Highlights of Laos

On arrival at Luang Prabang International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-kept traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this city and its landscape and culture make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos.

Take a walking tour of the city to find your way around. Highlights include Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-reliefs, and the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun. Then climb over 300 steps to the top of Mount Phousi to see the sacred, gilded stupa and a panoramic view of the city and surrounding hills at sunset. From there, explore the night market, with a beautiful collection of hand-woven textiles and other handicrafts made by the hill tribes and local people of Luang Prabang.

First, visit the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong with its roof sweeping low to the ground. This exquisite 500-year-old temple is the best example of the classic Luang Prabang style. From there, stroll through small side streets, along back alleys and past temples and houses. Continue to the National Museum, housed in the former Royal Palace, with personal objects from Laos’s royal past.

Drive through the scenic countryside to Pak Ou village, with a stop at Ban Xang Khong village, known for hand-woven silk and traditional Saa paper-making. A private boat takes you across the river to the sacred Pak Ou caves, a mystical pilgrimage site containing a thousand Buddha images of various shapes and sizes. Your boat returns to Luang Prabang, passing the rural life along the river banks, then calls at Ban Xang Hai, famed for its Lao Lao rice spirit.

Begin the day at the morning market, where goods include dried buffalo skin, local tea, saltpeter, chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Travel to the impressive Kuang Si Waterfalls, stopping at a village of Lao ethnic minority groups – Ban Quay, Ban Ou and Ban Thapene – and get an impression of the rural lifestyle.

Then head to Kuang Si Waterfalls to swim in the clear water or just relax in this unspoiled natural environment. On your return journey, make a stop at Ock Pop Tock, the Living Crafts Centre, where you can learn about textile traditions and practices and meet the artisans who keep these traditions alive. Spend the rest of your day exploring your surroundings at your leisure.

Option: Early-risers can attend the morning Buddhist Alms Giving and watch hundreds of orange-robed monks walk through the streets of Luang Prabang receiving offerings of food from residents and businesses. Laos is one of the few Buddhist nations that still preserve this tradition.

Transfer to Luang Prabang Airport for your flight to Vientiane, Laos’s easy-going capital. On arrival at Wattay Airport, your guide will greet you and drive you to your hotel.

Later, take a tour to Patuxay monument for a panoramic view of the city. Next, see the textile masterpieces at Carol Cassidy’s workshop and walk along the Mekong riverside for an evening drink. Enjoy an exquisite Lao dinner at a local restaurant in the company of your private guide.

Your guide will take you on a guided sightseeing tour of Vientiane. Explore the National Museum to learn about Laos’s long history, see the thousands of tiny Buddha statues in the oldest temple, Wat Sisaket, then visit Wat Prakeo, the former royal temple. After visiting Laos’ national symbol, the sacred Pha That Luang, have lunch at Makphet restaurant, a vocational project for Laos’s disadvantaged children. Next, head to Xieng Khuan, known as Buddha Park, 27km outside of Vientiane. Built in 1958, along the banks of the Mekong River, this is the site of a large collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. Return to Vientiane and discover Laos cuisine at your leisure in local restaurants.

A private vehicle will take you to Wattay International Airport for your onward flight.