6 Days Best of Laos Tour with Luang Prabang and Vientiane
Tour Overview
Join us on discovery of the two best cities in Laos, the laidback capital Vientiane and the enchanting city Luang Prabang combined in this 6-day Laos’ Hidden Wonders tour....
Code of Tour: TAD0000028780
Length of Travel: 6 Day
Destinations of Tour: Luang Prabang → Vientiane
Departure City: Luang Prabang
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour: Private
Features of Tour: Nature tours Culture tours History tours
Join us on discovery of the two best cities in Laos, the laidback capital Vientiane and the enchanting city Luang Prabang combined in this 6-day Laos’ Hidden Wonders tour. You will have various chances to marvel at Lao architecture of some of the best ancient Buddhist temples, cruise leisurely along the mighty Mekong River as well as enjoy natural beauty of the world-famous Kuang Si Waterfall. This amazing journey will definitely take you closer to the charming mysteries of Laos, the landlocked country in Indochina.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TOUR
Have a short visit to the most famous sites in Luang Prabang: Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Xiengthong, Royal Palace, and Wat Mai
Enjoy a relaxing cruise upstream on the mighty Mekong River to Pak Ou caves
Visit the bear rescue centre near Kuang Si waterfall and immerse in the natural beauty of the fall
Witness the simple rural lifestyle in Ban Xangkhong weaving village
See the major tourist attrations in Vientiane: Wat Sisaket, Wat Prakeo, Patuxay Monument, COPE Center, and Buddha Park
DAY 1: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: Welcome to Luang Prabang, transfer to hotel to check in, enjoy a welcome dinner
Welcome to Luang Prabang – one of the most pleasant cities in South East Asia – a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located in northern Laos, at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, this sacred city boasts golden-roofed wats, saffron robed monks and remnants of French colonial architecture.
When arriving at Luang Prabang airport , you will be welcomed by our tour guide and driver. After transfering to the hotel, doing check-in and relaxing, you will be taken to a local restaurant for a tasty dinner. You can spend your free evening on joining the lively Night Market or relax at the hotel.
Overnight in Puang Prabang.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 2: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: Join the Luang prabang city tour
An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning alms giving ritual to saffron clad monks. This tradition is unique to Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession. Stop and visit fresh local markets and back to hotel for breakfast.
This morning, depart to visit Wat Visoun, the site of impressive Thad Makmo stupa. The rounded dome is stylistically more Sinhalese than Lao. Continue to visit Wat Aham. Then, visit to the most photographed temple, Wat Xiengthong. Located at the end of peninsular closed to the confluence of Mekong and Khan River.
This afternoon, continue to former Royal Palace, now the National Museum. Visit Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-relief. During Pimai, the Lao New Year, the Prabang normally housed in the Royal Palace Museum is brought and put on public display in this temple.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Experiences:
14
Royal Palace in Luang Prabang
Located on the banks of the Mekong River and facing the sacred Mount Phousi, the Royal Palace was built in 1904 to serve as the residence of King Sisavang Vong and his family during the French colonial era. After the revolution in 1975, the palace turned into a national museum and opened to the public in 1995. On the palace grounds, there are some buildings such as an exhibition hall, Haw Pra Bang that houses the standing Buddha statue called Prabang – the palladium of Laos, Royal Barge Shelter, Staff Headquarters and the Royal Ballet Theater. Besides enjoying the royal religious objects, the last king’s collection of cars, ancient statues, and paintings dating for centuries, you can also marvel at the stunning architecture of the palace that is a blend of traditional Lao style and French Beaux-Arts. The Royal Palace Museum is really well worth a visit to learn about Lao history and culture as well as the royal lifestyle.
Read More …
9
Pay a visit to Wat Xieng Thong – the highest symbol of Buddhism in Laos
Wat Xieng Thong, literally translated the ‘monastery of the golden city’, is one of the oldest and most important temples of Luang Prabang as well as one of the highest symbols of Buddhism in Laos. This Buddhist temple was built in 1559-1560 by King Setthathirath in the northern tip of the peninsula where the Mekong River and the Nam Khan River join. After a number of restorations, Wat Xieng Thong now consists of more than twenty structures on the grounds including a sim, a royal funerary carriage house, pavilions, shrines, residences, and gardens. As the temple still keeps its original form, a visit around will show tourists the characteristics of 16th-century Lao art and craft with the 2-tiered roof, colorful mosaics and carvings depicting Lao legends and the tree of life on the rear temple walls. Wat Xieng Thong is also an important venue where significant annual festivities in Luang Prabang are held.
Read More …
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 3: LUANG PRABANG
Transfer:
Activities: Visit Pak Ou caves by boat & relax at Kuang Si Waterfall
This morning transfer to the pier where you board a traditional long trail boat, for a relaxing cruise upstream on the mighty Mekong River. Enjoy stunning mountain scenery and witness the simple rural lifestyles.You will reach Pak Ou caves at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou Rivers. In these 2 caves are displayed hundreds of sacred centuries-old Buddha images which are the object of pilgrimages during the Lao New Year festivities around mid-April. Cruise back Luang Prabang. Stop and visit Ban Xangkhong, a weaving village, where you can jump into wooden looms with local expert for practical and experience.
