave the mountain, you will find yourself in the midst of the famous Luang Prabang Night Market, where you can find a unique selection of handmade textiles and handicrafts made locally by both ethnic Lao and hill tribe people from the surrounding area. The rest time is free for you to explore the night market.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.

We begin our journey to the Arts and Ethnology Center around 8 a.m. to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. You are welcome to have a cup of coffee at the center’s cafe before we depart for the Mekong River and board our private boat for a pleasant and scenic cruise up the Mekong River to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. These caves are an ancient pilgrimage site with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha images that have been left there for hundreds of years. We disembark our boat in Luang Prabang and have the option of taking a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village famous for its hand weaving, or returning to the hotel for free time to relax. The evening is free to explore the town, enjoy a drink as you watch the sunset over the Mekong, or relax at the hotel.
Overnight in Luang Prabang

We leave the hotel around 8 a.m. to begin our journey. You have the option and opportunity to rise early this morning and participate in the daily morning ritual of ‘Alms Giving,’ where you will see saffron-clad monks collecting offerings or ‘Alms’ from faithful local residents. Laos is the only Buddhist country that still practices the daily procession, so it is unique. After breakfast at your hotel, we drive to Kuang Sii Waterfall, stopping along the way to visit the morning Phousi Market, where all Luang Prabang residents go to do their daily shopping. Among the chickens, fish, vegetables, and fruit, you will find a variety of local foodstuffs and products such as dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpeter. When you arrive at Kuang Sii Falls, you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the topaz pools below the falls, walk along the forest trails, and visit the Bear Sanctuary. Then we return to Luang Prabang, you can treat yourself to a spa treatment or massage, relax at the hotel, or go shopping at the Night Market.
Overnight in Luang Prabang

You have an early breakfast this morning in order to begin our early trip. Our journey takes us through breathtaking scenery to Xieng Khuang Province, the home of the Plain of Jars. There are numerous photo opportunities along the way, as well as a few stops to explore hill tribe villages. After checking into your hotel in Phonsavan, you will have time to explore the town, visit the MAG Center, or relax at the hotel.
Overnight in Xieng Khuang

You should have an early breakfast today because we are going to explore the Plain of Jars. We will visit Sites 1, 2, and 3, as well as take a short hike to Tai Dam and Lao Leum village along the way. After returning to Phonsavan, we boarded a short flight to Vientiane. Drive south from Vientiane city after checking into your hotel to see Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures set in parkland on the banks of the Mekong near the Friendship Bridge. Over 200 religious images dating back 500 years have been faithfully recreated by a mysterious Buddhist monk. You have the rest of the evening to explore the night market and sample some local cuisine.
Overnight in Vientiane

We begin our tour of Vientiane’s major temples around 8 a.m., including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, with thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. We also visit That Luang Stupa, Laos’ national icon, and stop along the way to photograph the imposing Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. This afternoon, you have the option to continue our tour of Vientiane by bicycle. We will ride through the capital, stopping at Wat Ong Tue, Wat Inpeng, and Wat Haisok, as well as the main shopping district and Vientiane’s Central Market, Talad Sao. Returning to the hotel your evening is free to relax or take in some more sights of Vientiane and enjoy the sunset over a few drinks on the riverfront.
Overnight in Vientiane

We take an early flight to Pakse after breakfast. When we arrive, we head south toward Champasak and the 4000 islands. After passing through Pakse, we take a ferry across the Mekong River to the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia’s most dramatically located mountaintop temples. We continue by road and ferry boat to Don Khone in the South Mekong River region known as the 4000 islands, one of Laos’ most scenic areas.
Overnight on Don Khone Island

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we will travel south by road and boat to Done Khone. We retrace the island’s French colonial past at Ban Khone, which still has old colonial houses and a glimpse of the first Lao railway with its own locomotive. We continue our exploration of the area by boat, stopping at the lovely Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which serves as a natural border between Laos and Cambodia. We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to Khone Phapeng, the largest waterfall in South East Asia and dubbed the “Niagara of the East.”
Overnight on Don Khone island

We leave Done Khone this morning for the cool mountain climate of the Bolivian Plateau. The area is famous for its waterfalls, and we will visit two of the best: Tad Fan, with its impressive twin, falls cascading over 100 meters to the valley floor below, and Tad Ngeuan, with its pristine pools for a refreshing dip as well as a coffee shop and plantation where you can sample some authentic Lao coffee. You will see the rich soils of the region being cultivated for coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas, and other crops along the way before arriving at Tad Lo, home to another scenic waterfall and numerous ethnic minority groups, and visiting the villages of Alak, Nge, and Katu before checking in at Tad Lo.
Overnight in Tad Lo

Free time until our driver picks you up and transports you to Pakse (about 85km from Tad Lo) to catch your flight back home or your next destination.