DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG – AROUND WORLD HERITAGE SITE TEMPLES & THE TOWN OF LUANG PRABANG – LUANG PRABANG (L)
Enjoy a half-day spin around Luang Prabang and you will understand why it deserves the World Heritage title! Visit Wat Visoun, the site of impressive Thad Makmo stupa, for breathtaking views over the town, Wat Phu Sii then continue on to visit Wat Mai and Wat Xieng Thong. Then visit the National Museum, once a king's palace. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant, after which you can return to the hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring or relaxing on your own until dinner when you will get a chance to try traditional Luang Prabang food.
DAY 2: LUANG PRABANG – LOCAL STYLE MEKONG RIVERBOAT EXPERIENCE – PAK OU BUDDHA CAVES – BAN PHANOM WEAVING – LUANG PRABANG (B,L)
After breakfast, begin a Mekong Riverboat trip with your guide on the mighty Mekong River to visit the famous & sacred Pak Ou Buddha Caves. These caves, overlooking the confluence of the Mekong & Ou Rivers from on high, have been home to many thousands of Buddha images that were placed here by local people since 16th century, when King Setthathirat found the caves and declared them a holy spot. Today many still pay respect with this old tradition. Walk through the caves before returning to your boat and to Luang Prabang town. Enjoy lunch en route. Then visit the village of Ban Phanom where weaving of traditional Lao textiles takes place on ancient wooden looms. Return to Luang Prabang and spend the rest of the day exploring or relaxing on your own.
DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG – OPTIONAL ALMSGIVING – KHUANG SII WATERFALL – LUANG PRABANG – VIENTIANE (B,L)
If you wish, get an early start (6:00am or so) and go watch or participate in the traditional Lao rite of Almsgiving to the monks. In the city, some 300+ monks file through silently collecting alms. This is an amazing sight and your guide will be on hand to demonstrate and explain this important ritual. Return to your hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, drive with your guide by car to the Khuang Sii waterfall. The falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred feet into a series of cool, turquoise pools. The water here has a clear blue-green tint due to the high mineral content. You can climb the stairs and look down from various high viewpoints on the way to the top! Enjoy a local lunch and later in the afternoon return to the hotel for check-out, transfer to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel for overnight and dinner.
DAY 4: VIENTIANE – VISIT LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS – VIENTIANE (B,L)
Today after breakfast, enjoy a city tour to Wat Sisaket with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. Other sites you will see include the huge golden That Luang monument, and next door, Vientiane's own Victory Monument, which looks like the Arc de Triomphe. Also visit Wat Simuang and Wat Prakeo, which was the original home of the famous Emerald Buddha, which today lives in Bangkok. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and then return to your hotel, and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
DAY 5: VIENTIANE – PAKSE (B,L)
After a very early breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Pakse. Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up for transfer to Tad Fane Resort. Check in to your hotel and commence enjoying a day-trek in this lovely area. In the morning, make an easy 4 hour hike up to the Dan Sin Say Plateau. This hike goes trough a local village, coffee plantations, over a hanging bridge and on to the plains. Huge boulders, epiphytes and wild orchids abound. Large pine trees grow here, giving it a wholly different character of landscape. Return to Tadfane Resort for lunch. After lunch, it’s time to relax.
DAY 6: TAD FANE RESORT – ELEPHANT TREK TO PHOU ASA – 4000 ISLANDS AREA (SII PHAN DON) (B,L)
After breakfast continue on to the 4000 Islands area (Sii Phan Done) by van. En Route, visit an Elephant Camp to see how handlers ("mahouts") train these giant friendly beasts! Ride one of the friendly pachyderms to the top of Phou Asa to see mysterious ruins there. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Continue to 4000 Islands by bus and boat. Have dinner on your own on the island.
DAY 7: AROUND 4000 ISLANDS (SI PHAN DON) LI PHI FALLS – MEKONG DOLPHINS – COLONIAL RAILWAY AND BRIDGE (B,L)
Today after breakfast enjoy a trip by boat to the largest waterfalls in Asia! Khone Phapeng & Li Phi Falls were the major obstacles which thwarted the French in their efforts to open the Mekong River to navigation. Here also live some 50-100 Irrawaddy (freshwater) dolphins. If lucky, you'll have the chance to see them! Lunch is in a local restaurant. See the small gauge railway and Colonial Bridge built by the French to circumscribe the falls. Then return to the island to spend the afternoon at leisure or exploring the island on your own.
DAY 8: AROUND 4000 ISLANDS (SII PHAN DON) – WAT PHOU KHMER TEMPLE COMPLEX – CHONG MEK THAI/LAO BORDER – UBON RACHATHANI (B,L)
After breakfast, drive north to the famous Khmer Temple complex of Wat Phou. This represents the easternmost border of the Khmer empire, although the influence of the Khmers was felt deep into central Vietnam). Lunch at a local restaurant, and continue on to the Thai/Lao land border at Chong Mek. Browse the extensive market here for last minute souvenirs, local products and duty free items. Continue to Ubon (Thailand) for your onward travel.
