Off the beaten track: Laos & the Mekong River

Chiang Khong - Houayxay - Pakbeng

Day 1: Cruise the Mekong River

Today, begin with a pick-up from your Chiang Khong hotel in northern Thailand and transfer to the Friendship Bridge. Cross the bridge and pass through Lao immigration, where your local guide will be waiting for you. After completing the border formalities, you will board your comfortable private boat for a trip down the Mekong River.

The scenery along this part of the Mekong is magnificent, and as you journey downriver you will stop at some interesting tribal villages. During your cruise, you’ll also be offered a local tea tasting; Laos is a famous tea producer, with several plantations in northern and southern Laos specializing in oolong tea, green tea, and black tea.

Upon arrival in Pakbeng, you will be transferred to your hotel where you'll have the rest of the day to spend at leisure.

Pakbeng - Pak Ou Caves - Luang Prabang

Day 2: Luang Prabang cruise & night market

After breakfast, continue your cruise downstream towards Luang Prabang. Lunch will be served on board as you enjoy the passing scenery.

Along the way, make a stop at a Hmong village to explore the local temples, and enjoy a visit to the Pak Ou Caves, an ancient pilgrimage site containing thousands of gold-lacquered Buddhas.

Arriving in Luang Prabang before sunset, you will be met by a local guide for a transfer to your hotel. On your first day in the ancient capital, you’ll get to visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC), a local social enterprise to promote Laos’ ethnic cultural heritage and livelihoods based on traditional skills. Then, you'll climb to the top of Mount Phousi to see the sacred gilded stupa, as well as panoramic views of the city. The tour ends after a visit to the famous Luang Prabang Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of hand-made textiles.

Luang Prabang

Day 3: City tour & natural dyes experience

Today you'll visit the Lao National Museum: once the Royal Palace, it is now filled with gorgeous artefacts and sumptuous jewels. Continue on a guided city tour, visiting the Heuan Chan Heritage House and Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang's most magnificent temple.

Tuck into lunch at the Silk Road Café before joining an afternoon natural dyes class: participants will enjoy a hands-on experience in natural dye preparation and complete their own colour dyes. At the end of the class, you'll also get to take home several dyed silk skeins. Many of the natural dyes used are grown in the gardens nearby and come in rich turquoise, ochre, golden, ivory, and emerald-green hues.

After a day of fascination, settle down for a sunset cocktail in a secluded location in Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang - Kuang Si Waterfall - Luang Prabang

Day 4: A day of immersive activities

Today, early risers can enjoy a very special dawn visit to watch the monks collecting alms. As the sun begins to rise, long lines of orange-robed monks leave their pagodas and walk barefoot down the streets, collecting offerings.

Later this morning, head to Tamarind Restaurant for a fascinating Laotian cooking class. Start with a visit to the food market of Talat Phosy, to learn about local products before cooking up a storm. Tuck into the fruits of your labor, before continuing with a drive through the Luang Prabang countryside to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, where you can walk off your lunch, enjoy a swim, and visit a local bear sanctuary.

In the evening, attend a Garavek Storytelling show filled with traditional tales of local myths, legends, and folklore. The stories are accompanied by the sounds of khene – a hand-made bamboo mouth organ and quintessential Lao folk instrument.

Luang Prabang - Nong Khaiw - Muang Hiam (Muang Viengthong)

Day 5: Overland journey & hot springs

Today, travel overland to Muang Viengthong in the Houaphanh province, around a seven- to eight-hour drive. You'll pass through some amazing landscapes and enjoy a stop for lunch along the way.

Upon arrival in Muang Viengthong, visit the Muang Hiam hot springs and enjoy a relaxing soak in the balmy waters. Then, check-in at your local guesthouse for a good night’s rest.

Muang Hiam (Viengthong) - Nam Nern

Day 6: Into the wilderness

This morning, set out on a two-day excursion into the heart of the protected Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park.

After a drive of under two hours through gorgeous mountain landscapes, arrive at Ban Sop Koua, an ethnic Khmu village. Local guides will be waiting to greet you and take you on a short tour, following which you'll embark on a journey by long-tail boat down the Nam Nern River.

Your overnight accommodation will be in traditional bamboo huts close to the river. Settle down here for lunch, then journey upriver for a forest hike in search of wildlife. The boat will then continue downstream to reach the site of a picnic dinner, filled with tales around a campfire.

End the day with an after-dark wildlife tour in search of nocturnal animals: your guides will use their headlamps to spot fascinating creatures such as sambar deer, otters, civets, porcupines, and owls.

Nam Nern - Phonsavanh

Day 7: Journey by river & land

Before breakfast, your local guides will take you on a morning walk through the jungle, teaching you about the use of medicinal plants and explaining the history of the site. After breakfast, the boats will then float back along the river with their engines off, as your guides point out the fascinating wildlife along the way.

Continue your travels overland to the Xiangkhouang province, gateway to the famous Plain of Jars, stopping at the Muang Kham hot springs and Tham Piu Cave along the way. Arriving by the evening, check-in at your hotel and relax.

Phonsavanh - Plain Of Jars - Phonsavanh

Day 8: Explore the surreal Plain of Jars

This morning, drive out to visit the famous Plain of Jars and admire the views. Then, in the afternoon, make a stop at The Mulberry Farm, a cooperation of local farmers, weavers and artisans from over 200 families. Meet the producers and learn about their projects, using the creation of silk and handicraft products as a means for social and economic recovery. Finally, head to the Phou Xang Viewpoint to enjoy panoramic vistas at sunset, before returning to your hotel for the night.

