DAY
1: ARRIVAL - VIENTIANE
On
arrival at Wattay Airport or Friendship Bridge, you are met
and transferred to our centrally located hotel. On the banks
of the Mekong River, Vientiane is the charming and fascinating
capital of Laos. This small city conjures up exotic images,
with the curious mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French
influences. After a short rest, we start our city tour with
Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane.
This amazing structure features remarkable frescoes and Buddha
statues. The following sight is the former royal temple of Haw
Pha Kaew, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha
Image. We also visit the imposing Patouxai Monument well known
as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triomphe before continuing to the
great sacred structure and symbol of Laos, That Luang Stupa.
O/N in Vientiane.
DAY
2: VIENTIANE - LUANG PRABANG
The
royal capital of the former Lane Xang Kingdom, Luang
Prabang with its gleaming temple roofs, fading colonial
architecture and stunning mountain backdrop retains an
unique charm rarely found in all Asia. This morning we take a
short flight to this delightful town. Here is plenty to
see, some of which are the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the
shrine of Wat Aham and Wat Mai with five tiered roofs. We
include these sights in a half day guided tour which also
gives us a chance to climb Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset
view of the town and the Mekong River. There are
329 steps leading us on zigzag way past various temples to the
sacred, gilded stupa of Wat Phousi at the summit. O/N at Luang
Prabang. (B)
DAY
3: LUANG PRABANG - KHOUANG SI WATERFALLS
The
National Museum at the former Royal Palace displays a lovely
collection of the artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao
culture dating from the days of the early kings right through
the last sovereign. We visit this landmark as well as the
magnificent Wat Xieng Thong. This temple structures are
decorated in various ways with gilded stuccoes and doorways.
Heading out of the town, we make our way south to
explore Ban Xom, a lowland Lao hill tribe village, which is
famous for its cotton production. Our main stop is the
beautiful Khouang Si Falls surrounded by the native forest.
The waterfall tumbles over multi tiered limestone formations
into the cool and clear pool ideal for relaxing and swimming.
O/N in Luang Prabang. (B)
DAY
4: LUANG PRABANG - PAKOU CAVE - PAKBENG
Today
we board a boat cruising upstream on the Mekong River to
Pakbeng, a lively village situated at the junction of the
Mekong River and the small Nam Beng River. The Hmong and Thai
ethnic people are frequently seen on the main street of
Pakbeng and small vendors sell local textiles and handicraft.
We stop en route at the village of Ban Xang Hai, where
they make the potent local rice wine before continuing on to
the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves. These caves are crammed with
thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes
and sizes, all brought there by devoted villagers. O/N in
Pakbeng. (B,L)
DAY
5: PAKBENG - HOUEI XAY
The
morning market of Pakbeng also attracts numerous ethnic
minorities who converge from the outlying valleys and
mountainsides to sell their goods and buy provision. After an
enjoyable walk around this colourful congregation we re-embark
on our boat for a trip towards Houei Xay, a border town close
to the infamous Golden Triangle. The pace is very relaxed, a
perfect way to observe rural life close up. Along the way we
make stop over at Ban Houeilampen to visit the Hmong hill
tripe people. They are very poor, but have an interesting
culture and a colorful history. O/N in Houei Xay. (B,L)
DAY
6: HOUEI XAY - THAI LAND
The
surrounding areas of out of the town Xay are home to a wide
variety of ethnic minority groups. After an enjoyable visit to
the Lu hill tribe people at Ban Namkeung, we take a short
drive to the border gate for Chieng Khong ( Thai land). B)
