Day1.
Arrival –Vientiane
On arrival at Wattay Airport, you are met and
transferred to our centrally located hotel. On the banks of the Mekong River,
Vientiane is the charming and fascinating capital of Laos. This small town
conjures up exotic images, with the curious mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese,
Vietnamese, French influences. We explore the town this afternoon; with Wat
Sisaket which is the oldest temple
still standing in Vientiane. This amazing structure features remarkable frescoes
and Buddha images. The following sight is Haw Prakeo, the former royal temple of
Laos monarchy, where previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Statue. We then
visit the imposing Patuxay
Monument, which is well known as Vientiane's own Arc de Triumph before
continuing to the famous That Luang
Stupa. Overnight in Vientiane.
Day2.
Vientiane - Vang Vieng(B)
The journeys northwards begin as depart the town
and drive through the Atacular countryside towards the mountain region. Along
the way we visit the busy and colorful market of
Thalat where various hill tribes come
to trade their goods and buy previsions. A next stop of our trip is
Vang Xang, famous for the
archeological site dating back 11th century. We reach our final destination,
Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. The small and
tranquil village of Vang Vieng is rapidly developed with the advent of tourist,
but the beautiful scenery with a mixture of quiet water and limestone outcrops
unchanged for century. After checking into hotel we take a wander to catch our
first glimpse of this hill town. Over night in Vang Vieng.
Day3.
Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang(B)
Heading out of town we explore the famous cave
of Tham Jang that was once used by local people as a hideout from Chinese
invaders. We also cross the river to Ban Huai
Ngai, a very pleasant village where we can explore the different
local lifestyle. Upon leaving Vang Vieng, the roads begin to deteriorate;
however the stunning mountain scenery makes for an interesting journey. We wind
our way through Kasi and
Phoukhoune to Luang Prabang. This
town with its gleaming temple roofs, fading colonial architecture and stunning
mountain backdrop has been claimed by UNESCO to be "the best preserved
traditional city in South East Asia". There is little traffic on Luang Prabang
roads and monks in orange robes scurry in all directions carrying umbrellas to
shade themselves from the Sun. Overnight in Luang Prabang. (B)
Day4.
Luang Prabang – City Tour(B)
The former
Royal Palace has been turned into a
National Museum. This interesting
structure displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness
of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last
sovereign. We also have enough time this day to explore some other landmarks,
including the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun,
the shrine of Wat Aham, the city's
oldest temple of Wat Sene and the
Wat Mai with five tiered roofs. A
visit to Luang Prabang would be not complete without climbing 329 steps to the
top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the Mekong River. The zigzag
path crosses over various temples to the sacred, gilded stupa of Wat Phou,
another World Heritage Site, recognized by UNESCO in 2002si at the summit.
Overnight in Luang Prabang.
Day5.
Luang Prabang - Pakou – caves(B)
Today, we continue our city tour, seeing the
magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, which nestles at the meeting of the Mekong and the
Nam Khan River. The temple structures are decorated in various ways with gilded
stuccoes and doorways. The main Sim has a marvelous 'tree of life' mosaic
pattern on an outer wall. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River,
which also gives us a taste of the tranquil countryside. Transfer to airport for
the departure flight
