Overview
- Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
- Tour Type: Private Tour
- Departure:
- Theme: Classic Package Tours
Highlights
- oin the spiritual Baci Ceremony, and enjoy the dinner with the host family, the best chance to experience the local culture
- Impressed by the long line of saffron clad monks along the main streets for the daily morning alms giving, the unique tradition only kept in Laos.
- Cruise the mighty Mekong to the mysterious Pak Ou caves
- Excursion to the Kuang Si waterfalls and surrounding areas
Tour itinerary
On arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to check in the hotel.
After a soft rest, your city tour begins with a visit to the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, a superb piece of Lao temple architecture, which presents a sweeping two-tiered roof and ornate mosaics including a beautiful ‘tree of life ‘glass montage on the rear temple wall.
If time permits, we will take a short walk around the small streets of city center, watching the life of local people, and visiting the traditional house of Heuan Chan, the Chantal wooden house dating back to 100 years old.
After that, you will visit Haw Kham Royal Palace, which was built in 1904 during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family.
Late afternoon, we climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic sunset view of the city and the Mekong River.
From there, join a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony as a traditional ritual of the Lao people expresses the spirituality of the country and is a highly memorable experience and a deep insight into Lao culture for the participants.
Dinner will be served after that for you to share with the host family. This is the best chance for you to have first-hand experience of local life and culture.
Wake up as the sun rises, we will prepare to join the most sacred tradition of Laos, the daily morning alms giving, which dates to the 14th century. More than 200 Buddhist monks depart from various temple to gather their daily meal from the faithful residents sitting quietly on the streets.
From there, we will visit the temporary morning market near the former Royal Palace. Just set on the ground, the local people come here to barter their day’s catch from rice, to vegetable, to fish, or chicken. This is the best chance to experience the taste of local life
Breakfast at the hotel, we will first visit the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sen. After that, we embark on the leisurely cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, a 16th century cave monastery filled with thousands of Buddha images, which locates 25 Kilometers North of Luang Prabang in the limestone cliffs overlooking the Mekong river. En route, you will stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for its traditional Lao rice whisky distilling. You will arrive back in Luang Prabang.
On arrival back in the city, we visit Wat Mai, which is one of the most beautiful temple of Luang Prabang. We then continue to Wat Visoun, dating back to 1513 during the reign of King Wisunarat (Visoun), this is Luang Prabang’s oldest temple and was once home to the Prabang Buddhas. Our last stop today is the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures. Overnight in Luang Prabang
After breakfast, we transfer directly to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls which is the biggest in the Luang Prabang area with three tiers leading to a 50-metre drop into spectacular azure pools before flowing downstream. The pools also make great swimming holes and are very popular with both tourists and locals
We will also take a short visit to the Bear Rescue Center, which houses a couple of dozen animals rescued from the hands of poachers and traffickers.
Before returning to Luang Prabang, we stop to visit the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park (closed from 15 APR – 30 JUN; 01-14 SEP, & 01 JAN every year), whose mission is to create a research centre studying and publishing about Laos butterflies, host plants and preservation.
Laos is also known for its traditional crafts, we will take a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center, set serenely close to the Mekong, this beautiful, traditionally styled workshop, where weavers, spinners and batik makers produce top-quality fabrics, offers free tours every half-hour.
We then transfer out to the airport to take the departure flight (Better depart after 04:00PM)
Accommodation
Meals
Transportation
Price Includes
- Accommodation in TWN/ DBL sharing except overnight at local homestay or on train
- All transport and transfer by air conditioned vehicle (including airport pick up & see off), as per itinerary
- All in-tour stationed local English speaking guide.
- Entrance fees as per itinerary
- Meals as indicated in the program
Price Excludes
- Hotel EARLY check in & LATE check out
- Peak season surcharge & compulsory dinner at the hotel (if any)
- International flights to or from Vietnam with taxes
- Visa or Passport Fees
- Travel Insurance
- Tips, laundry and gratuities
- Meals not marked on itinerary, and water during meals
Important Notes
- PROGRAMS & SCHEDULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE
- In case of unpredictable bad conditions of weather in Halong Bay, please kindly understand that the cancellation will be made ONLY by the Management Board of Halong Bay and normally the announcement will be informed in short notice.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation by Customer
- 30% of total package price should be deposited once the booking is confirmed
- Cancellation received from 15 days to 20 days prior arrival date: 10% of total package tour charged
- Cancellation received from 4 days to 14 days prior arrival date: 50% of total package tour charged
- Cancellation received less than 72 hours prior arrival date or No show: full charge the deposit amount
Children Policy
- Please contact our travel consultants for more details.
