Grand Tour Laos: From North to South 9 Days 8 Nights

Description

Tour Code: GTvte08

Title Tour: GTvte08 - 1Vte - 3Lpq - 1Vte - 1Pkz - 2Dkg - FB

Program

Day 1:
VIENTIANE (Lunch, Dinner)
Arrive and Transfer to the hotel.
Lunch at the hotel.
Visit Vientiane, the capital of Laos, situated on the left bank of the Mekong, which retains the charm of an old French colonial town that contains: the elegant old-fashioned building dedicated to the Museum of History, the austere Presidential Palace, broad avenues, the myriad colors of Talat Sao, the great market hall, the cosmopolitan liveliness that revolves around Nam Phou, the rotunda of the fountain, the mysterious charm of That Dam, the Black Buddhist Monument and the joy that spreads amongst the many restaurants and bars of the river walk.
Dinner in a typical Lao restaurant.

Day 2:
VIENTIANE - LUANG PRABANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Transfer to airport
Flight to Luang Prabang.
Transfer in at Luang Prabang
Lunch at typical restaurant
Visit of Luang Prabang, the former Royal capital situated in a valley in the middle of the Mekong. Due to the incomparable beauty of the site and the extraordinary masterpieces of Buddhist religious architecture, UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. With more than thirty monastery complexes, all of which emanates the mystic sense of spiritualty which immerses in every visitor. Among the many, you don’t want to miss the visit of jewels such as the Vat Visoun, Vat Sene and Vat Xieng Thong. To admire the sweet colors of the sunset go to Vat Chom Si, at the peak of Phy Si, the sacred hill that dominates the landscape of Luang Prabang.
Dinner in Hotel.

Day 3:
LUANG PRABANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Full day visit of the Pak Ou caves and the upper reaches of the Mekong River which is accessible by motorboat. Among the orchards and ripe vegetation emerges a village where among many other traditional activities still distills the lao-lao, the strong national liquor. When the river begins to narrow and a rock face begins to loom over the boat, we arrive to the starting point of our journey.
We will begin to climb the sacred Pak Ou caves that over the centuries due to popular faith have been filled with thousands of Buddha statues.
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant.
On the way back to Luang Prabang, we will have a stop on the right shore of the Mekong for a relaxing trekking to the village Ban Sangkong, famous for making rise paper and weaving.
Return to Luang Prabang to immerse yourself in the colorful world at the market of artisan foods. Which opens only at sunset on a road that runs between Phu Si and the old Royal Palace.
Dinner at the hotel.

Day 4:
LUANG PRABANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Half day visit of the Kuong waterfall, along a road that runs into a natural landscape of quiet beauty. On the way are agglomerations of the H’mong ethnic minority – diehard warriors and opium poppy growers who have now abandoned their old habits but preserve their pride. You then reach the natural park with the beautiful waterfall whose water cascades over limestone rock formations framed by thick vegetation that then calms its momentum in turquoise lagoons where if you’re daring enough, you could also go for a very refreshing swim.
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant.
Second half day visit of Luang Prabang by bike. In the afternoon, you can travel the streets of Luang Prabang (by bike) to look for some unusual purchases and for those who don’t want to ride and don’t like to walk – you can always find a tuk tuk.
Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5:
LUANG PRABANG - VIENTIANE (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Waking up before dawn, you can make your way down to the main street of Luang Prabang to see the long line of more than 200 monks with the head of their Patriarch, that silently parade between their religious population which offer them their food for the day.
Then we return to the hotel for breakfast.
We will visit the National Museum located in the Royal Palace built in 1904, which now houses a rich collection of objects belonging to the Treasury of the Royal family as well as the feature of the Phra Bang – an 83cm high gold statue that according to tradition is the symbol of the Kingdom of Lane Xiang since the 13th century.
Transfer to airport
Flight to Vientiane.
Transfer in at Vientiane
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant
Half-day visit of the main temples of the city. Pass beside the Patuxai or “Gate of Victory”, the memorial dedicated to all Laotians who died in all wars. We then reach the holiest place in all of Laos, That Luang, - the great Buddhist monument which is said to contain a relic of the Buddha which tradition says has been there since the 3rd century BC. In the heart of the old town, the cloister of the old Vat Si Saket accommodates more than 2000 images of Buddha which are said to have been preserved from destruction brought by Siamese armies in 1828. On the other side of the road, the refined classical architecture of the Ho Phra Keo is present in the religious art museum which has a collection of beautiful bronze Buddhist staturary.
Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6:
VIENTIANE - PAKSE (Breakfast, Lunch Dinner)
Transfer to the airport
Flight to Pakse.
Arrive in Pakse and Transfer to the hotel.
Full day visit of Bolaven, the region of rich tea plantations, their famous coffee and the steep yet amazing forest waterfalls of Tad Fane and Tad Lo. This land is where many ethnic groups live of mon-khmer ancestry.
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant.
Visit the villages of Lavan, Alak, Nghe and Suei which share the common feature of building their huts around the Temple of the Genius Protector as well as a pole where they perform the ritual sacrifice of the Buffalo. All of them still living according to their ancestral customs, cultivating the land with the tools of their ancestors and preserving the reserved kindness of the mountain people.
Dinner at the hotel.
The rooms at the hotel are simple but comfortable.

