Laos: Sights and Service
Day 1: Arrival in Luang Prabang
Overnight Satri House
Upon arrival in Luang Prabang airport, you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel for check in.
Free time at leisure to relax and recover from jet lag. At around 4:30 PM, climb up Phousy or have a sunset drink with locals around a petanque game.
Day 2: Luang Prabang – Pak Ou Caves
Overnight Satri House
After breakfast at hotel, visit the beautiful Wat Xieng Thong -- one of the most important temples in Laos. Then, continue to the pier to board your long-boat for a highly scenic 2 ½ hour boat ride up the Mekong River to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. In Pak Ou, thousands of gold-lacquered Buddha statues are crowded into the two caves carved out of a towering limestone cliff. They range in size from a few centimeters to the size of a human.
Enjoy lunch at local restaurant in the village of Pak Ou.
Return to Luang Prabang; en-route, visit Ban Xang Hai -- a village famous for its Lao-Lao distilleries. At the end of the day, visit the Traditional Art & Ethnology Center to learn more about the richness of ethnic tribes in Laos. Enjoy a sunset drink at Le Patio.
Day 3: Luang Prabang
Overnight Satri House
Take a city tour in the morning to visit the main temples and sites, including the Royal Palace, Wat Sene, Wat Mai, and Heritage House.
Enjoy lunch at Ock Pop Tok with weavers before starting weaving and dying activities.
Dine like a local at Dyen Sabai, around a lao barbecue “sindat,” with its delicious broth.
Day 4: Luang Prabang
Overnight Satri House
Give alms in the early morning before visiting the fresh market and enjoying a French breakfast at Café Wat Sene. Following breakfast, enjoy a one-hour elephant ride in the nearby jungle with lunch on site.
On the way back to Luang Prabang, stop in the village to enjoy a Book Party which will distribute books in a remote village.
In the late afternoon, participate in a cooking class with Joy at Tamarind.
Day 5: Luang Prabang
Overnight Satri House
Visit Kuangsi waterfall, where you can swim and visit the Black Asean Bear Protection Center.
Enjoy lunch at the foot of the falls.
Return to Luang Prabang. Relax and enjoy a free afternoon at leisure or partake in a stencil course with former monks (around two hours).
At 7:00 pm, enjoy an ethnic fashion show and free time until an excursion to the hill tribes night market for dinner.
Day 6: Luang Prabang- Vang Vieng
Overnight at Villa Vang Vieng
Drive via overland transfer towards Vang Vieng through an amazing mountainous road (six hours). Enjoy lunch at Phou Fieng Fa -- a restaurant that offers an incredible, breathtaking, panoramic view over the region.
Arrive in Vang Vieng, and check into your hotel. If time permits, enjoy a sunset cruise on the Nam Song River.
Optional Volunteer extension:
From a day to 1- 2 weeks at the Organic Farm to help with animal breeding and participate in the construction of a communal house.
OR teach English and/or IT skills with Equal Education For All.
Cost upon request.
Includes: Local transport to/from the working station, breakfast, lunch, accommodation in a local hotel based on half twn/dbl occupation (Villa Vang Vieng, Riverside). No guide.
Day 7: Vang Vieng- Vientiane
Overnight Green Park Hotel
Morning transfer to Vientiane. Arrive for lunch at Makphet -- a vocational restaurant that trains street children.
Participate in an afternoon city sightseeing tour before heading to COPE to learn about landmine clearance in the country.
Enjoy dinner at Phatoke Laoderm while watching traditional performances.
Day 8: Vientiane- Orchids Trek
Overnight Green Park Hotel
Depart at 7:30 am to the National Protected Area of Phou Khao Kway (two hours from Vientiane). Take an easy trek through the park to spot some wild orchids. This trek is focused on preserving wild orchids, while providing incomes for former local poachers.
Return to Ventiane around 5:30-6:00 PM.
Day 9: Vientiane
Overnight Green Park Hotel
In the morning, visit Abundant Water, a local association that promotes clay water filters. After your visit, drive to Tha Ngon for a late lunch on a boat.
After lunch, visit Dok Makai market where you can sample some insects – a local delicacy! Afterwards, visit Parad’Ice for ice cream flavored with local fruits.
The rest of your day is free to relax.
Day 10: Vientiane- Pakse- Tad Lo
Overnight Tadlo Resort
Take an early flight to Pakse (0630-0745 AM) -- the gateway to Southern Laos. Upon arrival, transfer to Paksong, the “coffee capital,” with a stop at Tad Fane Waterfall. Start the day with a coffee workshop and roast your own organic coffee.
Enjoy lunch on the farm or in a local restaurant.
In the mid-afternoon, transfer to Tad Lo, in the heart of the Bolovens Plateau, for an overnight. On the way, stop at a mulberry farm, tea plantation, and several ethnic villages -- Alak, Katu, and Lavens -- along the way.
Day 11: Tad Lo- Wat Phou- Don Daeng
Overnight La Folie Lodge
In the morning, visit the waterfalls in the vicinity of the lodge, then drive to Lao Ngam to discover weaving activities with cotton and banana fibers. After the weaving demonstration, continue to Champassak.
Enjoy lunch in Champassak, and visit Wat Phou -- a pre-Angkorian temple, registered in 2001 as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Check in at La Folie Lodge where you can enjoy all the facilities of the hotel.
Optional Volunteer extension: 2-6 days of volunteering with Aliore, learning basket weaving with local communities. Accommodation and food are provided by villagers in a homestay setting.
Includes: Local transport (public bus) to/from the working station; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; accommodation in a local home; guide/translator; baci ceremony in the village; and training.
Cost upon request.
Day 12: 4000 islands- Don Daeng
Overnight La Folie Lodge
Journey to the 4000 islands. Take an overland transfer to Ban Nakasan (2.5 hours), where you will catch a long tail boat. En route, stop at the wood carving village of Nong Bune.
Participate in an easy biking tour to discover Don Det and Don Khone and its French colonial heritage, while encountering both local culture and nature at Lippi Waterfalls. Return to the main road to see Khone Phapheng Waterfall-- considered the largest waterfall of Southeast Asia.
Then enjoy a short boating tour in Voeunkham to try to spot endangered Irrawady dolphins before returning to your hotel in Don Daeng.
Day 13: Laos departure
Eat breakfast, and then drive to Pakse. From Pakse, transfer overland to Ubon Ratchathani Airport for your flight to Bangkok.
