LAO03: Laos Revealed (Vientiane – Luang Prabang – Pak Ou cave – Luang Prabang)(4D3N)

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Vientiane is a fascinating capital, with a fusion of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and American influences. This charming and easygoing city will provide a smooth introduction to Laos.

After a short rest we will seeing some of it’s classic architecture including the old Presidential Palace, Vientiane’s oldest temple Wat Sisaket, with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image.

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.

Returning to the hotel your evening is free to relax or enjoy the sunset over a few drinks on the riverfront. Overnight in Vientiane.

This morning we will experience the hussle and bussle of Dalat Sao, the morning market and main shopping centre for the residents of Vientiane, a great place to browse or do some serious shopping.

From here we visit Laos’s national icon, That Luang Stupa, stopping along the way to take pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. Not far from That Luang Stupa is the National Museum, formerly known as the Revolutionary Museum, which exhibits artifacts, photos and legends of Laos’s fighters and leaders from ancient times to the revolutionary, Phathet Lao, period.

Late afternoon we board our short flight to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. On arrival we transfer you to your hotel.

After a short rest we will climb to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred gilded stupa and to enjoy the panoramic view of the city and the sun setting over the Mekong River.

Descending the mountain your will find yourself in the midst of the famous Luang Prabang Night Market, where you can find a unique selection of handmade textiles and handicrafts locally made by both ethnic Lao and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

Your evening is free to explore the Night Market and sample some local cuisine at one of the many restaurants the town has to offer. Overnight in Luang Prabang

After breakfast we will see some of the highlights of Luang Prabang including a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts from the Royal period in Luang Prabang. We are seeing the city’s oldest temples, the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roof sweeping low to the ground, representing classical Lao architecture, the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham.

Heading to the Mekong River we board our private boat for a pleasant and scenic cruise up on the upstream to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. These caves are an ancient pilgrimage site and contain thousands of gold lacquered Buddha images left there over hundreds of years.
Returning to Luang Prabang we disembark our boat and have the option of taking a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village famous for its hand weaving or returning to the hotel for free time to relax.

Your evening is free to treat yourself a spa treatment or massage, do some shopping or relax at your hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang

This morning you have the option and opportunity to rise early and participate in the daily morning ritual of Alms Giving, you will experience saffron-clad monks collecting offerings or ‘Alms’ from faithful local residents. This tradition is unique to Laos, being the only Buddhist nation still preserving the daily procession.

After breakfast back at your hotel we take a stroll through the morning market full of local foodstuffs from the farms and jungles surrounding Luang Prabang. Returning to the hotel your time is free until you are transferred to the airport for your departing flight

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!