Day 7:
PAKSE - CHAMPASAK - DON KHONG (Breakfast, Lunch Dinner)
Cross the Mekong till we reach Champasak in the South West which has a tall mountain standing 1416 meters high and which culminates with a pinnacle in the form of a line: the Vat Phou. An ancient place of worship of the mountain genie and water spirits, built in the 6th century by the Khmer of Cenla in honor of the deity Shiva. Angkor emperors considered this place their dynastic temple. The ancient cults of Shaivism and Cadutoi are disused but this place remains sacred and is revered by Buddhist Laotians and Cambodians.
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant.
Return on the left-hand side river and proceed south to the end of the River where the Mekong course then broadens to welcome islands and islets where the residents draw life from fishing and tropical crops. Continue south until you reach Done Khong, a large island where times seems to have stopped in the ancient time period.
Dinner at the hotel.
Hotels are basic but comfortable.

Day 8:
DONE KHONG (Breakfast, Lunch Dinner)
Spend the day floating along the Mekong waters surrounded by one of the most beautiful and spectacular landscapes in Indochina. Where the climate of the past colonial time still wafts and the adventurous voyages of exploration that has been around since the 19th century are still present. Here nature has defended itself from every assult of modernism and has persevered its primeval power and beauty. On the large island of Done Khong, time seems to have stopped in the ancient times and people live by fishing, cultivating rice and labor to make palm sugar.
Lunch in a typical Lao restaurant.
Near the island of Khone, the water is mighty and muddy but remains pristine and rushes towards the Cambodian plain to the spectacular waterfalls of Pha Peng - that of which are so impressive that many have called, perhaps with slight exaggeration, but the “Niagara Falls of the East.” Continue past the waterfalls of Voeun Kham, travel in an agile sampan to reach the Peace River, where the habitat there is ideal for the rare dolphins of the Mekong.
Dinner at the hotel.
Hotels are basic but comfortable.

Day 9:
DONE KHONG - PAKSE – (Breakfast)
Transfer to the airport of Pakse.
OR
Transfer to the boarder of Laos and Thailand… .

Price includes

- Hotel in Standard room with breakfast
- Meals as per program
- Transfers and excursions as per program
- English Speaking Guide.
- Assistance during your entire stay
- Phone Number "" URGENCY "" 24 hours 24 IN ENGLISH
- During long trips water and refreshing towels.

Price does not include

- Flights, if not stated in the program
- Everything not indicated in "Quote includes"
- Hotels peak season special supplements and policies such as Christmas and new year dinner new year minimum stay etc ..

Itinerary

Accommodations provided in each place