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| Click here to view our sample collection of real tailor-made trips prepared for real people who travelled with us. |
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| A small coffee table book full of ideas, insider tips, hotel reviews and clues to make your next trip to Indochina an amazing experience. |
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Lingering impressions of Laos |
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11 nights / 12 days |
| This fascinating journey was put together for a very well-travelled, very independent couple who had previously been to many of the countries in the region but never to Laos. They wanted to travel the entire length of Laos over a 12 day period, from the infamous Golden Triangle all the way to the Cambodian border in the far south of the country. They expressed a particular interest in Lao arts and crafts , and understanding the countries multilayered ethnic diversity and color. |
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Chapter 1
River of Time
Day 1
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We enter Laos by crossing the Mekong through its northern border with Thailand. Across the water, directly opposite stands the riverside town of Huay Xai, gateway to the Kingdom of Laos.
From the infamous Golden Triangle we navigate effortlessly across currents and along pristine forests for half a day as we make our way to the enchanting former capital of Laos, Luang Prabang. We travel on a purpose-built 34 meter river barge, a stylish replica of the journey craft famous to these waters. Blissful to cruise with the Mekong's tides for hours, eyeballs glued to the passing scenery. En route one stop is made to observe rural life along the Mekong. Lunch is served on board.
The halfway point of the journey is Pakbeng, a small village located about halfway between the Thai border at Huay Xai and Luang Prabang. We arrive in the late afternoon just as the mercifully, cool evening air settles in. We spend the night in a traditional Lao style lodge on the shores of the Mekong. Built in the traditional Lao style of solid wood, this lodge features pavilions with 180 degree open-shudder window views of the lush riverside gardens and Mekong valley. Private shower bathrooms with western toilets and hot water, individual fans and mosquito netting. Dinner is served on the terrace, overlooking the Mekong River. |
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Day 2 |
At 08:30am we board the boat for the second leg of the cruise. A short stop is made to visit a hilltribe village where we watch the traditional process of Lao whiskey production before having lunch on board.
You'll know when you are nearing the city of Luang Prabang and the Pak Ou Caves. The Nam Ou and the Mekong rivers converge on a sharp river bend and a staggering limestone rock juts out of the water. The Pak Ou Caves or “Caves of a Thousand Buddha’s” contain some 4,000 wooden images of Buddha standing erect on different levels of rock. Some figures are extremely worn and chipped from about four hundred years ago, but some still fare well. The caves are as well a site for local pilgrimages.
We arrive at Luang Prabang before sunset. In Luang Prabang we stay in an intimate and stylish french-colonial hotel which occupies the shell of The Khamboua House, a jewel of traditional Lao architecture. Restored in 2003, the hotel blends contemporary style with the buildings’ original architecture, connecting the past and the present. The hotel's ambience is warm, and its restaurant offers some of the finest destination dining in Luang Prabang. |
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Day 3 |
Luang Prabang |
Luang Prabang is located in north central Laos, on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane, and is the capital of Luang Prabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000.
The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ancient royal city is surrounded by mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan River. In the centre of the city is Mount Phousi with stunning views of the surrounding temples and hills. Luang Prabang is small, and just about everywhere can be reached by foot. Walking and travelling by bicycle are the best ways to get around.
Around 9:00 AM, we will have bikes on hand for you this morning so that you can spend the morning exploring the town on your own. You will be met at the hotel for a fitting of the bikes, we will give you a locker, and a brief introduction to the city, as well as recommendations and a city map to indicate you interesting sightseeing spots. Our guide will give you his contact number in case you feel you want to use his services at any point in time during the day.
Ride leisurely around town visiting the most important landmarks, stopping at your leisure for refreshments, to mingle with the locals. Do as much or as little as you want. We recommend a visit to the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum and if your feel like visiting Luang Prabang’s most important temples stop at: Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-relief; Wat Sensoukarahm, built in 1718 with its beautiful dazzling golden façade; Wat Xieng Thong, located at the end of the peninsula formed by the Mekong circumventing the town, this temple was erected in 1560 by King Setthathirat.
We recommend lunch at Arisai. Arisai is a small and intimate restaurant on the main street of Luang Prabang Old quarter.
We recommend dinner at Tamarind restaurant. Ssample delicious Lao-style feasts or barbecues, “tasting platters”, and other original drinks made from local ingredients. |
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Day 4 |
This morning take a tuk tuk to Vat Nong, where there is a very special dawn visit to witness the long lines of orange-robed monks leaving their pagodas to receive offerings of food from Luang Prabang residents.