Phonsavanh - Paksan - Vientiane

Day 9: Journey to Vientiane

Set off early this morning for a long drive through central Laos. Your first stop will be at Muang Khoun, the former provincial capital, where you can explore the ruins of a number of ancient pagodas as well as Wat Phia Wat, a ruined temple that houses a huge sitting Buddha.

Continue your journey into the mountains, with impressive views over the surrounding countryside as you go. Stop at Paksan for lunch, then travel on to Vientiane, where you'll check-in at your hotel and enjoy some free time at leisure.

Vientiane - Buddha Park - Vientiane

Day 10: Take a tour of Vientiane

Today, take a guided tour of the quiet capital city of Vientiane hugging the Mekong River. The city’s old-world charm is mixed with its Chinese shophouses and French colonial architecture.

Visit the historic temple of Wat Si Saket and the former house of the Emerald Buddha. Explore the striking golden stupa of Pha That Luang, the most sacred monument in the city, before stopping for a delicious traditional lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the Buddha Park; located around 30 minutes' drive from downtown Vientiane, it contains numerous religious sculptures mixing Hindu and Buddhist styles. On the way back to town, stop for ice cream at Parad Ice and savor home-made treats made from seasonal Laotian fruits.

Vientiane

Day 11: See a different side to Vientiane

Today you’ll take an alternative tour of the city, guided by a local resident. The schedule is left flexible for you and your host to adapt the tour, based on your interests and events taking place at the time of your visit. Explore the less-traveled paths of the city and get to know its secrets. Keep in mind, though, that your host is not a trained guide - simply an enthusiastic resident of the city, keen to show you their hometown!

Vientiane - Pakse - Bolaven Plateau

Day 12: Journey into the highlands

This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Pakse, the capital city of the province of Champasak. Upon arrival here, begin a drive through the Bolaven Plateau, passing coffee and tea plantations and dramatic waterfalls surrounded by lush vegetation.

Various ethnic groups inhabit this highland area, at an elevation of 1,000-1,350m above sea level, where the cooler climate offers great relief from the heat during the hot season. During your time here, set out to visit the impressive, 120m-high Tad Fane Waterfall, located within the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area where two rivers converge. Follow a path to reach the lookout points at the top, middle or bottom of the waterfall.

In the late afternoon, check-in at your coffee plantation resort and enjoy some free time before dinner.

Bolaven Plateau - Paksong

Day 13: Coffee farm homestay

This morning, drive to Ban Beng, a small town nestled right in the heart of the Bolaven Plateau. Meet your local guide for a jeep tour along a rustic trail, passing through bushland and rolling farmland on your way to the Tad Moun Waterfalls.

The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region which extends over the Champasak, Salavan, Xekong and Attapeu Provinces in southern Laos. Located between the Annamite Mountains, the region’s temperate climate makes it a coffee grower’s paradise dotted with superb waterfalls and numerous small villages. In this natural paradise, you'll enjoy a hike to the Mystic Mountain Coffee Farm for a special lunch and rural homestay. In the afternoon, visit the coffee plantation to learn more about its production process.

Paksong

Day 14: Zip-lines & treehouse dwellings

After breakfast, travel to the little village of Ban Nong Luang and meet your guides for the next few days. Then, commence a hike through coffee plantations and vegetable gardens into the wild, semi-evergreen forest. The trail winds down for a while, sometimes quite steeply, passing ravines, beautiful waterfalls, and flower-studded plateaus.

You'll journey along a breathtaking canopy walkway high in the trees and cross a steep river valley, to start your zip-lining adventure through the trees. Then, after a day of activity, settle down in a wonderful camp with a barbecue restaurant nearby. Tonight, you'll sleep in your very own treehouse, suspended 10m above the ground.

Paksong - Champasak

Day 15: Mountain summit views

After breakfast, you'll begin a slow uphill trek to a mountain summit, passing a section of forest dominated by gigantic trees as you go. Upon reaching the open plateau at the top of the mountain, one of the highest peaks in the area, you'll be rewarded with stunning views over the Mekong River and deep into neighboring Thailand. Tuck into a picnic lunch here before an easy hike back to Ban Nong Luang, where a car will be waiting to drive you on to Champasak town.

Champasak

Day 16: Ancient temple discovery

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Vat Phou, a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits among the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. The temple was built by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat, and this site served as the most important economic and political center.

The Vat Phou Festival takes place here every year, usually at the end of January or the beginning of February. It is one of the largest festivals in the entire country, and makes for a truly immersive experience. People gather at the base of the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site to pray, take part in various ceremonies, and enjoy three days of festivities.

Champasak - 4000 Islands - Champasak

Day 17: Explore the magical 4,000 Islands

Today you'll spend a full day exploring the Si Phan Don archipelago, also known as the 4,000 Islands. In this beautiful area, the Mekong River reaches 14km in width, and thousands of small islands dot the waterways.

Travel by local boat to the peaceful island of Don Khon, where you’ll find small farms and simple villages - you may be lucky enough to spot the rare Irrawaddy dolphin along the way. Take some time to visit the impressive Lippi Falls on the west of Don Khon, very close to the Cambodian border; you may find that the best and most invigorating way to travel around here is by bicycle. After lunch at a local restaurant, you'll head for the Khon Phapheng Waterfalls - a wonderful spot to rest and enjoy the views during your final hours in Laos.

Champasak - Pakse

Day 18: Farewell, Laos

Depending on your departure flight schedule, you may have some free time at leisure before a transfer to the airport, where your onward journey awaits. Safe travels and visit again soon!