Laos journey

A comprehensive journey through the 'land of serenity', exploring the country's temples, waterways and ethnic minority villages.

Laos is a country that has long been isolated, and is only now opening up to tourism on a larger scale. Facilities are more therefore more basic than elsewhere, and service less hurried, but this is compensated by the friendliness of the Lao people and by the experience of this exotic and beautiful country.

Day 1 Depart UK.
Day 2 Arrive Bangkok. Transfer to flight to Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. Rest of the day free.
Day 3 Travel by car to the Thailand-Laos border. Border formalities and join a boat sailing down the Mekong River to Pak Beng. (B, L)
Day 4 Continue your boat trip through lush countryside dotted with Hmong villages. Visit the mysterious Pak Ou caves, with their numerous tiny votive Buddha statues, before reaching the former royal capital of Luang Prabang. (B, L)
Day 5 Tour of the town, including many of its ancient and beautiful temples, plus the National Museum (formerly the royal palace). At the end of the day, climb Mt Phousi for a view over the town and the Mekong River. (B, L)
Day 6 Excursion to the Kuang Si waterfalls, where the river tumbles over limestone rocks surrounded by thick forest. After a picnic lunch, continue to Ban Phanom, a village specialising in silk and cotton weaving. (B, L)
Day 7 After breakfast travel by road across the mountains to Xieng Khouang province (Phonsavan) (about 8 to 9 hour journey). (B, L)
Day 8 Visit to the mysterious Plain of Jars where hundreds of stone jars thought to be up to 2,000 years old are scattered over the plains. Transfer to airport for late afternoon flight to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. (B, L)
Day 9 City tour of Vientiane, including Wat Pha That Luang, Wat Sisaket, Wat Prakeo, and the city's 'arc de triomphe'. (B, L)
Day 10 After breakfast, visit Wat Simuang and the National Museum. In the afternoon visit the main market. The rest of the day free. (B)
Day 11 Leave Vientiane by road for Savannakhet, in the south of the country, stopping for lunch at a restaurant on the Mekong River at Thakhek. (B, L, D)
Day 12 After breakfast, visit the Provincial Museum, Dinosaur Museum and the temple of That Ing Hang before continuing by road to Tad Fane, stopping at the Tad Lo waterfalls. Visit the tea and coffee plantations of the Bolaven Plateau en route. Overnight at the Tad Fane Resort. (B, L, D)
Day 13 Travel onward to Champassak. Visti the pre-Angkorian Khmer temple of Wat Phou. Return to Champassak for lunch and to see some of the former French and royal mansions in the town. Continue to Ban Kiet Khong for an elephant ride of 1 to 2 hours through the forest up to Mount Assa where there is a ruined temple. Continue by road to Khong Island, the largest island in the Mekong River, for overnight stay. (B, L, D)
Day 14 After breakfast, local boat to the neighbouring islands of Det and Khone, and the remains of the French-built railway. Visit local villages and then the Khone Phapheng falls on the Mekong River, near the border with Cambodia. Onward to the town of Pakse. (B, L, D)
Day 15 Travel by car to the Laos-Thailand border. Cross and travel on to Ubon Ratchathani, from where you fly to Bangkok to connect to flight to UK, arriving morning of Day 16. (B)