Flight: TG574 Bangkok - Vientiane 10.20 - 11.30

Meet & greet: Upon arrival at Vientiane airport, you will be welcomed to Laos by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel for a 2 night stay.

Time at leisure in Vientiane: You have time to explore the Laotian capital independently. As the smallest capital in the world, the centre is small and easily traversed on foot. There are a number of excellent cafes and boutiques, with cultural attractions including the National Museum or Wat Si Saket.

Dinner in a local restaurant: This evening, your guide and driver will take you for dinner at Suntara restaurant. This is a spacious establishment serving a wide choice of cuisine, with large outdoor seating area offering sunset views over the Mekong. Note that your drinks are not included this evening, and need to be paid for locally.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Chanthapanya Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals: Dinner

Half day tour of Vientiane: Your tour of Laos' capital city starts with a visit to the enchanting Si Muang Temple. Continue to the Siamese style Wat Si Saket and the That Luang Stupa, the bright golden monument which represents a lotus bud and is used as a symbol of the Lao nation, and Patuxay Monument, Vientiane’s very own Arc de Triumph. The tour ends with a visit to the excellent COPE exhibition centre, highlighting a much overlooked aspect of Laos and a major problem many of the local people face on a day to day basis in the form of unexploded ordnance as a result of heavy bombing campaigns during the Vietnam War era.

Exploring Vientiane by night: In the early evening (around 6pm), you will be met at the hotel by your guide, and together you will head out for an evening exploration of the Laotian capital. Travelling by tuk tuk, your first stop will be at the night food market near That Luang. This spot comes alive at night and is a firm favourite amongst locals seeking a cheap and tasty meal, with few tourists to be seen. Your guide will walk you through the market, stopping to learn about the different dishes and local dinner culture. Try some of the tasty dishes on the spot, or bring them along with you to our next stop: a traditional Lao style BBQ, or 'sindat'. This hotpot BBQ meal is a deep favourite of locals, and often overlooked by tourists! The guide will introduce you to this favourite of dishes, and then after dinner, you will return by tuk tuk back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Chanthapanya Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Train and road journey to Muang La: This morning you will be transferred to the high-speed railway station in time to board the train to Oudomxay. The train will take around two hours 50 minutes. On arrival at Oudomxay you will be met by a driver who will transfer you the rest of the way to your lodge, a further journey of around 45 minutes.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Nam Kat Yorlapa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day hill tribe trek: This morning, depart by 4x4 to Pak Khai, a pleasant 15 minute journey with magnificent views of the Pak Nam River, rice terraces and many small villages. Upon arrival, start trekking on small village tracks and across several streams. The trek will be an opportunity to meet local farmers working in rice fields and to learn how they cultivate their land and livestock. You will arrive at the village of Ban Phavie in time for lunch, a beautiful Khmu village perched at the top of a hill. The trek continues after lunch to a waterfall, where there is the opportunity to relax in the clear water cascades. After some more light trekking, return to Muang La in the early afternoon.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Nam Kat Yorlapa (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Road and boat journey to Nong Khiaw: After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for the 2 hour drive to Muang Khua, where you will board a boat for the spectacular journey downstream to Nong Khiaw. After around 2.5 hours, you will disembark and board a minivan for a short trip to pass the new Nam Ou Dam, before boarding a second boat for the downstream part of the boat journey to Nong Khiaw (another 2 hours). This particular stretch allows you glimpses of stunning limestone karst scenery and remote villages, including Ban Sob Jaem, a Khmu and Hmong village that can only be accessed by boat.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mandala Ou Resort (Riverside Bungalow)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Full day 100 Waterfalls Trail: This is a truly stunning experience on the recently discovered 100 waterfalls adventure trail. We start from charming Nong Khiaw town nestled among the Nam Ou River and the 900 metre limestone cliffs. Our day begins with a peaceful boat ride on the wonderfully scenic Nam Ou River. We then explore a small Lao village along the banks of the river before heading into the forest via small paths through the rice fields. Depending on the time of the year we may be able to assist the locals working in the fields. After a short walk, we reach the bottom of the 100 waterfalls which were first revealed to tourists in late 2008. From here, we begin our ascent through the jungle following the cascades until we reach the top. For the next few hours we are surrounded by the life and sounds of the jungle and the cascading water. At times we hike through the stream on a bed of limestone which offers very good grip, so trekking sandals are the recommended footwear. Most of the time the walking is easier but there are some steeper sections, where it is necessary to climb bamboo ladders. This walk requires no technical skills but this experience is certainly for those with a level of fitness and a sense of adventure, and be prepared to get wet. We provide waterproof bags so you can change into dry clothes for the walk back down. There are plenty of pools around, perfect for a cooling splash along the way. Our guide prepares a delicious local style lunch when we have reached the summit, then it’s time to relax and take it all in. A small village trail on the top of the 100 waterfalls will lead us back down into the valley offering spectacular views over the landscapes of the Nam Ou valley. After a fantastic few hours, it is time to return upstream to Nong Khiaw. Please note that this is a challenging trek on slippery and unstable terrain which requires suitable footwear and good levels of fitness.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mandala Ou Resort (Riverside Bungalow)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Kayaking adventure down the Mekong: After an early breakfast this morning, depart Nong Khiaw and follow the Nam Ou by road for around 2.5 hours until reaching the village of Ban Hatya. Here, you will meet your specialist kayak guide, who will start with some kayaking tuition and a safety briefing. Then paddle down the Nam Ou river, until we reach Pha An, where the Nam Ou meets the Mighty Mekong. After a relaxing picnic lunch on a sandy beach overlooking the karst scenery, cross the river for a visit to the sacred Pak Ou Caves which are crammed with thousands of Buddha images. Continue paddling downstream on the Mekong until reaching the island of Done Khoun. Make a short visit to the famous Wat Done Khoun temple, and have some snacks before continuing the last leg of our kayaking tour. After another 20 minutes kayaking, you arrive at Ban Pakxeuang, where you will say farewell to your kayaking guide and drive to your hotel in Luang Prabang.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maly (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day at leisure in Luang Prabang: You have a full day at leisure today to explore the atmospheric ancient capital independently. Side trips can be arranged locally or through your guide. Staying within the city, there are a number of excellent cooking classes, plus great shopping opportunities in local craft centres.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maly (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Morning Rice Farmer Experience: This morning, transfer by car to the Living Lands Organic Farm, where you meet the local farming guide. Today, you are invited to interact and experience each step of the rice harvest and will see how different tools are created. The tour ends with a tasting of the traditional foods made from rice. You will have a new appreciation for rice and admiration for the people of Lao, who to this day continue to harvest rice without modern machinery. Please note that this experience will be operated on a shared basis.

