Are you looking to visit the famous gems that Laos has to offer along with off the beaten track destinations? Look no further than our Laos Explorer itinerary suggestion for your Laos holidays. This varied tour features an in depth exploration of the very best of laid-back Laos.

Laos Explorer – Tour Highlights

Luang Prabang – Pakbeng – Muang La – Pakse/4000 islands

• Explore UNESCO Luang Prabang and surrounding villages by bicycle

• Visit remote minority villages in the mountains of North Laos

• Cruise the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to Pakbeng

• Explore the 4000 Islands in South Laos

Suggested itinerary – we will customise this for you

Day 1 – Luang Prabang arrival

Upon arrival to Luang Prabang airport you are met by your local guide.  Private transfer to your hotel. Remainder of the day is at leisure to enjoy your hotel and explore this charming town.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Satri House (Deluxe Room)

Day 2 – Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage site and for Asia Travel Specialist, a highlight not just of Laos, but all of South East Asia. This beautiful town  is a must see on your Laos holidays . Luang Prabang was the royal capital and seat of government for the Kingdom of Laos until the revolution of 1975. The main part of the city consists of four main roads crisscrossing a peninsula situated between the picturesque Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers.

This morning leave the hotel at 08:30 and explore the city on foot. Visit the open-air Morning Market in the old town. There are only a few large grocery stores in Luang Prabang. Food is still produced by small farming communities in the countryside and brought into Luang Prabang.  Your guide will explain the common vegetables and fruits that are in season and will pick up some snacks for later.

A short walk from the market is Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham (“New Monastery”), National Museum (Royal Palace) and Hor Phra Bang. After the museum, continue to Heuan Chan Luang Prabang for a short activity and learn how to make Banana Leaf and Flower.

After lunch, continue to Wat Street and visit Wat Sene, Wat Sop Sickharam, Wat Sibounheuang and Wat Xieng Thong.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Satri House (Deluxe Room)

National Museum, Luang Prabang

Day 3 – Luang Prabang

You will be fitted out with bikes and helmets this morning. Firstly head for the most famous Lao coffee shop where you sit by the Mekong River enjoying coffee and share the local Lao pastry Khanom Khrok.

Next head to the nearby morning market where locals from the countryside around Luang Prabang sell their goods. Discover different meats, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Your guide explains how these ingredients are used in Lao cooking.  Sample a few local delicacies as well.

Cycle to the Wat That Luang area to eat Khao Poon, a coconut noodle style soup, which is a delicious, rare find in Luang Prabang! A short distance away at Ban Vieng Xay village, we sit at a local street restaurant and try a variety of food including Naem Khao, a rice noodle crepe, filled with minced meat, mushrooms, and assorted herbs, cut into little pieces. Next try Khao Piak Khao, a local rice soup, usually eaten in the morning, slowly cooked with pork meat and meat broth, rounded with crushed black pepper and chopped coriander.

To burn some calories, cycle across the “old” bridge to the other side of the Nam Khan River. After passing by the “German Butcher”, stop at the scenic meeting point of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers for some photos and a quick drink of water. Continuing to Ban Xieng Lek village to check out local weaving and Saa paper handicrafts.

A new restaurant made completely of bamboo nestled on the banks of the Nam Khan river is the next stop. The food is to die for and you will enjoy sampling more top-quality local Lao food.

The tour ends back at your hotel around 1pm. Afternoon at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel : Satri House (Deluxe Room)

Day 4 – Luang Prabang – Pakbeng

The Mekong river is the lifeblood of Laos and and so a river cruise is an intrinsic part of your Laos holidays. The Luang Say Cruise departs Auberge Calao pier at 07h00am for a cruise up the Mekong to Pakbeng. At 0830, opposite the mouth of the Nam Ou River, near Pak Ou village, the cruise stops at the Tam Thing cave. translated as Rock Cave, it is famous for housing over 2,500 Buddha statues of all sizes and for being a place of pilgrimage for locals.

Enjoy lunch onboard. A few hours later the river boat makes a stop at the hill tribe village of Baw, where you can watch the traditional process of making Lao whiskey.

