Luang Prabang to Pakse and 4000 Islands

Boasting the charm of an old city, Luang Prabang is one of the highlights of a tour in Laos, the perfect place to stroll around, relax and enjoy some romantic river views. With this 7 days / 6 nights tour you will be visiting all the most important heritage sites and temples of the city, like the Royal Palace and Wat Xiengtong, and nearby popular attractions including Kuang Si Waterfalls and Pak Ou Caves, before heading to Southern Laos. There you will explore the Boulevan Plateau, Tad Lo and Paxuan, ending the journey at Khong and Khone Islands, where the only species of fresh water dolphins still live.

Upon arrival, meeting with the tour guide and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Optional :

In the late afternoon you’ll go visiting a local house to take part in the Basi ceremony. It is a very ancient rite, derived from Animism, that is still celebrated to send the evil spirits away and bring good luck. The Basi is often performed by village chiefs or shamans.

This morning, after breakfast, we start the city tour visiting the Royal Palace Museum where we’ll immerse ourselves in the everyday life of the last royal families who ruled Laos before the Phatet Lao took power. Later we will visit the magnificent Wat Xiengthong whose unique roof is an example of classical Lao architecture. In the morning we will also visit the stunning Wat Mai and the Wat Visoun stupa, then we’ll go to the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about the ethnic minorities who live in Laos, their traditional clothing and customs. After lunch we’ll board a boat for a river excursion on the river Mekong towards the Pak Ou caves, two interconnected caves that house thousands of golden Buddha statues, of different size and shape, brought here by faithful pilgrims. On the way back we will stop at Ban Muangkeo village, famous for the rice whisky production and textile work.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

This morning after breakfast you’ll be driven to a stunning elephants camp in the outskirts of Luang Prabang. Here you’ll meet the elephants and explore the camp together with the local veterinarian: you’ll learn about the life, history and some interesting facts about the elephants. Then your adventure will begin: a 1-hour elephant ride in the forest and along the Nam Khan river, through different landscapes. A short boat ride will bring you to the incredible Tad Sae waterfall (in rainy season only). Here you’ll relax plunging in the refreshing waterfall. Back to the camp, a buffet lunch will be served. After lunch, we’ll go back to Luang Prabang, which we will reach in the early afternoon.

On the way back to the city we will visit the spectacular and popular Khuang Si waterfalls where we will refresh ourselves by swimming in one of the several cristalline natural pools or take a walk in the lush forest that surrounds the waterfalls.

Near the waterfall it is possible to visit the Bear Rescue Centre, an organisation that works to protect an endangered Asian bear.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Optional: Bocce and dinner in a local restaurant.

In Laos the bowls game is called Petanque and it’s very popular with locals; for this reason it’s a unique and fun way to get in touch with locals. After bowling and drinking a few beers with the Lao players, we will go to have dinner in a local restaurant where we will try the “SinDat”, a typical lao BBQ quite popular among the locals.

This morning after breakfast we transfer to Luang Prabang airport for the flight to Pakse. After reaching our new destination we start the adventure in the south of Laos driving towards the Boulevan Plateau, a cool plain facing the Mekong valley. First we will visit a tea plantation, then the Tad Fan Waterfall. We will also stop at a coffee plantation. Our next stops are two ethnic villages: the first is Ban Bong Neua, an Alak village, and the second is Ban Kokphung, a Katu village: both are famous for the tradition of keeping the deceased tombs under their families’ houses. In the afternoon we will reach Tad Lo, where another stunning waterfall is waiting for us; we will spend the rest of the afternoon in full relax, bathing in its natural pools.

Overnight in Tadlo.

After breakfast, we will visit the majestic waterfall of Paxuam; later we will drive -via Pakse- to the stunning pre-Angkorian temple of Vat Phou, considered to be one of the most beautiful in South East Asia. After lunch we will keep driving towards the 4000 Islands. We will reach Khong Island in the afternoon.

Overnight in Khong Island

After breakfast, we will board a traditional boat to discover the 4.000 islands. The first stop is Khone Island, where we will explore several colonial mansions, the first Lao railway station with its locomotives, then the beautiful waterfall at Liphi, also known as Samphamith, which is a natura border between Laos and Cambodia. From here we will sail on a small boat to take a close look (if lucky!) at the only species of fresh water dolphins in the world. From Khone Island we will sail back to the mainland, and from there we will reach the famous waterfalls of Khone Phapeng, the largest in South East Asia, also known as the ‘Niagara of the East’. Later we will drive to Ban Muang from where we will ferry to Champasak.

Overnight in Champasak

Breakfast at the hotel. According to your scheduled departure, you’ll be driven and drop off at the airport in Pakse.

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The program may also be subject to changes based on traffic, weather or other events beyond our control. In this case we will take care of evaluating the necessary changes together with the travelers. 

• A UNESCO World heritage site, Luang Prabang is small but full of charme and interesting temples and monuments.

• The incredible waterfalls of Tad Lo and Paxuam

• The relaxing river islands of Khong and Khone where, with a bit of luck, you’ll see the fresh water dolphins.

• Since you will be visiting temples, please dress conservatively: no shorts, sleeveless shirt of see-trough shirts and tops.
• Wear comfort shoes easy to take off.

As the hotels have different seasons that vary from hotel to hotel, the tour price will be on request, and the final amount will be calculated at the time of booking, according to the travel dates chosen.

Prices are per person on request in US Dollars according with the number of participants.

Travelers can cancel the tour before the deadline of cancellation; charges will be applied according to the cancellation deadline. The date of cancellation is the date in which the written communication od cancellation is received by the company.  Charges are a percentage of the total tour price per person, including surcharges but excluding any amendment charges and any insurance payment.