Visit the open air Fresh Market nearby the Royal Palace where farmers and traders come to sell their fresh vegetables, fruits and other spices, herbs but also meats and delicacies. The walk through the market offers the chance to get more familiar with classic and more surprising items like ants eggs, live rats, fermented fish sauces, banana flowers, chilies in many forms, dried riverweeds, and more!
In the afternoon pay a visit to The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre - the first exhibition space and fair trade store dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation, and presentation of the traditional arts and lifestyles of Laos. Try to meet Director, Ms Tara Gujadhur, who can show you around (subject to availability) and she will highlight for you the differences between the many ethnic groups that are encountered around Luang Prabang and the North of Laos. Finish the visit with a wel-deserved tea and coffee break in the shade of Le Patio Café, adjacent to the Museum.
Return to your hotel for relaxation and freshen up before heading on your own to the Royal Ballet Theater. We will hand over to you 2 tickets for front rows seats at the Royal Ballet Theater. In 2002, the Royal Ballet Theatre was been founded in Luang Prabang in cooperation with the Institute of Cultural Research in order to preserve the cultural patrimony of the Lao performances and you may assist to a visually spectacular show of the Royal Ballet, including scenes from the Lao Ramayana, Lao folk dances and tribal dances. The performance starts at 6:00pm and lasts for 1.5 hour approximately.
Recommendation: Try “3 Nagas” The terrace makes a nice setting to witness people walking by while sipping an aperitif and sampling local or more international specialties. To add to the experience, ask your reception to get you a tuk tuk to get there: the weather in the evening is cooler. |
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Day 5 |
Walk to Café Ban Vat Sene (Sakarine Road) for a serene breakfast in front of one of the largest and oldest (and actually also last standing in the heart of Luang Prabang Old quarter) public schools in Luang Prabang. Café Ban Vat Sene is a cozy café with a retro French colonial times flavor and most importantly, they have the best croissants in town! (and also check out for the “pain perdu with pineapple jam” on the list, a marvel!)
Pay a visit to The Children Cultural Centre. Opened on 15 January 1998 in a former government exhibition room, the Children’s Cultural Centre (CCC – located between the Hmong and Dara Markets) was set up and is managed by the local authorities. On Thursdays, the Centre presents a wide range of extra-curricular cultural activities for children, including singing, dancing, music, games, |
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weaving, embroidery, handicrafts, painting and drawing, spoken drama, English language lessons, culture and camping. Opened from 8:00 Am to 4:00 Pm – subject to change any time without prior notice by the CCC. (Note: during low season, performances by children are only held on Saturdays at 6:00 Pm)
If you feel like visiting one more temple on your own after breakfast, visit Wat Visoun, the holiest temple of the city, entirely rebuilt after being destroyed in 1887 by the invading Black Flags from Southern China. In the courtyard of Wat Visoun stands the Watermelon Stupa shaped like the fruit it takes its name from. In Wat Aham where you can find the altar of the 2 genius of Luang Prabang and in Wat That the ashes of King Sisavang Vong are interred inside the large central Stupa.
The rest of the day is on your own… explore the incredible amount of boutiques and shops scattered around town. Look for wood carved statues, silks and fabrics, decoration items and other Buddhist icons. |
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Chapter 3
Colonial Vientiane
Day 6
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Today we fly to Vientiane. Upon the arrival meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel.
In Vientiane the choice of accomodation is a colonial style hotel built in 1932, a throwback to the era of Indochina with period furniture and landscaped gardens. The hotel rooms and suites are elegantly appointed and feature French colonial decor, four-poster beds and high ceilings. Polished wooden floors and marble bathtubs add to the lavish atmosphere.
In the afternoon you may want to visit the Patuxay monument (the Lao Arc de Triomphe), also called Anousavari. Enjoy the panoramic view from the roof top over the city.
Visit Lao Mountain Coffee... Laos has important coffee plantations around the Boloven Plateau in Southern Laos. Here you will learn and see how it is roasted and blended.
A recommendation for dinner? Le Nadao restaurant, one of the best tables in town, renowned for its French and Lao fusion dishes served in a cozy and intimate atmosphere. |
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Day 7 |
Today we explore Vientiane which means the city of “sandal wood”. Vientiane is one of the quietest capital in the world, far away from the usual bustle and hustle Asian capitals, far from the real-estate frenzy of the regional megalopolis.
