All round a good trip, a good introduction to a country I didn't know much about.
Using the train to get to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang is a smoother and faster way to get to places than going by road, but you are not allowed to take anything which could be considered as a weapon (as in hand luggage on a plane), even in your luggage - it will screened and items confiscated.
Fortunately the guide was able to get things taken from group members taken to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang by road.
I would recommend this trip if you are interested in visiting south east Asia.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Discover Laos on this 5-day fully guided journey through the mountains, from ancient sites to traditional villages and into the heart of Laos.
The tour starts in Luang Prabang, where we’ll meet before setting off on Route 13 through the highlands and breathtaking scenery to Phonsavanh, where we’ll visit the Plain of Jars, explore authentic local markets, see numerous traditional Hmong and Khmu hill-tribe villages and tour the MAG visitor center. We'll make our way to the magnificent Kong Lor cave where we'll take a tiny boat and follow the river through the 8-kilometer cave through the mountain, before continuing on to Vientiane Capital.
The tour route is Luang Prabang - Phonsavanh - Kong Lor - Vientiane. Please see the itinerary and what’s included sections for more details of this fantastic tour!
From the remarkably relaxed capital of Vientiane, to enchanting, beautifully preserved former capital of Luang Prabang. Discover the spellbinding magic of Laos. Timeless temples, saffron clad monks and spectacular scenery abound!
Discover classic Laos on this 10-day guided tour. Start in the UNESCO heritage ancient royal capital Luang Prabang and travel through Phonsavanh to Vang Vieng to the final destination of Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
In Luang Prabang, visit famous temples that are still used in daily Lao life, experience a boat trip on the mighty Mekong River to the mysterious Pak Ou cave and see other highlights such as stunning waterfalls and a living farm.
Xieng Khouang, the next stop, is best-known for having been heavily bombed during the Indochina War and also for the historic Plain of Jars. In Vang Vieng, visit nearby villages, populated by the Hmong hill tribe and Tai Dam people, who live a simple life but possess a vibrant local culture and an interesting history.
Continue to Vientiane and stop to visit an archaeological site of Vang Xang, where you can admire one of the country’s oldest Buddha statues, dating back to the 11th century.
All accommodation, transport and activities are included on this tour, as well as several meals. Check out the what’s included sections and the detailed itinerary for more information.
I did the overnight hike to a Khmu village. Guys, if you were wondering whether to go or not - absolutely do it. It was everything I hoped it to be and more. I will remember the experience for the rest of my life
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Discover the breathtaking beauty of Laos with our Incredible Laos Tour, a country renowned for its rugged mountainous terrain, charming hill tribe settlements, and serene Buddhist monasteries. Your trip to Laos begins with a captivating Luang Prabang city tour, where you’ll explore the vibrant night market before cruising upstream on the Mekong River to Ban Muangkeo. From there, embark on a trek to the Pak Ou Caves, home to thousands of Buddha statues that hold deep spiritual significance.
Next, immerse yourself in the top destinations in Laos as you follow the trekking trails from Ban Longlao to the stunning Kuang Si Waterfall. The trek will take you through lush forests and scenic landscapes, offering the perfect opportunity to connect with Laos' natural beauty. Your holiday in Laos then continues in Vientiane, where you'll visit the famous Wat Sisaket, known for its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. In Pakse, explore the ancient Wat Phou temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back to the 5th century, predating the Angkorian era.
Our small group tour, with a maximum of 16 guests, ensures a personalized and intimate experience. You’ll also enjoy a complimentary one-way chauffeur service from your home to the airport. We guarantee departures with as few as two guests, making it easy to begin your adventure at any time. Plus, with 24/7 local assistance and travel guidance, along with an airport meet-and-greet service from a local tour guide, your journey is in expert hands.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
35-75 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Luang Prabang, Pakse, Xiangkhoua
Luang Prabang, Pakse, Xiangkhouang, Vientiane, Don Khong
This tour will serve different activities based on 2 different seasons: high water season and low water season. It will be a lot of fun during the high water season when the waterfall is flowing, but dirty roads can be more challenging. So it depends on your preferences to choose the one that best suits you.
Here is the detail program for each season:
High water season (August to January):
At the departure time around 8 am, you will be welcome at the bike shop by a local tour guide. You will be given a well-maintained mountain bike as your main transportation of your bike tour.
You will start the tour by cycling from the city center to Wat Pa PhonPhao temple, the first destination of the tour. You will not only visit and enjoy the fantastic beauty of this golden temple but also get a great view over Luang Prabang city.
