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Mystic Laos
8 Days
Vientiane • Vang Vieng • Phonsavanh • Luang Prabang
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Arrive Vientiane (L)
Arrival in Vientiane - Transfer - Sightseeing in Vientiane. The capital city of Laos, Vientiane still feels like a sleepy city with relaxed charm, tree-lined boulevards, interesting wats and colorful markets. Tour the different highlights of the city, including PHA THAT LUANG, a gleaming golden stupa which is perhaps most important national monument in Laos; HO PHA KEO, the formal royal temple, now a museum with beautiful examples of Buddhist sculpture; WAT SI SAKET; and PATUXAI, a monumental arch inspired by the Arc de Triomphe, but executed with Lao motifs.Overnight in Vientiane.
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Vientiane - Vang Vieng (B, L)
By vehicle from Vientiane to Vang Vieng with a boat trip on Nam Ngum Lake. Drive to the south through the scenic province of Vientiane. The climate is pleasant and the views are nice, with mountains and cliffs along the first part of the journey.
NAM NGUM LAKE: the beautiful scenery around the Nam Ngum River and its green valley is enhanced by the presence of a vast, spectacular lake. This is a man-made reservoir for a hydroelectric power dam that generates most of the electricity sold to Thailand.Overnight in Vang Vieng.
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Vang Vieng - Phonsavanh (B, L, D)
Sightseeing around Vang Vieng. This small town north of Vientiane is nestled in a scenic bend in the Nam Song River. The west bank of the river is lined with tunnels and caverns and the limestone cliffs are beautiful. Visit some of the caves for which the town is famous, including CHANG CAVE, used as a bunker against marauding Chinese in the early 19th century, and XANG CAVE, or "Elephant Cave", which contains a few Buddha images and a Buddha footprint plus the elephant shaped stalactites which give the cave its name.
By vehicle from Vang Vieng to Phonsavanh (Xieng Khuang) - Overnight in Phonsavanh.
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Phonsavanh (B, L, D)
Sightseeing in the Plain of Jars (Sites I and II) and Muang Khoun. Spend the day visiting the famous PLAIN OF JARS, a vast area extending around Phonsavanh from the south-west to the north-east. Mysterious and ancient, over 300 huge stone jars apparently carved out of solid rock are scattered around the plateau. The jars vary in size from 1 to 3.25 meters high and weigh up to six tons each. There are several different theories as to the purpose of the jars, which are estimated to be 2,500 to 3,000 years old. According to local legend, King Khun Chuang had them constructed in order to store wine for the celebration of his conquest of the province in the 6th century. Today's tour will focues on SITE I and SITE II, out of the many sites so far discovered. Afterwards continue to MUANG KHOUN, an ancient capital and stronghold for the Xieng Khuang royal family was destroyed during the Indochina War. The town was rebuilt after 1975 with rows of wooden Lao houses and a market area and is surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery. Visit WAT PHIA THAT and THAT FOUN. Overnight in Phonsavanh.
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Phonsavanh - Luang Prabang (B, L)
By vehicle from Phonsavanh (Xieng Khuang) to Luang Prabang - Overnight in Luang Prabang.
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Luang Prabang (B, L, D)
Excursion by boat to Pak Ou Caves.
PAK OU CAVES: this are two caves (Tham Thing - lower cave and Tham Phum) located in the steep rock cliff at the confluence of the Mekong River and Ou River. They are full of Buddha images of varying styles, ages and sizes.
BAN XANG HAI: located near the Pak Ou Caves, this village was once a Jar-Maker Village and nowadays the community fill the jars (which come from elsewhere) with
lao-lao, the local rice whisky.
Visit the weaving village of Ban Phanom. Visit BAN PHANOM, a Tai Lue village east of Luang Prabang, well known for its traditional handwoven cotton and silk. Visit Mount Phousi. Climb the hillside stairs to the small temples atop PHOU SI, the 100m high hill which sits in the middle of the town, offering beautiful views over the temples and river.
Transfer to/from restaurant - Overnight in Luang Prabang.
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Luang Prabang (B, L, D)
Sightseeing in Luang Prabang . Set between the Nam Khan and Nam Ou rivers, Luang Prabang is an enchanting town filled with historic temples and colonial style buildings. The entire town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Start the day at the NATIONAL MUSEUM (ROYAL PALACE), a modest but graceful building which combines traditional Lao and French beaux-arts motifs. This turn-of-the century royal residence has been preserved as it was when the royal family last lived here and provides unique insights into the history of Laos. Afterwards, visit WAT MAI and WAT VISOUN
(Wat Wisunalat). The oldest living temple in Luang
Prabang, Wat Visoun dates back to 1513 and contains a collection of antique wooden
Buddhas. Visit the nearby WAT AHAM before continuing to WAT XIENG THONG, the crowning jewel of all the monasteries and temples in the city. Its many ornate buildings feature exquisite mosaic and gold-stenciled murals. From there, stroll down the main street of Luang
Prabang, stopping at some of the many temples that line its sides, including WAT
SIBOUNHEUANG, WAT SI MOUNGKHOUN, WAT SOP and WAT SENE.
Transfer to/from restaurant - Overnight in Luang Prabang.
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Luang Prabang - Your Next destination (B)
Transfer to the airport for your next destination in Asia.
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