Meals: None

Arrival Luang Prabang.

Welcome to Laos. Meet your private guide after the immigration formalities and luggage collection and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight at Salana Boutique Hotel, Deluxe Room

Meals: B L

Highlight of Vientiane

09:30am. After breakfast, you will visit the important sites of Vientiane ‘s past and present. Visit Wat Sisaket, which is the only structure to survive the Siamese invasion of 1828. Across the street, sits Wat Ho Phra Kheo, reconstructed in the 1930s on the site of the original building. It housed the Emerald Buddha which now lives in Bangkok.

Amongst the more modern structures is Patuxai, the Lao Victory Monument. Also visit Wat That Luang - the most sacred structure in all of Laos. Wat Si Muang is a much more vibrant example of living Buddhism. This sacred temple is used by the Lao people to make wishes. Also pay a visit the COPE Visitor Centre for a moving insight into the Secret War which left Laos as the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, we will drive about 1,5 hours on the new highway to Vang Vieng.

On arrival Vang Vieng check in at your accommodation, and enjoy free at leisure time.

Overnight at Riverside Boutique Resort, Deluxe Room

Meals: B L

The Different Facets of Vang Vieng.

At 09:30am. Today you will be introduced to Vang Vieng and its different facets. Your day will start with a leisurely kayaking trip on the Nam Song River, which flows along stunning limestone formations. After about 2 hours, you will reach a local Khmu village where you are invited by a welcoming family to have a typical Khmu lunch in the family's garden. Here you will also learn the traditions and culture of animism that is practiced by many ethnic groups in Laos.

After spending some time chatting with the family, you will be learning on how the local rice wine, "Lao Hai" is produced. From here you will continue to one of the neighbors who is a knife smith. Here it is time to forge your own personalized knife, using techniques that have been used for generations. Definitely a unique memory to take back home!

Later in the afternoon, your guide will lead you through rice paddies to a cave on the other side of the river, passing by farmers working on the fields. On the way back to the village, you will be taking rest in one of the local rice huts and try some of the rice wine, while learning more about the importance of agriculture in Laos.

Once the sun slowly sets, we continue back to the village and you will be transferred back to your hotel.  

Overnight at Riverside Boutique Resort, Deluxe Room

Meals: B L

At 10:00am. After breakfast, you will transfer to the Vang Vieng Train Station, take the high-speed train to Luang Prabang (around 1,5 hour).

Luang Prabang, Pearl of the Mekong.

Upon arrival at Luang Prabang Train Station, you will meet your guide and continue to explore this historic and charming heritage town.

Transfer to begin your journey at the most popular of temples – Wat Xieng Thong. This 500-year-old temple is exquisite and is the best example of the classic Luang Prabang style. You will also visit nearby Wat Sene and Wat Mai. From here, explore some local and interesting small side streets, along back alleys and through temples – a city that could have been designed with slow travel in mind, this tour allows you to soak up the ambiance and appreciate the hidden charms of Luang Prabang.

Through your guide, feel free to ask the locals questions as they go about their daily lives. Continue wandering up the peninsula, stopping at temples and other sites as you wish. Visit the National Museum, which is the former Royal Palace. Relics from Laos’ royalist past remain here. Overlooking the palace is Phousi Mountain. It is said that those who do not climb the 328 steps up have not really made it to the city. Venture up the hill and be rewarded with remarkable views of the area.

End of the day to visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, a museum dedicated to the ethnic minorities of Laos.

Transfer to your accommodation for check in. The rest of the evening is at leisure.

Overnight at Maison Dalabua’s La Fontaine Residence (fully equipped house with two bedrooms. Breaksfast served at nearby Maison Dalabua)

Meals: B L

Ethnic Minorities & Kuang Si Falls.

At 09:00am. After breakfast meet your guide and drive into the peaceful countryside, stopping to explore several villages along the way. We will see a Hmong, a Khmu, and a Lowland Lao village and can compare their different life styles, traditions and religions.

The Lowland Lao of Ban Sa-aat live on the banks of the Mekong and its tributaries and in the cities. They speak Lao, which is closely related to the Thai spoken in Thailand. Ban Pano is home to Khmu people, who were the original inhabitants of Northern Laos. They are animists and speak a language belonging to the Austro-Asiatic group of languages. In Ban Long Lao, you will see Hmong and Khmu people live peaceful side by side. The Hmong settlers were the most recent to come to Laos. They built their villages on the mountain tops and practice shifting cultivation of corn and other crops. In Ban Pano and Ban Long Lao, local guides from these villages will show you around. You will have the chance to get to see houses from inside, traditional dresses and explanations about different craft productions or other common work routines. The villagers are grateful for this additional income and they are proud to welcome visitors from far away! Continue on to the Kuang Si Waterfall. At the falls, crystal water cascades into idyllic turquoise pools. Bring a bathing suit if you would like to swim! Also take time to visit the nearby Sun bear Refuge to learn more about the poaching of these endangered creatures.

After this you will visit the Buffalo Diary Farm, known for their sustainable approach on local farming. This includes: A guided tour of the farm & information on how they work with the local community, Buffalo feeding & bathing, milking demonstration, feeding chickens, pigs and rabbits, bottle feeding calves. Relax in the café and enjoy the ‘cake of the day’ served with homemade buffalo milk ice cream and tea or coffee before heading back to your hotel.

Overnight at Maison Dalabua’s La Fontaine Residence (fully equipped house with two bedrooms. Breaksfast served at nearby Maison Dalabua)

Meals: B L

Participate in Almsgiving.

At 05:30am. The bells of the town ‘s monasteries toll at dawn when golden lines of monks emerge to receive their morning rice from the townspeople.

Wake up early and have some hot tea and cookies. After this you will have the opportunity to respectfully witness this sacred ritual typical of old Laos-long lines of barefoot monks weaving through the streets on their alms rounds. This will be in a village out of town where rarely any tourists are seen. Here fore you will have the opportunity to witness the almsgiving in a real traditional way. You will be supplied with alms you can traditionally give to the monks.

We also encourage that if you must take photographs that it does not interfere with this highly revered Ritual. Afterwards, visit the Morning Market and see an array of meats, vegetables and spices the locals use in their cooking. Return to your hotel for breakfast.

Manda Lao Therapeutic Trek (Join in excursion).

After picking you up from town or your hotel around 08h30am, we will leave Luang Prabang for the nearby village of Xieng Lom. Upon arrival you are invited to have coffee or tea as your guide for the day provides an in-depth introduction to elephant behavior and the ways we should interact with them

A quick boat ride across the Nam Khan River will deliver you to the waiting elephants. You will be introduced to your new friends and feed them some special treats — a sure way to begin an instant friendship. Just following, you will begin walking with your new gigantic companions through the jungles of Laos.

The 2-hour trek will take you through beautiful Lao jungle, past traditional Lao farms, and past the cool Huay Nok stream, where you may experience elephants playing joyfully in the water. As you walk alongside the elephants on a small dirt path listening to their gentle footsteps and the sounds of the jungle around you, you will experience a profound sense of understanding, respect, and caring for these amazing animals.

As you prepare to start your walk back to Manda Lao, you will bid farewell to your new friends with a few more treats, hugs, and moments to say goodbye.

Following lunch, you will take the short ride back into Luang Prabang and have one more chance to ask your guides any lingering questions.

We will then drive you back to your accommodation, rest afternoon at leisure.

Overnight at Maison Dalabua’s La Fontaine Residence (fully equipped house with two bedrooms. Breaksfast served at nearby Maison Dalabua)

Meals: B

Spend the day at your own leisure until your transfer time to the airport.