Then, you continue riding your bike along a paved road through the teakwood forests and rice paddy fields. After enjoying the beautiful landscape with fresh atmosphere, you cycle along the Nam Khan River to visit the resting place of Henry Mouhot, an Anglophile French naturalist widely known as the “discoverer” of Angkor Wat.
After visiting the tomb, you continue biking through villages and past jungle-covered mountains until you reach the pier located on the banks of the Nam Khan River. Here, you will embark on a boat to cruise up the river to Tad Sae waterfall where you’ll have lunch in a beautiful landscape. After lunch, you can swim in the jungle. In addition, you can see and take photos of elephants there. It’s advisable that you buy some bananas and feed the elephants.
You then get on boat to head back to the camping site. You cycle back to Luang Prabang city following a route with beautiful scenery.
The tour ends about 5 pm.
Low water season (February to July):
In the low water season, Tad Sae waterfall is dry. You will then take a boat ride and walk into the jungle to see baby elephants instead of the waterfall. However, it still depends on the location and availability of the elephants.
Discover the best of Laos with this compact yet thorough 5-day Classic Laos tour, designed to showcase the country’s unique charm and natural beauty. Although Laos may be small, it’s packed with breathtaking landscapes, rich culture, and fascinating history. Journey through the top tourist destinations in Laos, from vibrant city to the tranquil countryside, where traditional stilt houses and expansive paddy fields seem to emerge from an old postcard. In the capital city, experience a Vientiane city tour to marvel at the fusion of French colonial architecture and stunning Wats and stupas. Meanwhile, Luang Prabang offers a deep dive into Laos’ spiritual heart, with its ancient temples and sacred sites.
Experience the untouched beauty of this country as your holiday in Laos continues in the dense jungle forests, lush rice fields, and vibrant tea plantations that blanket the mountainous terrain. Venture into remote mountain villages to meet the Hmong people and learn about their unique culture and traditions. Take in the refreshing beauty of pristine waterfalls, offering an idyllic retreat into nature.
To make your trip as smooth and enjoyable as possible, we provide a seamless door-to-airport service. No need to worry about transportation or traffic—your journey begins with a complimentary one-way chauffeur service, taking you from your doorstep directly to the airport. Our small group tours, with a maximum of 16 guests, provide personalized attention and a more intimate experience. We guarantee departures with just two guests, giving you flexibility and peace of mind. With 24/7 local assistance and travel guidance, along with an airport meet-and-greet service from a friendly local tour guide, you can rest assured that every aspect of your journey is taken care of.
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This full day tour will take you to some interesting destinations. The time in each destination can be flexible as per your request.
At the departure time around 8:00 am, you will be greeted and picked up at your hotel’s lobby in Nong Kiaw city centre. You will be taken to Nam Our River to start your tour.
Once you arrive there, you will embark on a scenic long-tail boat to cruise along the Nam Ou River which is surrounded by jungle-covered mountains. It will take you about 15 minutes to reach the riverside Lao Leum village. You will enter this village, observe and listen to the commentary provided by the guide to understand more about the local lifestyle residents in these traditional villages along the Nam Ou River.
From the village, you will follow a small trail through the nearby mountain area. On the way, you will cross through rice paddy fields, forests and agricultural land. After arriving at the waterfall, you will stop for a short break and enjoy beautiful landscape there.
Then, you continue trekking in about 1 hour to the next spot of the tour, Sop Vanh Village. Coming to this village, you will visit a beautiful temple and learn about the history of Buddhism and this temple.
Following the morning adventure and a nice lunch, you will visit another traditional village, Lao –Khmu and a local farm.
Then, you will get on the boat to head back to your hotel in Nong Khiaw.
The tour ends around 5 pm.
If you spend a few days in Luang Prabang I really recommend you organize tours with them. They promote a truly beautiful idea of sustainable tourism, supporting the local population, and the activities are very well organized. They are a big family always ready to help.
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
We booked a great tour at short notice (17 km around Luang Prabang). Our guide was great and made the tour unforgettable. He was able to answer all questions about nature and the villagers and accompanied us well throughout the day. We also found the sustainability aspect very convincing. Any time!!
Cultural, religious and historic sites
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This tour will serve different activities based on 2 different seasons: high water season and low water season. You have the option to choose the one that best suits you depending on your personal preference and schedule.
The following are the detailed programs for each season:
High water season (August to January):
At the departure time – about 8 am, you will be greeted and picked up at your hotel’s lobby in Luang Prabang by a local tour guide and a driver. You will be driven along a scenic route to the banks of the Nam Khan River.
