Wonderful Laos

Arrival Vientiane airport, Arrival airport, please go to custom desk as your first point of entry to get visa-on-arrival into the country and pay stamping fees directly by cash to custom office there then guide will pick you up outside and transfer to the city for check in. Optional: Enjoy a private Baci ceremony after sunset at a local family. The Baci ceremony as a traditional ritual of the Lao people expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly memorable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants.

Morning, explore Vientiane including some main temples such as Vat Ho Prakeo used to be the house of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Sisaket crossing the street and where more than ten thousand of Buddha images are being placed. We continue to Pratuxai, it was Arc the Triumph of France. Finally, we visit Golden Stupa, well known as That Luang Stupa and believed to contain a relic of Lord Buddha.  Afternoon, we leave the capital for our journey northbound to Vang Vieng; we will see some breathtaking scenery on the way as we pass through spectacular countryside towards the mountainous region. Vang Vieng is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Its stunning scenery with limestone outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent developments with the advent of tourism

Today, we stroll around the town to visit the local market to catch a glimpse of everyday life in a typical Lao rural area. A visit will be made at Organic Farm Vang Vieng (OFVV), promoting the use of traditional methods & natural materials for growing its crops & raising its animals without using chemicals or artificial fertilizers, which are harmful to both our health & the environment. Next, start our expedition up route 13 north to Luang Prabang that is considered as the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. We’ll pass some stunning landscape scenery with a mixture of steep terraced fields and hill villages. Each hill tribe village in Laos has a different character, some are more prosperous than others but all have plenty of life. The Muang Xieng Nguen village is our next stop where we spend a short    time to observe the local lifestyle before we reach Luang Prabang.

Today, you will first visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. Afterwards, we will visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong the most beautiful temple in Luang Prabang with its mosaic decoration and the former royal carriage.  We then embark on the 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 visit Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. End of tour, climb up Mt Phousi overlooking the city of Luang Prabang before passing by the night market, where you can find a lovely collection of handmade textiles made by local and hill-tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.  Back to your hotel Option: if time permits, you may wish to visit the Kopnoi Promotion Center, and enjoy the Tea tasting Ceremony, where you can also have a small lecture about Lao culture.  

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. From here, we visit local market near the Royal Palace where you can find anything from fresh vegetables, rice, streamed fish, frogs and many other things. This is an opportunity to get a real flavor of the local culture. We then drive to Kuang Si Falls, located 30 kilometers south of Luang Prabang. The many tiered waterfalls have scooped out small basins of turquoise color. You can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools and hike around the falls if wanted. You’ll also visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park, one of the must-visit spots, newly opened on January 2014. Return to Luang Prabang and on the way back a stop will be made at one of the local villages before getting to Wat Siphouthabath to admire the sunset.

A prominent Luang Prabang silver smith’s, the Fine Arts School and the Central Market are of interest to many people and we can visit these sights prior to bidding farewell to Luang Prabang and catching the departure flight for the next destination.

Tour ends here with some of the best memories of your life.