Laos Heritage Tour

Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival, your professional private guide will be ready to welcome you at the arrival hall. You will be transferred to your hotel with a private car and driver. Luang Prabang is a very special city! It enchants with its magnificent location, amidst mountain ranges and historic temples, which gives the city a title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

The first visit today will be Wat Xieng Thong. This 15th-century wat is the most important in Luang Prabang and one of the most important in the entire country. Until the revolution of 1975, Wat Xieng Thong was a royal temple, supported by the royal family. During the 1960s, Wat Xieng Thong was completely remodeled and redecorated, becoming the splendid temple we see today. Walk down a few steps from the temple to the Mekong River, where you'll board a traditional slow boat for the next part of the journey.

We will stop to visit the holy Tam Ting Caves (also called the Pak Ou caves), where the Nam Ou River meets the Mekong. This is a site of ancient spiritual significance, both Buddhist and animist. Within the two caves of Tam Ting are stupas, shrines, and carvings of Buddha. Over 4,000 wooden figures of Buddha, many highly ornate, stand within the natural limestone caves, a testament to the skill of Lao craftsmen through the centuries.

From the boat landing, it's a short walk to Wat Mai (“New Monastery”) built in 1796. It was given its present name following the restoration undertaken by King Manthathourat in 1821. The most striking feature of the temple is the gilded relief panels covering the front facade.  Next to Wat Mai is the old Royal Palace (Haw Kham), which is now the National Museum (closed on Tuesday and Sunday afternoon). It houses many religious and cultural treasures, including the royal throne of the Lane Xang kingdom in its original splendor, and preserves some of daily royal life up to 1975. The museum provides information about its exhibits in English, and your guide will be able to offer additional explanations about the artifacts inside.

We'll end the day tour atop Phou Si Hill. The steps to the top of the hill are studded with small shrines. The gilded stupa at the top of the hill is built on a large rock outcropping. Next to the stupa is a small wiharn (chapel) for prayers. From the top, you'll enjoy a sunset view of the gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city and surrounding landscape, the meeting of two rivers, and the curve of the Mekong as flows into and around the town. Coming down the other side of the hill, we'll pass part of Wat Phra Buddabhat (Buddha's Footprint Temple) and its quirky statues.

Get up early to observe the Buddhist Alms Giving Ceremony at 5:40 am if you like. You will continue to explore the open-air Morning Market in the old town. There are only a few large grocery stores here—instead, food is still produced by small farming families and villages and was brought to Luang Prabang for sale from the surrounding rural areas. Your guide will explain some seasonal vegetables and fruits to you and he will also guide you to pick some snacks. Return to the hotel for breakfast. 

Drive to the beautiful Kuang Si Falls where there is the opportunity to take a refreshing swim. Enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings and explore the surrounding dense jungle on foot. For the adventurous, it is possible to walk to the top of the falls via a steep track where beautiful views await. After a picnic in the tranquil park, return to the town & enjoy some free time.

We'll leave Luang Prabang and take Route 13 through the highlands and breathtaking scenery to Xieng Khouang. On the way, we'll stop to explore one of the many Hmong villages we pass. The small, quiet town of Muang Sui is notable for several reasons. During the Indochina War this was the last position of the Nationalist Lao Army and the CIA, supported by Air America, before being evacuated. This area became known as 'Lima Site L-108' and the runway and some of the abandoned buildings are still visible today. While in Muang Sui we will visit Buddhist sites in the area, including historic temples and caves used as hospitals and shelters during the Indochina wars. We'll spend the night in Phonsavanh.

Your guide will take you to explore the Phonsavanh local market and an exhibit displaying the huge variety of bombs used during the Indochina War on the way to visit the Plain of Jars. You'll visit sites 1, 2 & 3 within the Plain of Jars, all of which have been made safe (other areas are considered too dangerous due to remaining unexploded ordnance (UXO)).

Afterward, we’ll take you to explore the city of Muang Khoun, the former royal capital of the Xieng Khouang region. Though the town was heavily bombed during the war, a few colonial French buildings remain, along with several temples and the famous stupa tower of That Foun, built in 1576, and Wat Pievat. It’s said that That Foun was built over the ashes of Lord Buddha which were brought to Laos from India.  Lastly, we will visit the MAG Visitor Center in downtown Phonsavanh where you can view a film further discussing the areas we visited today.

Today you will depart from Phonsavanh to Vang Vieng (about 6 hours). Stop will be made in Muang Sui where you will visit Tham Pha Cave, a two-limestone cave that hid hundreds of small Buddha figures from the Haw invasion a few centuries ago; and Nong Tang Lake, a large picturesque natural lake flanked by high limestone cliffs. 

After lunch at Phou Khoun and enjoy a panorama view from Phou Khoun Observation Site. You will continue to Vang Vieng. Your guide will help you with your hotel check in and the rest of the day is free at your leisure.

With plenty of rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking options all around the village, Vang Vieng is a brilliant stop-over between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Vang Vieng is a wonderful introduction to the countryside landscape that makes Laos such an unparalleled visual feast.