Then, you will embark on a boat to cross the river to the trekking point. Once you arrive there, you start your first “Fair Trek’ journey in about 1.5 hours. You will trek through jungle, bamboo forest, rice fields and streams to reach a small Khmu village located on the foot of limestone mountains. Coming to this village, you will be taken around the village by the guide. You will be absolutely impressed by the beautifully weaved houses there. In addition, you can talk with local people and even enter their houses if the owners agree. Don’t be shy to talk to them as the guide will be there to connect you with the locals.
After exploring the Khmu village, you will continue hiking about 1.5 hours to the Tad Sae waterfalls. You can enjoy impressive view of high waters in the rainy season and clear, turquoise waters at the end of the rainy season. At the Tad Sea waterfall, you can have a refreshing swim or go to see elephants in the surrounding areas of the waterfall.
After some rest, you will get on boat again to head to the Tiger Trail Adventure Camp where you will start your kayaking adventure along the Nam Khan River. At the camp, you will be delivered a short review of safety rules and some technique and skills of paddling the kayak. You will definitely have an exciting journey through the beautiful Nam Khan River Valley and jungle. In addition, on the way, you can observe local people engaged in their daily activities on the river. This journey will take you about 2 hours depending on the conditions of the river. You can choose the level of difficulty when you book this tour: levels range from easy to difficult.
Low water season, February to July:
In the low water season Tad Sae Waterfall is dry, therefore it is not included in the itinerary. During your kayaking adventure, you can stop by the white sand beaches to relax, swim and visit the Henri Mouhot’s tomb.
After the these adventure activities, you will be driven back to Luang Prabang city.
The tour ends around 5 pm.
This full day tour will take you to some unforgettable destinations. The time in each destination can be flexible as per your request as long as it doesn’t affect the whole plan.
At the departure time, you will be greeted and picked up at your hotel’s lobby. You will be transferred to a bike shop to choose a good mountain bike for your cycling trip.
Once you get your bike, you will start your biking tour on a scenic, 30-kilometer paved road along the Mekong River toward your destination - the Kuang Si Waterfall. This journey will take you about 3-4 hours with rides over some hills (medium difficulty level).
On the way to the waterfall, you will drop by some villages and pay a visit to the Hmong Culture Museum built by locals to show their life and culture.
Upon your arrival at the Kuang Si Waterfall Nature Reserve, you will walk along lovely forest trail to the beautiful and refreshing pools of Kuang Si Waterfall. After arriving here, you can enjoy swimming and relaxing. There are small private changing rooms near the waterfall where you can change your swim suits.
After playing with the water, you will enjoy a nice lunch by the waterfall prepared by Tiger Trails.
In addition, you will be taken to visit the Bear Rescue Centre. Here, you will be given a lot of useful and interesting information about the Asian sun and moon bears as well as the ''Free the Bears'' protection program.
After a nice time at the waterfall, you will ride the bike down the hill to Mekong River where you will embark on a long-tail boat and take a scenic cruise about 1.5 - 2 hours along the river.
Arriving at the shore in Luang Prabang, you continue a short ride to the bike shop to return your bike.
End of tour.
This full day bike tour takes you to several destinations and the time spent in each destination can be flexible as per your request. You will be greeted at your hotel at around 8 AM and provided with a well-maintained mountain bike for the tour.
You start the tour by riding from the city center along the Mekong River and through local villages. On the way, you will stop at two traditional guild villages. First one is the village of Ban XiengLek – a village famous for weaving and making mulberry paper. After exploring this tiny village, we move on to the next village of Ban Xiang Hai, also known as Whiskey Village because it is well-known for producing Lao Lao rice whiskey.
Continuing on, you will stop at Pak Ou where the Nam Ou and Mekong River meet. Here, you can enjoy the fantastic views of incredible limestone cliffs rising from the rivers and the caves formed in the limestone landscape. You will then stop for a delicious lunch at a restaurant with an incredible view of both rivers and Pak Ou cave.
After lunch and a short rest, you will embark on a private longtail boat to cruise across the river to the holy Pak Ou Caves. You can see thousands of Buddha relics in both the lower and upper caves.
At the end of the day you get back on the boat to cruise to Luang Prabang. It’s time for you to relax and enjoy the scenic view of Mekong River. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours to travel 25 km of the river. Upon your arrival in Luang Prabang, you cycle back to the bike shop and return your bike.
End of tour around 5 PM.
