Northern Laos Adventure

In the morning, you will board on a leisurely cruise downstream the Nam Ou River to Muang Ngoi, the village in the middle of nowhere. The scenery along the way is said to be the most beautiful part of the gently Nam Ou River. Arrive in Muang Ngoi around noon time. After lunch, you will take a short walk around this gorgeous, sleepy town and the nearby local hill tribe village. Continue the cruise downstream to Nong Khiaw in the late afternoon. Overnight in Nong Khiaw.

Start this day of adventure with a peaceful boat ride on the Nam Ou river where you will be able to explore a small Lao village along the riverside. Learn about the villagers and their way of life along this Northern Laos River before beginning the '100 Waterfalls Adventure Trail'. Walking through small streams and rice paddies, you will arrive at the bottom of the 100 Waterfalls which were only first explored in October 2008. For the next few hours you will see only water and jungle and hear the constant sound of clear waterfall cascades. The pools around you are very inviting for a refreshing splash. Your guide will lead you through the cascades and prepare a local style lunch that you can enjoy on the falls surrounded by amazingly green nature.  A small village trail on the top of the '100 Waterfalls' will lead you on our hike back down into the valley, offering wide views over the expansive Nam Ou valley. Once back in the village you will have some more time to experience the daily life of the Nam Ou riverside village before heading back to Nong Khiaw by boat.

After breakfast, you will drive to Luang Prabang, the ancient city of Lane Xang Kingdom. Along the way, you will take a visit to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Arrival in Luang Prabang at around noon. This former royal capital with its gleaming temple roofs, fading colonial architecture and stunning mountain backdrop retains a unique charm rarely found in all of Asia.  A visit to Luang Prabang would be incomplete without ascending 329 steps to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa and to enjoy a beautiful sunset view of the city and its glowing reflection on the Mekong River. From there, you will explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textile made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang

Your full day biking tour begins after breakfast, with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. Then enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. In the morning, you also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham. 

Following lunch, you will visit the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. Return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai. Rest of the day is at your own pace. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Ban Long Lao, where you’re trekking to Kuang Si Waterfalls An hour trekking from there takes you to the crystal clear water of just one of the springs that feed Tad Kuang Xi, a beautiful pool with a full of big sacred fish. After descending from the top of the waterfall, a Lao-style lunch is served in the lush forest setting around the waterfall.

The afternoon is spent bathing and relaxing by the turquoise pools below. It is worth to drop by at the Bear Rescue Center close to the entrance gate, where more than 10 animals, Sun Bears and Malayan Black Bears, are cared for after they've been rescued from bile farms or wildlife traffickers. Also walk around nearby Ban Thapene, a Khmu village that lies nestled around some of the most beautiful pools of Tad Kuang Xi. We then return to Luang Prabang late afternoon. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

In the morning, travel by road south to Vang Vieng. Your intrepid journey will be strenuous as you drive along one of the most scenic, but also a road that is pot holed in places.  Along the way, you will make some stop to visit local villages of H’Mong ethnic groups and enjoy the panoramic view over the region at the peak of Sala Phoukhoun, the highest peak of the northern Laos. Our next photo stop is Phatang Mountain view point to admire the beautiful scenery before reaching Vang Vieng. Check in at your hotel to take some rest. Overnight in Vang Vieng.

After breakfast, you will take a local tractor through paddy field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves, where your breath will be taken away seeing the most beautiful and famous limestone cavern, surrounded by natural forests. Along the way, you have chance to explore the local cultures by greeting the local villagers and learning about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can take a swim to refresh yourself from the hot climate or you could explore the nearby area. You will have a picnic lunch enjoying the scenery. After spending the day at the caves and its surrounding areas. Return to the Vang Vieng town, using local tractor. En route, visit the ethnic minority villages of Hmong, Souay and Taidam villages meeting the warm and friendly hill tribe people and observing their traditional tribal costumes. Overnight in Vang Vieng.

An impressive way to start our day is a walk around the bustling central market. The limestone cliffs and valleys surrounding the resort complex of Vang Vieng are home to numerous caves and caverns. The most famous in Vang Vieng is the cave of Tham Jang, which was used in the early 19th century in defense against the Chinese invaders. you also cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai, a very pleasant village where you can explore the different local lifestyles. We bid farewell to Vang Vieng and drive to Nam Ngum, a huge reservoir created by damming the Nam Ngum River.  You stop over at Ban Keun, which is famous for its salt extraction plant and a village that distills the local Lao whiskey. On arrival at Nam Ngum Lake, you embark on a long tail boat enjoying a leisurely cruise on the lake and having lunch on boat. We have ample time enjoying the cold drink at one of the bar overlooking the lake before driving back to Vientiane. Overnight in Vientiane

This morning, you will take a 2 hour drive to Ban Hatkhay village. Here, you will meet the local expert for Lao orchid. Afterwards, you will drive through the small road among the paddy field to Ban Pha Say. From here, your orchid trek will start. Move on small trails and discover shade different forest types: semi-deciduous jungles, bamboo, accompanied by an expert on orchids. Do not be surprised by abundance of orchids in some places, all the rocks are covered. Some biotopes are extraordinary. You will also have the opportunity to learn many things on medicinal plants and other plant families such as: Cane, the Gingers, the Dypterocarpes. The picnic will be in the bed of a dry river any part of the year. The afternoon will end with a swim at the waterfall of Tad Say before returning to Vientiane expected around 18:00pm. Overnight in Vientiane.

Spend your last miniutes shopping or being at your own pace before transferring to airport for your flight home. End of services.