After breakfast at the hotel, your tour guide will take to to the north of Vang Vieng, where you'll first visit Tham Xang (Elephant Cave). This cave owes its name to a remarkable limestone formation and lies on the banks of the Nam Song River. Enjoy panoramic views from one of the vistas here.

The nearby Tham Hoi Cave (Snail Cave) winds its way deep into the mountain. You'll float through the cave on inflatable tubes, exploring its long corridors and wonderful limestone formations. A pool of cool spring water lies at the mouth of Tham Nam (Water Cave), giving you a great opportunity for a swim.

Following a picnic lunch, trek to a Hmong village, passing through rice paddies and vegetable gardens. Return to Vang Vieng by kayaking down the Nam Song, taking you through idyllic scenes of rural life, with limestone mountains in the background. Rest of the day, you are recommended a short stroll down to the riverbank in time for sunset, where there are a number of areas to sit and take in dramatic scenery. Be sure to bring a camera to catch some amazing snaps.

Enjoy a leisurely morning before departing Vang Vieng for Vientiane. En route, make a stop for lunch at Nam Ngum Reservoir, one of the largest man-made lakes in South East Asia, and take a boat trip to visit local fishing communities. Continue on to Dongmarkhai Market, where among the market stalls, insects sell as local snacks. Arrive in Vientiane, and spend the rest of the day at leisure in this peaceful capital. Enjoy the numerous cafés, restaurants, and spas as well as shopping, including the evening market on the banks of the Mekong River.

Enjoy this guided tour to discover the charms of Vientiane, the quietest capital of South West Asia. Our tour begins with Wat Sisaket which was built in the Siamese style of Buddhist architecture, with a surrounding terrace and five-level ornate roof, unlike the Lao style. Wat Sisaket has a fence wall with more than 2,000 ceramic Buddha images and silver. Our next visit will be Wat Phra Kaew built between 1556 and 1565, it was the first housed the Emerald Buddha, who now reside in Wat Phra Keaw in Bangkok. The temple was destroyed many times and was rebuilt for the third time by the French in the 1920s.

On the way to the famous sacred stupa of That Luang, a golden-covered Buddhist stupa, the most important national monument in Laos and a national symbol, we will visit the imposing monument of Phatuxay. The Victory Gate or the Triumphal Gate was built and dedicated to what was fought in the struggle for independence against France. Then we will visit COPE Centre. 

Our day will end with a visit to Sao Talat or Morning Market, where you can find an abundance of locally made handicrafts.

Free at leisure until your private guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to Pakse. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by your private guide and escorted to check in the hotel.

We will begin the discoveries with a scenic drive through mountains and winding roads all the way up to the region of Bolaven Plateau. An expanse of highland formed from an ancient volcano, Bolaven Plateau is resplendent with lush jungles, rivers, scenic farmlands and diverse ethnic communities. Explore this naturally beautiful and cool climate elevated region. 

Start with a visit to the Tad Fane Waterfalls, 120 meters high and located in the Dong Hua Sao Nature Reserve. Continue to the Tad Champi and Tad Yeung waterfalls, which drop an impressive 42 meters and are surrounded by lush vegetation. Then head to a tea and coffee plantation and learn why the Bolaven Plateau is an ideal area for these plantations. Enjoy an exceptional fresh organic cup of coffee prepared with a unique technique at the Jhai Coffee House in Paksong and meet some ethnic minorities.

Journey along the Mekong River to Don Khong in the south of Champasak. Stop at Wat Phou, otherwise known as Vat Phou, to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating back more than 1,000 years, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. Explore these mythical temple ruins and tumbledown structures.

Enjoy lunch en route, and continue to Khong Island, the biggest island in Southern Laos and the start of the 4,000 Islands. Called "Siphandon" in the Laotian language, this area is where the Mekong stretches over 14km wide and houses thousands of islands between its cascades and rapids. Here the Mekong is at its widest and dotted with thousands of small islands where you'll spend the night. For the remainder of the day, it's recommended to explore the area either by bicycle or tuk-tuk.

Embark on a traditional long-tail boat and cruise amongst the Siphandon riverine archipelago. Explore this peaceful rural island where locals live out a simple life. Once a minor 19th-century French Indochina settlement, Don Khong reveals a handful of colonial-era buildings including an old French railway station. Visit awesome Liphi Waterfalls, nicknamed the "Corridor of the Devil", a natural border between Laos and Cambodia and habitat of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (sadly, the last known river dolphin in the transboundary pool in the Mekong between Laos and Cambodia was found dead on 15 February 2022).

Continue to the 10km-long Khone Pha Pheng Falls, Southeast Asia's largest waterfalls and one of Laos' most magnificent natural attractions. Hear the thunderous roar and gaze at the awesome power created by millions of liters of water crashing over rocks.

Take a private transfer to Pakse.

Free at leisure until your private guide escort you to the airport for your onward flight.