Mysteries of Laos

On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Time permitting; Your half-day city tour enables us to see the major temples of Vientiane including the oldest, Wat Sisaket, a temple of thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. We also visit Lao national icon, That Luang Stupa, and we stop to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph. Overnight in Vientiane

You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Xiengkhuang.  Upon arrival, we transfer out to visit Site 1 of the Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are littered all over the plateau. You will then be transferred to your hotel for the night. Overnight in Xiengkuang (B)

Early morning, we visit the Central Market of Phonsavanh to watch the different hill-tribe people barter and exchange merchandise. We then head out towards Luang Prabang.  En route, we stop off to see the Buddha images at Tampa, a site more than 200 years old, and various Hmong and hill tribe minority villages along the way. After numerous photo stops, we continue driving, enjoying the splendid natural scenery of the mountains, the forest, and the landscape. The journey will take us over mountainous regions until we approach Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang (B)

Today, we 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.  Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine. In return, we disembark the boat to visit traditional villages and continue taking a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village famous for its hand weaving.

In the afternoon your half-day city tour begins with a visit to the Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts.  We then head to the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture.  We also have time to visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai.

Depending on your flight, you may have time at leisure before you will be transferred to the airport in time for your departing flight.