This afternoon, driving through green rice paddies and farms. On your arrival at the Kuang Si waterfall, enjoy your short walking on trails of falls to visit the bear rescued centre. Enjoy spectacular views and surrounding of orchids inside the park and falls cascade over many calcified tiers and down several hundred feet into a series of cool, turquoise pools. Return to Luang Prabang.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Experiences:
8
Enjoyable Mekong River boat excursion to Pak Ou Cave
When in Luang Prabang, it is recommended to take a boat tour through Mekong river and visit Pak Ou caves. The excursion will bring you pleasant time to see the local life along the way where the mountain, blue sky and spectacular scenery are in harmony to take the picture. The climb to the caves will guide you to superb exploration to see hundreds of Buddha sculptures in a dark cave, which is not only an insight into top attraction in Luang Prabang, but the historical stories of the sacred relics protection from bombings during the Secret War as well.
Read More …
12
Spectacular and stunning Kuang Si WaterFalls
No words can describe the stunning of Kuang Si Waterfalls and the emerald water: you must witness in person, the experience will surely exceeds your expectations!Located outside the city of Luang Prabang, Kuang Si Waterfalls are absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth the visit. You can climb up to the falls and take a dip, or walk through the beautiful area and got in the water a bit more downstream, swim or simply put my feet in for a relaxation.Truly, a joyous feast for eyes and ears, for mind and soul !
Read More …
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 4: LUANG PRABANG, VIENTIANE
Transfer:
Activities: Fly from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, free to relax in the city.
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight to Vientiane.
Arriving in Vientiane you will be transferred to your hotel for check in. Your evening is free to take a stroll along the waterfront and enjoy a few drinks as you watch the sunset over the Mekong River.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 5: VIENTIANE
Transfer:
Activities: Join the city tour, Visit Buddha Park
This morning we head out to see the major highlight.You are seeing the major temples of Vientiane including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. We also visit the national icon of Laos, That Luang Stupa, stopping along the way to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph, from there you visit COPE Center. The COPE was created in response to the need to provide UXO survivors with the care and support they required, namely by way of orthotic and prosthetic devices. This museum was set after in 1997 to help covering the victim during Indochina war.
After lunch and time to relax we drive south from Vientiane city to see the Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures set in parkland on the banks of the Mekong close to the Friendship Bridge. Here we find over 200 religious images dating back some 500 years faithfully recreated by a mysterious Biddhist monk.
Your evening is free to sample some local cuisine at one of the many restaurants the town has to offer.
Overnight in Vientiane.
Experiences:
6
Enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures at Buddha Park in Vientiane
Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan or Spirit City, is an open-air sculpture garden housing a large number of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. The park was built in 1958 by Bounleua Sulilat, a priest-shaman and sculpture artist on the bank of the Mekong River, around 25km southeast of Vientiane. There are more than 200 sculptures made from reinforced concrete displayed in the park that vary in sizes and shapes. Some are statues of Buddha and Hindu gods, the others are sculptures of demons, deities, and mythological creatures. The most striking spot is a giant pumpkin with three floors representing Hell, Earth, and Heaven. You can enter inside the pumpkin through a demon head’s mouth serving as the entrance, climb staircases and you will reach a vantage point that offers the entire park view. Another notable attraction is an enormous 40-meter-long reclining Buddha.
Read More …
6
Former royal temple of Haw Phrakeo
Haw Phrakeo is a former royal temple in Vientiane where the royal family uses as a personal place of worship. The temple is also called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as it was first built in 1565 by King Setthathirath to house the Emerald Buddha figurine. After several destructions and rebuilds, Haw Phrakeo now serves as a museum where you can see many precious artifacts and some of the finest examples of Laos religious art such as a 2,000-year-old stone jar from the Plain of Jars, displays of Buddha statues, and a wooden copy of Phra Bang. You will also have the great opportunity to marvel at the temple’s carved wooden features, Khmer stone sculptures, and ancient stone tablets. Outside, Haw Phrakeo temple is surrounded by a well-kept landscaped garden, a wonderful place to rest and take in the peaceful sights.
Read More …
12
COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane
COPE (Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise) is a non-profit organization in Laos created in 1996. For years, COPE follows the mission to help people with mobility-related disabilities by proving more than one thousand walking aids, artificial limbs, and wheelchairs in Laos each year. Coming to COPE Visitor Center in Vientiane, you will find it as a small amazing museum with many informative multimedia exhibits about prosthetics, the stories about victims of bombs and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as the work of COPE to help Lao people with mobility-related disabilities move on. Several short documentaries about UXO and COPE are shown in the Cave Cinema, and there are a café and gift shop beside the center where you can enjoy a drink or buy a souvenir, and all the proceeds will help support the work of COPE.
Read More …
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: 3 Choices
DAY 6: VIENTIANE
Transfer:
Activities: Transfer to the airport for your flight back home
It is your time to enjoy your last wonderful moments in Vientiane.
03 hours prior to your flight time, our driver will come and pick you up for airport transfer for your flight back home. Thank you so much for travelling with us !
Ends of services.
Meals: Breakfast
INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS
Inclusions
Meals
5 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 1 Dinner
Accommodation
Hotel (5 nights)
Transport
Car, Flight
Flight
1. Fly from Luang Prabang to Vientiane (40 minutes)
Included Services
Accomodation as itinerary with twin/double sharing rooms
Private transport in air-conditioned vehicles
Domestic flight
Airport & government taxes
Local English-speaking guides
Water on coach
Entrance fees, performances, boat trips & excursions
Exclusions
International flights to/from Laos
Travel insurance
Visa stamp fees
Early check-in & late check-out surcharge
Personal expenses
Meals not mentioned
Drinks not mentioned
Tips & gratuities for guides and drivers
