Laos Tour 8 Days: A Luxurious Experience

You are  warmly welcomed Wattay International Airport, picked up and transfer to your hotel in the city center.
Check in hotel and take a rest. Have lunch at local restaurant.

In the afternoon, 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.

The welcome dinner will be provided at the local simple restaurant with the traditional dance and folk song, the best opportunity to experience the real local culture.

Overnight at the hotel  in Vientiane.

After breakfast, we will leave Vientiane for taking the speed train to Muang Xay, the capital city of Oudomxay province, which is the commercial center of the Northern Laos. Oudomxay province is a comunity with  23 ethnic minority groups.

It is recommended to arrive at the station 1 hour before the departure of your train. Note about speed train:

- Schedule and availability to be confirmed as it varies from month to month.

- Tickets can only be purchased 3 days prior to departure day of the train.

- A copy of the passport is required for the purchase of train ticket.

- Luggage allowance is 20 kg. However, there is not any official rule about fee for overweight/ oversized luggage at the train station. Hence, if it's your case on spot, thank you to be updated the extra fee if any and paid by yourself. Please keep your train ticket from the departure station til the terminal station

- The train does not have wifi so be prepared with any information that you need ahead of time.

- Prohibited items to be brought into the station and on the train. If any of these articles are found in a passenger’s carry-on luggage, the articles will be confiscated by security, and will not be returned to the passenger. We will not be responsible for confiscated articles.

1. Weapons, ammunition of any kind: pistols, Iong guns, sporting guns and other modified guns.

2. All kinds of explosives: aerosol products, explosives, firecrackers, explosive soil, vape, etc.

3. All kinds of chemicals: hydrogen, methane, ethane, butane, ethylene, propylene, acetylene, carbon monoxide, liquefied petroleum gas, oxygen (for medical purposes), gasoline, diesel and all kinds of flammable liquids (with warning icon on the product).

4. All kinds of drugs: heroin, amphetamine, ice drugs, cocaine, marijuana, opium and other drugs.

5. All kinds of sharp objects that can cause injury or death, such as knives, scissors, cutters and even small slide knives.

6. Pets, living and non-living wild: dogs, cats and other animals.

7. All kinds of food that has a bad smell, watery food that will create impurity and have an environmental impact. 

Upon arrival, we will transfer to town for a short city tour. Visit the Wat Cheng (Tree of Life) temple - the oldest temple in the city.

Finally, visit the Phuuthat Stupa (Wat Phu That), which you reach via a set of steep stairs near the main entrance to the museum. Here, you'll find a stupa that rises to a height of 18 meters and dates back to the 14th century. It was partially destroyed during the French colonial period and was later rebuilt. You can admire the view of the city from there.

Then check in hotel in Muang Xai and free time for your resting.

Lunch in local restaurant. Dinner and overnight in Muang Xai.

This full day tour insists of no ‘real trekking’, only making a stroll villages. Travelling by 4×4 is the only choice to discover enough ground and climb the steep mountains in order to reach the most untouched and fascinating villages in the region. Our guide will be pleasant to answer any your questions if you would like to check weather  there are any impresive markets or festivals happening today, as the itinerary can sometimes be changable.

After breakfast at hotel, we make our way to Muang La. Then we make a stop to visit an entirely isolated Ikhos village. This ethnic group is original  from Tibet and Yunnan and these villagers have seen very few foreigners. You may find out a different atmosphere here compared to other villages which are more used to seeing visitors. Your guide can guide you about the daily life of the villagers and how they still follow ancient customs passed down through the centuries.

Here you are more than 1,000m above sea level and the views are magnificent, making it great picnic spot.

After lunch, you get our of the village walk for approximately 45 minutes to the Hmong village of Ban Tauser. The remote route to the village takes you to a viewpoint with a stunning 360° panorama. The Hmong originate in the high steppes of Tibet and you will study their way of life, including the great importance of their livestock.
Return to the resort at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight at Muang Xai.

You are free to stroll around the town for your own experience.

Meals on your own and overnight at Muang Xai.

In the morning, we leave Muang Xai for Muang Khua, the little town along the way to Tay Trang Border with Vietnam. From there, we will embark on a long-tail boat downstream the Nam Ou river to Nong Khiaw, the lovely boutique town along the lazy Nam Ou River. Note that you will change to another boat in the midway as there is a Chinese dam, late arrival in Nong Khiaw is expected. In case the water level is low, we will get transferred from Muang Xai to Nong Khiaw instead.

The scenery along the way is said to be the most beautiful part of the gently Nam Ou River. We arrive in Nong Khiaw just in time to catch the sunset before checking in your hotel.

Meals in local restaurants. Overnight in Nong Khiaw.

After breakfast, we will return back to Luang Prabang by road transfer (~4.5h on road, road is in bad condition). After around 20 minute drive, we will take a right turn to reach to  Ban Bom onto the dirt road to Ban Na Yang (12km from the main road), which is the Thai Lue minority village. This is the very nice unique village with the traditional house and hand-weaving technique.

After that, we will transfer directly to Ban Pak Ou, where we will be served with lunch at the riverside restaurant overlooking the Nam Ou River, and Mekong River.

The afternoon, we take a local boat on Mekong river 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.

After that, continue the boat cruise in ~1.5 hours heading to Luang Prabang.

Along the way, we have chance to visit some more village at Ban Muangkeo, which is famous for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling. We arrive in Luang Prabang just in time to catch the sunset.

Meals in local restaurants. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

You are free to stroll around the town for your own exploration.

Meals on your own. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Recommended activities:

Visit Kuang Si waterfalls & some attractions along the way

Experience the elephant at one of the camps near Luang Prabang
 

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.

If we have enough time, we will make a short stroll around the small streets of city center, watching the life of local people, and visiting the traditional house of Heuan Chan, the Chantal wooden house dating back to 100 years old.
We then transfer out to the airport to take the departure flight.

Lunch in local restaurant. Dinner on your own. End of services.