The river cruise arrives at Luang Say Lodge near Pakbeng before sunset, giving plenty of time to refresh and enjoy the scenery of the river and the surrounding natural environment.

A Laotian dinner is served on the open air terrace overlooking the Mekong River.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Hotel: Luang Say Lodge (River View Bungalow)

Day 5 – Pakbeng – Muang La

After breakfast overlooking the Mekong, the next stop on your Laos holidays is Muang La in north Laos. The journey by road takes approximately four hours. After check in the remainder of the day is free to relax and enjoy the lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Hotel: Muang La Lodge (River View Room)

Day 6 – Muang La

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion where you will meet and learn about the typical ethnic communities of this region. Originally from Yunnan in China & Tibet, these tribes of “hunter-gatherers” are called the “people of heaven” by the Lao people living on the plains. Minority villages are found above 1,000m above sea level, built on the side of the mountains, where the villagers retain their centuries old traditions and customs. Among these groups are the Ikhos, Akha, Khamu and Hmong people.

Access to the villages can be difficult and so 4×4 vehicles are used to follow the twisting mountain trails with some breathtaking views of the valleys and mountains. Excursions to some villages include a walk of between thirty minutes to an hour, a small price to pay to experience a different world of small teak houses where tourists are hardly ever seen.

Today you meet the Khamu minority in a rice field. Return to the lodge at the end of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Hotel: Muang La Lodge (River View Room)

Day 7 – Muang La

Today is another full day exploring minority villages in northern Laos. Before dinner, you are invited to one of the most important ceremonies to the people of Laos, a Baci ceremony.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Hotel: Muang La Lodge (River View Room)

Minority village, Northern Laos

Day 8 –  Muang La – Oudom Xay – Pakse  – Don Daeng Island

This morning transfer by car 40 minutes to Oudom Xay airport. Take connecting domestic flights to Pakse via Vientiane.

You are met by your local guide upon arrival at Pakse airport. Transfer by private to car the pier and then by boat to Don Daeng Island and La Folie Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: La Folie Lodge (Mekong View Room)

Day 9 – Don Daeng Island

After breakfast, drive to Wat Phou, located in the heart of Champasak, and the former Royal Capital of the Champa Kingdom. The pre-Angkorian Wat Phou temple was built between the 6th and 13th century and is situated on a hillside offering spectacular views of the surrounding plains and the Mekong River. The temple received World Heritage status from UNESCO in 2002

Stroll through old Champasak Town and have lunch before you head back to Don Daeng Island.

Afternoon is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: La Folie Lodge (Mekong View Room)

Day 10 – Don Daeng Island

After breakfast, you set off on a full day exploration of the 4000 islands further south, a highlight for many on their Laos holidays. The Si Phan Don (meaning 4000 Islands) is an island archipelago located in the Mekong River. The principal islands of Si Phan Don are Don Khong (the largest), Don Det and Don Khone.

Cross the Mekong by small boat to Ban Muang pier. From here, drive 1, 1/2 hours overland in your private minivan towards the Cambodian border. The first stop is the pier at Ban Nakasang where you board a small boat to cruise to Don Khone Island. Here, you can hop on a tuk tuk or bicycle and visit the remnants of the French colonial area, including an old pier, a railway station, a former French hospital building and the maritime office.

Enjoy lunch on the island in the afternoon visit Liphi waterfalls, nicknamed the “Corridor of the Devil“. Local daredevils put fish traps at the bottom of the falls to catch fresh fish each day.

If time permits, you can choose between two activities.

Option 1:

The area is home to a rare fresh water dolphin species and if you are lucky you might even spot the Irrawaddy dolphin during a short boat cruise.

Option 2:

Return back to the mainland and visit the Khone Phapheng waterfalls. The waterfalls are the main reason why the Mekong River is not navigable all the way from Vietnam to China.

Return to the Ban Nakasang and transfer overland 1 1/2 hrs by road to the boat that will take you back to Don Daeng Island and La Folie Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: La Folie Lodge (Mekong View Room)

Don Khone Island

Day 11 – Don Daeng Island – Pakse departure

After breakfast, savour the last moments of your Laos holidays until the transfer to Pakse airport and your flight home.