Laos Secret Escape - 11 days

Sabaidee, welcome to Luang Prabang, Laos.

Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport for transfer to your hotel where you can refresh yourself. Later, climb the 328 steps up Mount Phousi, which dominates the Luang Prabang skyline and offers a panorama over the city and spectacular sunset views. Back at the bottom of the stairs, browse the night market, packed with street food, hand-crafted textiles made by the region’s hill tribe people, and friendly chatter from the vendors.

Meals: Nil 

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Head out of town to learn about rice farming – the cornerstone of local culture. You’ll visit a small rice museum for a taste of the ploughing, sowing, transplanting, harvesting, grinding and pounding that is behind every bowl of rice. Step into some of the city’s most important temples, peaceful, sacred havens filled with iconic sights like the Watermelon Stupa and an expansive Tree of Life mural presenting the Buddhist story. Later in the day, stroll the town’s quiet streets and mingle with the locals, even joining a game of petanque – a great way to get to know the Lao people.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, or take a bowl of local noodle soup after the alms-giving ritual. Visit the National Museum located in the former Royal Palace, where you can view treasures of Laos’ royal past, as well as the Prabang, a sacred Buddha image which gives the town its name. Driving out into the countryside, stop by an ethnic minority village, then arrive at Khuang Si Waterfalls, a tiered falls in a lush forest setting where you can take a cooling swim or simply relax and enjoy the scenery.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Option: Rise early to join the locals lining up to offer food to the Buddhist monks walking back from morning prayers. After this solemn ritual which is repeated daily, stroll through the morning market.

Today your driver will take you through the mountains from Luang Prabang toward Xieng Khouang Province, the site of the Plain of Jars and one of the most heavily bombed areas of the Indochina War.

Along the way, stop by some villages of ethnic minority people such as the Hmong. On arrival at the provincial capital Phonsavanh, you will check in at your hotel for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

This morning view the archaeological enigma of the Plain of Jars, where hundreds of massive stone jars lie scattered across a large area. You will see some of the largest of these jars, examples of jars with various shapes of openings, and enjoy panoramic views over the plain. The origin of the jars is still subject to debate. Also visit the former capital of the province, destroyed during the war. The only remaining structures in Muang Khoun are a temple and a hospital, and the drive passes through the lush countryside of rolling hills and small villages.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Today take the drive to Vang Vieng, through rugged landscapes where terraced fields blanket mountainsides dotted with small villages. Stop to visit some of these communities of ethnic minority Khmu and Hmong people. At Vang Vieng, a town sitting at the foot of dramatic mountains along the Nam Song River, you can see the Tham Jang Caves, which locals once used to hide from invading Chinese.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

This morning, drive to the capital Vientiane, then visit COPE educational centre to learn the heartbreaking story of Laos’ Hidden War. You will view Patuxay Monument, known as Vientiane’s Arch de Triomphe, and That Luang Stupa, an icon of Laos. You will also see Wat Sisaket, the city’s oldest temple, and Wat Prakeo, home of the glistening Emerald Buddha. Enjoy dinner at a French colonial style restaurant where you can taste delightful Laos food while watching traditional dances.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Take an early breakfast and head to the airport for your flight to Pakse. On arrival, you’ll drive to visit Tad Fane Waterfalls up on the Bolaven Plateau, known for its cool climate and coffee plantations. Drive farther into the Bolaven Plateau to meet some of the local ethnic minority groups, and enjoy a pool break by Tadlo Waterfall before returning to Pakse for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

In the morning, you will explore the ruins of Wat Phu. Built by the Khmer, Wat Phu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 5th century, and a highlight of Southern Laos.
Explore Khong Island, part of the 4,000 Islands region. Here, the Mekong can reach up to 14km wide during the rainy season and it is dotted with thousands of islands of various sizes. You will take a minivan to Khong Island where you will have plenty of time to explore this quaint island and its villages by bicycle or foot. There are many places to explore and time to relax, swim or discover the small island on your own. After, you head out to Don Khone and arrive in the late evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

Visit: Khone Island and its highlights. See the island’s colonial buildings, and visit Liphi Waterfalls. Also called “Devil’s Corridor”, it is one of the most beautiful waterfalls marking the Lao border with Cambodia.
Close your day at Khone Phasoi Waterfall and witness how dangerous of fishermen with their fishing traps on Mekong River with many rapids. Meet them and have interesting talks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: There are 3 hotel ranges for your selection, please scroll down.

After breakfast, say goodbye to 4,000 islands, you head out to the breathtaking Khone Phapheng Waterfall. It is Southeast Asia’s biggest waterfall and is known as the Niagara of the East.

Back to Pakse airport for your onward flight. We wish you have a pleasant flight.

Meals: Breakfast

Note:

Best connection from Pakse airport to international flight connection is to Bangkok and/ or Siem Reap.

If you want Sens Asia to assist on connecting this trip with another destination or connecting flight for you back home, please let’s us know