Laos, Land of Diversity - 12 Days - LCT02

Arrival at LuangPrabang airport, where you will meet your guide who will bring you to your hotel.Overnight in LuangPrabang.

LuangPraband is a World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO as the best-preserved city in South East Asia. Start exploring this charming town with its impressive WatVisoun, WatAham, Wat Mai and WatXiengthong temples. You then climb to the top of Mount Phousi to discover its sacred, gilded stupa as well as enjoy the panoramic view of the city and the sunset over the Mekong. Return to LuangPrabang to visit the night market where lovely handicraft items are sold. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

In the morning embark a boat to cruise upstream on the Mekong, a scenic journey with breathtaking views of the tranquil countryside. Discover the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two caves linked to one another filled with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes donated by pilgrims. Along the way, you will stop at Ban Xanghai village, where local rice wine is produced. On return, you take a short drive to Ban Phanom, a small village known for its amazing woven handicrafts. Overnight in LuangPrabang.

In the morning you visit Phousi Market, where a plethoraof goods, ranging from dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter to chickens, vegetables and hill tribe weavings, are being sold. Continue the drive to Khouang Si Waterfall. En route stop at the village of Ban Na Oune inhabited by Hmong and Ban Tha Pane where theKh'mu ethnic minority lives. Arrive at the beautiful Khuang Si Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim or walk along the forest trails. Picnic lunch near the waterfall. You will return to Luang Prabang to visit the ethnic night market. Overnight in LuangPrabang

Morning drive to XiengKhuang, a northeastern province of Laos, which was devastated by American bombings between 1964 and 1973. Enjoy the relaxing scenery of the mountains, forests and countryside landscape on the way. En route, stop at old capital of MuangKhoun province and the nearby villages, home to the Hmong hill tribe people. Arrive at XiengKhuang, and visit the central market of Phonsavanh where ethnic minorities barter and exchange goods. Overnight in XiengKhuang

The “Plain of Jars” is an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are scattered over a plateau. These huge jars are supposedly over 2,000 years old, but their purpose is still a mystery to archaeologists. You will explore the site and some nearby villages of Hmong and Tai Dam hill tribes before heading to VangVieng, a small tranquil town nestled on a river bend of Nam Song River. It sits amidst a stunning scenery, a mixture of quiet atmosphere and limestone outcrops. Overnight in VangVieng.

Start walking around the bustling central market before taking a bamboo raft along Nam Song River with its limestone cliffs and valleys. VangVieng is home to numerous caves. the most famous of which is Tham Chang, which servedas defense against Chinese invaders in the early 19th century. You will cross the river to reach Ban HuaiNgai, a little village typical of Laotian rural life. In the afternoon, you will leave VangVieng and head toVientiane, the capital of Laos located on the banks of the Mekong River with its fusion of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and French culture. Overnight in Vientiane.

Full day spent visiting Vientiane's highlights beginning with WatSisaket temple, the oldest temple in Vientiane. Continue the tour at the former royal temple of Haw PhaKaew, which previously housed the sacred Emerald Buddha statue, the Prabang. Then you head to the imposing Patouxai Monument known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph and the splendid That Luang Stupa, national symbol of Laos. You then drive out of town to see the Buddha Park, a fantastic collection of Buddhist and Hindu religious sculptures scattered around a Mekong meadow, near the Friendship Bridge. Enjoy a spectacular view over the Mekong River. Overnight in Vientiane..

Morning flight to Pakse. You will be welcomed by our guide and then transferred to Tadlo. On our way we pass many lush plantations, hills and rain forests. We stop over at some of the nearby villages, home of the Kato hilltribal groups who still retain their old traditions. We continue our journey through the Paksong and Boloven plateaus. The Boloven plateau is known for its cooler temperature as it is located high above the sea level. Rivers run off from this plateau in all directions and then plunge out to the rain forests along in a series of spectacular surging waterfalls. The scenery around Tad Fan waterfall is spectacular with the twin waterfalls plummeting into a deep gorge surrounded by flourishing vegetation. A trip gives you great chance to observe the cultivation of rich coffee, tea, cardamom, bananas as well as to venture off the beaten track and discover some of the untouched areas of Laos, exploring the wild beauty of this southern region. Overnight in Tadlo.

You will leave Tadlo and head to Pakse. Enjoy a boat trip to the former royal capital of Champasak, where you willexplore the ruins of WatPhu, one of Southeast Asia's most dramatic temples. Youalso have time to discover the intriguing Khmer ruins perched on Mount Phu Kao. WatPhu, a World Heritages Site recognized by UNESCO, is a fantastic archeological site of Khmer civilization dating back to the 9th century, much older than the legendary Angkor Wat in Cambodia. A festival is held here annually during the full moon in February and attracts numerous pilgrims from all over southern Laos. You continue your journey by motor boat to Don Khone, the largest island in the South Mekong River region known as the 4000 Islands region, one of the most scenic areas in Laos. Overnight on Don Khone Island.

You embark a long tail boat to discover the most remote section of the Mekong River, where during the dry season the waters recedesto uncover thousands of islets, giving this area its lovely name” Si Phan Done” translating to The 4000 Islands. You will explore the peaceful village of Ban Khone, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era and retrace the old colonial past, including old French colonial buildings and the remnants of the first Lao railway with it’s locomotive. You continue to discover the 4000 Islands area by boat and visit the impressive Liphi Waterfall, also known as the "Corridor of the Devil". It is one of the most beautiful waterfalls and makrs the border to Cambodia. If you are lucky, you might even see rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphins at Ban Hang Khone. Return to Pakse. Overnight at the hotel in Pakse

After breakfast,  you are free until being taken to the airport for departure flight. Asiatica Travel’s services end here.