Visit Wat Sisaket, the only temple left intact after the Siamese invasion in 1828. One of the most beautiful temples in town with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues. Continue with Wat Phra Keo, used as a religious museum where are displayed Lao and Khmer works of art. Around the corner is the Presidential Palace (former French governor Palace). The next place is Wat Simuang, the most popular and venerated temple in Vientiane which is the guardian of the spirit of the city. Here you will find an angkorian pillar. It is said that you should turn around 3 times and formulate a wish. If the wish becomes true, one then needs to bring return with some offerings.
Recommendation for lunch: Enjoy a delicious Lao-style lunch at Mak Phet. Established by Friends International, Mak Phet is a charity-run restaurant aiming to train the area’s street children in the hospitality industry. Professional chefs from around the world have volunteered their time in developing the menus and training the staff. The food is excellent, and the staffs excel in bringing true Lao-hospitality in to their service.
In the afternoon you might like to visit “Les Artisans Lao” and witness trainees at work transforming recycled and renewable materials into quality crafts such as notebooks, stationary, printer paper etc made processed from bamboo, palm, mulberry and pineapple leaves. Other carved wood materials and coconut based products are also encountered. Help promote poverty alleviation by supporting the creation of livelihood opportunities for disadvantaged groups in the production of contemporary handicraft designs using appropriate technology and recyclable materials.
Recommendation for dinner: Enjoy a Show of Traditional Lao dance at Kua Lao Restaurant
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Day 8
Chapter 4
Southern Laos
Today we fly to Pakse.
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On arrival we meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Southern Laos is known for its highlands and plateaus, waterfalls, temple ruins, Mekong Islands, relaxed ways and its sense of timelessness.
We stay in a small hotel set on the tiny Don Daeng Island in the middle of the Mekong River. Surrounded by lush gardens and with views of the river and distant mountains, ideal for travelers seeking solitude and tranquility.
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Day 9 |
| Today we cross the flat plains of the cool and remote Bolovens Plateau , “one of Asia’s last frontiers”. The Bolovens Plateau is a fertile agricultural area about 1,200 meters above sea level that the French colonialists earmarked for coffee, cardamom and rubber cultivation. Despite this, it is relatively sparsely populated, although there is a diverse ethnic mixture in the villages scattered around as a result of tribal displacement during the Vietnam war. Here we to enjoy the spectacular view of cascading waterfalls in at Tad Lo and Tad Fane followed by a visits to tea and coffee plantations, where you will get a chance to savor traditional Lao coffee. |
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Day 10 |
| After breakfast we cross the Mekong visit the pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wat Phou (Vat Phu) is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex. It is located at the base of mount Phu Kao, some 6 km from the Mekong river in Champasak province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries. The temple has a unique structure, in which the elements lead to a shrine where a linga was bathed in water from a mountain spring. The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today. In the afternoon we return to Champassak for lunch and to explore the French colonial architecture dotting the town. |
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Day 11 |
Today we explore the 4000 Islands. Cruising the Mekong south of Champassak, the River splits into many channels separated by sandbanks and islands of various sizes, some inhabited, some the haunt only of wild animals and birds. This untamed and remote region is known as the wild ‘paradise of 4,000 Islands.’ In high water, many of these islands are fully submerged. As can be expected, the majority of the inhabitants of the 4,000 islands depend on fishing for a living and catch around 350 kilograms of fish per family per year. Other sources of income are tourism, rice production and agriculture.
The largest of the islands is Khong Island, the birthplace of the President of the Peoples Republic of Laos (Mr Khamtay Siphandone). A rickety car-ferry links the island to the mainland and the best road in Laos, RN 13, originally built by French colonizers to link Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) with Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
We visit the only two other inhabited islands are Don Khone and Don Det. These two islands are linked by a concrete bridge built by the French. Don Khone also has remnants of an old steam engine which is left over from the when the French built the only railroad in Laos. The railway was built as a way to transport goods from Laos to Cambodia without having to negotiate the Pha Pheng waterfalls.
We return to Champasak for dinner. |
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Day 12 |
| Today we fly from Pakse to Bangkok. |
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Ballpark Cost: |
| The price of this trip varies depending on the accomodation, the category of toom, the type of vehicle, whether the guide is english speaking or any other language. Send us a mail and we will send you a detailed quotation. |
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Information and bookings: |
travel@indochinainstyle.com
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