08 Days 07 Nites - Spirit of Laos

Post date: Oct 29, 2011 4:37:11 AM

We stop for lunch at the village, which can either be a western picnic lunch or traditional Lao food such as sticky rice, lap 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. At Ban Khoklin we board a private boat down the Nam Ou river for 30 minutes to Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims and continue down the Mekong River back to Luang Prabang. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 3: LUANG PRABANG - BAN CHAN – KHUANG SI WATERFALL (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner included)

Breakfast at hotel, we cross the Mekong River by boat, to the picturesque village of Ban Chan, a pottery village. We visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we visit local villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay, a Hmong village, Ban Ou a Laoloum village and Ban Thapene, a Khmu villages. This takes us to the beautiful Khuang Si Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon.

Lunch at local place in villages where we visit.

Dinner at local restaurant in Luang Prabang. Overnight.

Day 4: LUANG PRABANG – VIENTIANE - HALF DAY CITY TOUR (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner included)

Breakfast at hotel, we transfer to airport and flight to Vientiane - Capital of Laos, on arrival we check-in hotel.

Lunch at local restaurant before we start half day city tour enables us to see the major temples of Vientiane including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, a temple of thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. We also visit Laotian national icon, That Luang Stupa, and we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 5: VIENTIANE – PAKSE – TAD LO (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner included)

Early breakfast at hotel, so we on time to be transferred to the airport and flight to Pakse.

On arrival at Pakse, you will be met and taken by road west into the Bolevean Plateau. The Bolevean Plateau is known for its cooler temperature being located high above the Mekong Valley. The area is famous for its many waterfalls, and the most beautiful of these falls, Tad Fan, where we visit. Tad Fan waterfall is spectacular with twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation. A trip to the plateau provides a refreshing break from the heat and allows you to observe the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas and other crops that can be seen enroute.

In the afternoon, we arrive at Tad Lo, home to another scenic waterfall and numerous ethnic minority groups. We visit the villages of Alak, Nge, and Katu before overnighting in Tad Lo. (Lunch on trip at local restaurant)

Dinner at local restaurant in Tad Lo. Overnight

Day 6: TAD LO – WAT PHOU – 4,000 ISLANDS (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner included)

After early breakfast at hotel, we leave Tad Lo. On the way we make short detour to visit Pha Suam waterfall and explore the ethnic minority villages of Lao Teung. We continue by road via Pakse town crossing the Mekong by ferry to visit the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia's most dramatically situated temples. Following lunch at local, we continue our journey by long tail boat to the 4,000 Islands, where you have the rest of the day to relax.

Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in 4000 Islands area.

Day 7: 4000 ISLANDS AND SURROUNDING (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner included)

Early breakfast at hotel, we head south by road and boat to Done Khone. Here we begin by re-tracing the French colonial-past at Ban Khone, where some old colonial houses still stand and glimpse the first Laotian railway with its own locomotive. We continue our exploration of the area of the 4000 islands by boat and visit the beautiful Liphi waterfall, also known as the Samphamith, which forms a natural border between Lao and Cambodia. We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to the famous waterfall of Khone Phapeng - the largest waterfall in South East Asia, also known as the «Niagara of the east».

Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in 4000 Islands area.

Day 8: 4000 ISLANDS – PAKSE - DEPARTURE (Breakfast included)

After breakfast at hotel, we check-out and transfer back to Pakse for catching departure flight.