Luang Prabang Family Reveal

Your full day city tour begins after breakfast, with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum (closed on Tuesday), which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. You will 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. You will also visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham. After lunch, you will visit the Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures before heading out of town to see the weaving villages of Ban Xiengkhong and Ban Xienglek.  Return to the city for a visit to Wat Mai, climbing up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset and the Mekong River.  Tonight, free to visit the night market. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Today, you will first visit the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture.  Then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.  En route, you will stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling. You will be back to Luang Prabang late in the afternoon and continue by car to the outskirts of town to visit Ban Xangkhong , a village well-known for its wood paper making and also Lao silk weavings with natural dyes. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

An optional early start gives you the fantastic opportunity to participate in the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of Alms (ubiquitous sticky rice) from the faithful residents. This tradition is very unique in Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. From there you will visit the morning Phosi Market where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings. Laos is also known for its traditional handicrafts, and today you will visit local village of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay and Ban Thapene. You will then drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can splash around in the turquoise pools or walk along the forest paths. On your return to Luang Prabang, you will visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park, one of the must-visit spots, newly opened on January 2014.

This morning you will drive out to a local village to meet your host family, and then head off to the market to buy your ingredients. You’ll soon be familiar with galangal and lemongrass, and be able to identify the weird and wonderful herbs with the help of your host chef.  With your ingredients bagged up, head back to the family house and get ready to cook. Laos’s cuisine is quite similar to Thai but hotter and spicier with lots of chilli. Depending on what was available in the market you might make laap a spicy salad of minced pork or chicken with sticky rice or the popular green papaya salad with shrimp paste, sugar and lime juice.  Sit down and taste-test your cooking skills, then after lunch take a stroll through the village and return to Luang Prabang late in the afternoon. Rest of the day is at your own pace. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Fre at leisure till transferring to airport for your onward flight. End of services.