On arrival in Laos, you'll be met by your private guide, who will accompany you to your hotel.
Welcome to Laos! This level of personal service (such as private transfers, private tours etc) is what you can expect throughout your trip. A few services (eg boat cruises) will be shared, but we'll always make sure you're aware of these.
Spend a day thoroughly exploring the capital. See thousands of miniature Buddha statues at the city’s oldest intact temple, Wat Sisaket; linger in the echoing halls of Wat Phra Keo, the former home of the Emerald Buddha; and climb onto the roof of the Patuxai monument for panoramic city views. Stand in the shade of the golden stupa of That Luang: the holiest place in Laos. Complete your morning with a visit to the excellent COPE exhibition centre, highlighting the Laotian people's continuing struggle with overwhelming amounts of unexploded ordnance left from the Vietnam War era. Your afternoon is at leisure until sunset, when you’ll veer off the beaten track for a tuk-tuk tour of the locals’ favourite night markets and streetfood joints, ending with a Lao-style Sin Dat BBQ.
Drive to Ban Hin Boun, travelling south along route 13 to the central Lao province of Khammoune. Stops will be made en route at the sacred Prabaht Ponsan Buddhist Temple and the Khoun Kham viewpoint to take in the panorama across the mountainous Khammouane region.
Drive to Kong Lor Village and board a small boat for your journey through the impressive Kong Lor Caves. Cruise the 4.6 miles through the cave, under stalactites and past fascinating limestone formations, into a vast 328 ft cavern, and into the valley beyond. At the far side, explore further on foot, past huts used for tobacco production and into the remote village of Ban Pon Ngam where you will stop for a picnic lunch. Return back through the cave by boat and drive onto Thakek where you will be spending the next two nights. Once a busy port taking goods over the Mekong to Thailand, Thakek’s streets are still peppered with French colonial architecture and the town has the light, adaptable atmosphere associated with the multi-cultural melee of a trading town.
Start out early to follow the old railway track leading out from Thakek, destined to take trains to Vietnam but never finished. Travelling further through green fields and rocky tors, you’ll arrive in Ban Nakhang Xang village to meet the village guide who’ll lead you on your forest trek. As you walk through the trees, your guide will point out important forest products and local food resources. Passing through a cave, you’ll enter a valley with towering cliffs and forest, before the trail heads down to the shoreline of Nong Thao Lake where you can watch the local fishermen at work. Swim under stalactites at Tham Nong Paseum cave, enjoy a traditional Laotian lunch near the famous Buddha cave ( which contains 229 bronze Buddhas believed to be over 300 years old), and return to Thakek in time to enjoy sunset over the Mekong river.
Drive south towards Si Phan Don (the 4000 Islands.) Stop at Savannakhet to wander through the French Quarter, pause at the sacred That Inhang stupa and tour the Soundra Salt Factory. At Champasak swap your car for a ferry to cross the Mekong to remote Done Deang, where the rest of your day will be at leisure to settle in to the island’s leisurely rhythm.
Your day will be at leisure to relax and make the most of the hotel's facilities.
Take the boat to the opposite bank of the Mekong to wander in the shade of Wat Phou. This UNESCO-listed, pre-Angkorian ruin is one of South-East Asia's most dramatically situated temple sites with superb views across the Mekong River. When you’ve soaked it all in, head off for a walking tour of Champasak. Learn about the rich history of the town, and its contrasting traditional and colonial-style skyline. Chat to a local potter in their workshop, and gaze at the Sisumang Buddha - a huge image of the Buddha sitting within the remains of a Pre-Angkorian temple. Follow the riverside path past ancient ruins and a French-colonial era church, meeting local villagers at work weaving rice baskets and fish traps, before driving back to your hotel.
Return to the mainland to travel north to the Bolaven Plateau, passing banana, tea, cardamom and coffee plantations along the way. Take refreshing break from the southern heat, stop at the stunning twin streams of the Tad Fan waterfalls, and head on to Ban Beng village where you will explore the plateau with a local guide, in a 1960’s-era Army jeep! Swim in the pools at Tad Moan waterfall and arrive at your farming homestay mid-afternoon to meet your hosts, explore the plantation and learn more about the coffee producing process from bean to cup.
Wake early and watch the sunrise over the plantation fields, sipping a cup of freshly roasted coffee, before jumping in the jeep to head off across the plateau. Stop at a few villages that most travellers never see, picnic in a picturesque spot and relax at the region’s famous Tad Lo waterfalls. Continue south, passing Pakse to Done Khong, the largest of the 4000 islands, arriving early evening.
Cycle right across Done Khong to the island’s southern tip, where you’ll catch a ferry to the peaceful island of Don Phi Man to cycle around the quintessentially Lao fishing village. A short ferry hop over the Mekong takes you to Don Sang Pai to visit an ancient Buddhist temple and learn about the local religion and beliefs. Continue to the neighbouring island of Don Loppadi to see the residents weaving their signature bamboo baskets and much-used fishing nets. Ride across the island to enjoy a home cooked lunch as guests of a local family, then continue to cruise through the region’s waters, passing Don Som and several small uninhabited islands, arriving back at Done Khong in the late afternoon.
Transfer by boat and car to Pakse airport for your onward flight.
