Flight: PG941 Bangkok - Luang Prabang 10.05 - 12.05

Meet & greet: Upon arrival at Luang Prabang airport, you will be welcomed to Laos by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel.

Afternoon at leisure: After arriving and checking into your hotel, the rest of the day is free at leisure for you to settle into your hotel, rest after your flight, and do some exploring independently. You may wish to explore the vibrant night market this evening.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maydou (Heritage Garden Side)

Day at leisure in Luang Prabang: You have a full day at leisure today to explore the atmospheric ancient capital independently. Side trips, such as trips up the river to Pak Ou or Kuangsi Falls, 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. For a more active excursion, we would recommend a day's cycling tour around the villages and countryside that surround Luang Prabang. Please ask for more details should you wish to book one of these activities in advance.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Villa Maydou (Heritage Garden Side)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw: This morning, leave Luang Prabang and head north by private vehicle to Nong Khiaw. The morning drive takes you out into rolling countryside, where you can admire the beauty of the Nam Ou River and the surrounding rice paddy fields. You will reach Nong Khiaw around lunchtime and check into your hotel for a 3 night stay.

Afternoon at leisure, with an optional tour to Tham Pha Thok Caves: This afternoon, you have some time at leisure, with the option of taking a cycling or walking tour to the caves of Tham Pha Thok (time-permitting). These caves are located just over a mile outside Nong Khiaw, where locals took shelter from bombings during the Second Indochina War. Please note that the bicycles will need to be rented locally from your lodge - your guide can assist you with this.

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

Meals: Breakfast

Kayaking on the Nam Ou: After breakfast this morning, set off by boat up the Nam Ou river to the friendly village of Muang Ngoi. After some time to wander around the village and enjoy a coffee, start your kayak adventure, heading downstream back to Nong Khiaw. After paddling for about 2 hours, stop for a break at the Khmu Village of Ban Sopkonh. From here, trek for approximately 1 hour to Tad Mork, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the region. After enjoying a picnic lunch right next to the waterfalls, return to the Nam Ou river to continue your journey by kayak. On the last section of the river, paddle through some easy rapids on the approach to Nong Khiaw, where you will arrive in the late afternoon.

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

Road & boat journey from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang: Depart Nong Khiaw this morning and drive to Pak Ou Caves. Explore these mysterious caves, set in a limestone cliff facing the Mekong River crammed with thousands of Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. After your tour, there will be the chance to have some lunch at one of the riverside restaurants (payable locally). Board a private boat for the delightful journey down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, stopping off en route at the artisan village of Ban Nongxai.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Villa Maydou (Heritage Garden Side)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After breakfast this morning, you will be collected from the Villa Maydou 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 (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to Paksong: After breakfast, travel by road east onto the Bolaven Plateau to the commercial centre of Paksong, a journey of around 1 hour.

Trek to Ban Nong Luang: Meet a specialist local guide in Paksong for the one hour trek to the village of Ban Nong Luang. Upon arrival in the village, you will be welcomed with a freshly brewed coffee grown at a local coffee farm, and shown to your basic room in a traditional wooden house.

Exploring Dong Hua Sao: When you are ready, set off on a trek into the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area, where we will find impressive landscapes and unadulterated nature. This conservation area in Southern Laos is home to some of the country's most alluring scenery with magnificent limestone cliffs and rare 1,000 year-old rosewood trees. Enjoy a picnic lunch, while taking in views over the Plateau. In the afternoon, trek back to the village, passing by an impressive forest temple and a pre-historical stone park on the way.

Evening activities: This evening, you have time to stroll around the village and chat with the locals, while your hosts prepare a tasty dinner made with fresh local ingredients.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Ban Nong Luang Homestay (Basic Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Morning activities: Wake up early this morning and take in the sunrise over the hills of the plateau, while the village comes to life. After a basic but delicious breakfast prepared by the local villagers, trek back to the main road in Paksong.

Road & boat journey from Paksong to Don Khone: Set off on the 3 hour drive to Muang Khong on the southern tip of Laos, where you board a local boat for the short journey to your guesthouse on Don Khone Island.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Sala Don Khone (Floating Mekong Studio)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure in the 4000 Islands: Free days to relax at your hotel and explore the 4000 islands area independently. Don Khone is a wonderful place to spend time relaxing and soaking up the exotic views of the Mekong, but you can also walk or ride bikes to Don Lai Island to see Som Pha Mit Waterfall or take a trip to see the freshwater dolphins. Rafting and kayaking trips can also be arranged locally that take you into the heart of the 4000 Islands.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Sala Don Khone (Floating Mekong Studio)

Meals: Breakfast

Exploring the 4000 Islands by bike: After an early breakfast, transfer 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 Sala Don Khone (Floating Mekong Studio)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Boat and road journey from Don Khone to Pakse, via Wat Phou: This morning, you will take a boat from Don Khon to Ban Nakasan. Then continue by car to Champasak and onto Wat Phou, an ancient Khmer religious complex dating back to the 5th century. After your tour of the temple complex, continue to the airport in Pakse.

Guided tour of Wat Phou: This dramatically sited temple is one of the highlights of any trip to Laos. 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.

Flight: QV516 Pakse - Vientiane 14.20 - 15.35

Private transfer: Upon arrival in Vientiane, you will be met by your local guide and taken to the Beau Rivage Mekong for an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Beau Rivage (Superior Mekong View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

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.

Private transfer: At the appropriate time today, you will be met by your guide and transferred to Vientiane Airport for your Thai Airways flight to London Heathrow, via Bangkok.

Flight: TG575 Vientiane - Bangkok 21.30 - 22.35

Meals: Breakfast