For a 10 year old's first-hand account of the rice farming experience please read this blog post.

An evening with the locals: This evening, experience some local Luang Prabang nightlife and challenge your guide to a game of ‘Petanque’ or boules, a very popular sport in Laos. Your guide will also take you for a local style BBQ dinner, and unlimited beer or soft drinks are included all evening. This is a unique opportunity to get to know the locals in their own environment.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maly (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day at leisure in Luang Prabang: You have a second full day at leisure today to explore at your leisure. Your guide will be able to advise on what to do, if you haven't already made plans. 

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maly (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After breakfast this morning, you will be collected from the Villa Maly and transferred to Luang Prabang Airport for your flight to Pakse.

Flight: QV513 Luang Prabang - Pakse 10.40 - 12.20

Road journey from Pakse to Tadlo with sightseeing en route: Upon arrival at Pakse airport, you will be met and transferred to the Bolaven Plateau. En route, there will be the chance to visit a village specializing in knife making, a tea plantation, the twin chute waterfall at Tad Fan, a coffee plantation, an ethnic food market and several minority villages. Arrive at the beautiful Tadlo Waterfall in the late afternoon, where you have the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Tadlo Lodge (Bungalow)

Meals: Breakfast

Bolaven Plateau Jeep Safari: After breakfast, meet your local guide with specialist knowledge of the Bolaven Plateau's coffee farming and ethnic minorities. Set off  on your safari by vintage jeep, which is the ideal vehicle for the terrain you will cover. Drive south along a trail that cuts through the interior of the plateau, a route rarely taken by foreigners. There will be stops along the way to visit a number of ethnic minority villages, including one from the Souy minority. Arrive at a small coffee plantation by lunchtime, and enjoy a delicious home cooked meal. In the afternoon, take a walking tour of the plantation, during which your guide will explain the entire process of growing coffee from seed to cup. Continue your jeep safari until reaching Paksong, the coffee capital of Laos in the late afternoon. Switch vehicles and continue your journey along paved roads to your hotel in Champasak, arriving early in the evening.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at The River Resort (River Front Villa)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Exploring the 4000 Islands by bike: After an early breakfast, transfer south to Don Khong, the largest island of the 4000 Islands, where you will be kitted out with your mountain bike. Set off on your ride along winding dirt roads until reaching the temple of Wat Phou Din, where you take a ferry that will transport you and your bikes to the quiet island of Don Phou Man. Ride across this quintessentially Lao fishing island before taking another ferry on to the island of Don Saang Fai, where you visit an ancient wooden temple and learn about the importance of Buddhism and the local culture. Another ferry will take you across to the island of Don Loppadi, where the villagers specialize in weaving bamboo baskets and fishing nets, which are an essential daily item in this region. Cycle along dirt roads to a picturesque village on the other side of the island, where a friendly family will have prepared a home-cooked lunch of local specialties. After exploring the village, board a local boat which takes you to Ban Nakasang, back on the mainland. You will then have the chance to visit the spectacular Khone Phapheng Falls, one of the largest and most powerful waterfalls in Southeast Asia, before heading back to your hotel by road.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at The River Resort (River Front Villa)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Guided tour of Wat Phou: Take a guided tour of one of Southeast Asia's most dramatically situated temples, the fascinating pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phou near Champasak. Founded in the first decades of the 9th century by Jayavarman II, the first king of an independent Khmer nation, Wat Phou served for some time as the Khmer capital. Wat Phou is often compared to Angkor, not only because it was built in the same style but because it too was lost to the jungle for centuries. Whilst the structures themselves are thrilling, it is the jungle overgrowth that creates the atmosphere. The Wat stood unused for centuries because it is a Hindu temple in what became a devoutly Buddhist land.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to relax at your hotel, or explore more of the local area independently.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at The River Resort (River Front Villa)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey from Champasak to Pakse airport: After a morning at leisure, you will be met at your hotel and returned to Pakse airport in time for your onward flight.

Flight: QV224 Pakse - Vientiane 14.00 - 16.00

Flight: TG575 Vientiane - Bangkok 21.30 - 22.35