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Laos Discovery Tour
Overview
Embark on an 8-day adventure through Laos, visiting Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Xiengkhouang's Plain of Jars. Start in Vientiane, the tranquil capital, known for its historic temples and French colonial architecture. Continue to Vang Vieng, famous for its stunning karst landscapes and outdoor activities. Next, explore Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site with its royal palaces, vibrant night markets, and breathtaking waterfalls. This tour provides a rich blend of cultural heritage and natural beauty.
BRIEF ITINERARY
DAY1. Arrival – Vientiane - O/n in Vientiane
DAY2. Vientiane – Vang Vieng - O/n in Vang Vieng
DAY3. Vang Vieng- Tours - O/n in Vang Vieng
DAY4. Vang Vieng- Luang Prabang - O/n in Luang Prabang
DAY 5. Luang Prabang- Pakou caves- Khouangsy Waterfalls - O/n in Luang Prabang
DAY 6. Luang Prabang- Xiengkhoang - O/n in Xiengkhoang
DAY 7. Xiengkhoang- Vientiane - O/n in Vientiane
DAY 8. Vientiane- Departure - Goodbye Laos
Click on the map to view larger image!
DAY 1: WELCOME TO VIENTIANE
On arrival at in the capital, you will be met by our staff and transferred to your hotel. Vientiane is a charming and fascinating place, with an interesting mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and American influences. After a short rest, we start visiting the major city sights; including Wat Sisaket, the country’s oldest temple, with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo. En route, we visit the famous That Luang Stupa, the single most important monument in Laos. You will have the opportunity to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.Tonight we will enjoy a welcome dinner at one of the fine restaurants.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
/ Welcome Dinner
DAY 2: VIENTIANE - VANG VIENG
After breakfast, we transfer out to see Buddha Park, a scattered and enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images here. We visit the Morning Market and the weaving village of Ban Nong Bouathong before catching an express train to Vang Vieng, a small and tranquil town nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Today ends with a superb sunset panorama reflecting over the Nam Song River. Overnight in Vang Vieng
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 3: VANG VIENG - THAM JANG CAVE
After check into your hotel, we explore the famous caves of Tham Jang, which was once used by the local people as a hideout from Chinese invaders. Next, we take a drive through paddy fields to the Tham Phoukham caves, the country’s beautiful and famous limestone caverns surrounded by forest. Along the way, you will meet local villagers and learn about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can swim and refresh yourself from the heat. Overnight in Vang Vieng
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY4: VANG VIENG - LUANG PRABANG
After breakfast, we take an express train to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang has been claimed by UNESCO to be ‘the best preserved city in South East Asia’. After a short rest, we visit The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture throughout the ages. Next, we then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a panoramic view of the city at sunset. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textile made by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 5: LUANG PRABANG - PAKOU CAVES
Today, we board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside. We’ll make sure to stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns, both repositories for thousands of Buddha images. We will also stop at a few villages during the day, including Ban Muangkeo where the local rice wine is produced and Ban Xiengmene. We also have a chance to climb up to Wat Chomphet. Here you will have one of the best views of Luang Prabang from across the river. Once back in Luang Prabang city we take a short drive to Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xieng Lek - small villages well known for silk weavings and Saa (jute) Papermaking. Overnight in Luang Prabang
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 6: LUANG PRABANG - XIENG KHOUANG
Today we leave this charming town and drive to Xieng Khouang, an area once devastated by American bombings. These back roads are a great way to have an authentic Laos experience. We’ll see very few other travelers, just mostly rural dwellers who are just as interested in us as we are about them! Upon arrival, we transfer out to visit the Plain of Jars, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are scattered all over the plateau. Overnight in Xiengkhouang.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 7: XIENG KHOUANG - VIENTIANE
After breakfast, depart for a trip to Mouang Khoune, former capital of the province, which was almost completely destroyed by American bombing during the Vietnam War. En route, visit the H'mong ethnic minority villages, Thai Dam (Black Thai) and Phuan. Orientation tour of Mouang Khoune and visit the remains of the temples of Wat Phia Wat and Wat Tha Foune. After visit the sites, we will catch the flight to Vientiane capital. After a short rest, we begin our orientation with a short walking-tour of the Lao capital, strolling around the city sights and observing the evening sunset along the Mekong Riverside. Overnight in Vientiane
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/ Lunch/
DAY 8: VIENTIANE - DEPARTURE
After breakfast, (If time permits) we visit the Morning Market and the weaving village of Ban Nong Bouathong. The tour ends after your transfer to the airport for departure.
What's Included
Accommodation
Tour
Transfer
Guide
Breakfast/
How did people say about us!
Our Traveler's Beloved Programs
Traveler Reviews
Jay M
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We highly recommend Custom Asia Travel for your trip to Southeast Asia! They provided a great combination of visiting historical and religious sites, temples, and also cultural connections in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia that we could have never made on our own. Our local guides were informative, and shared personal experiences that made our journey meaningful. We asked for an active trip, and Custom Asia Travel tailored our request with biking, kayaking and hiking. We enjoyed local cuisine in Laos, and were amazed by the history and significance of the temples in Cambodia, experienced via a beautiful bike tour.
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We did a day trip in a Jeep in Ninh Binh with Thu, which included Trang An, Hang Mua, Bich Dong and Tam Coc. Thu was an amazing tour guide and was extremely helpful throughout the whole day, organising everything from start to finish and giving us insightful information about the things we saw, as well as life in Vietnam and it’s history more generally! The lunch was also great and the day turned out to be one of the best days of our trip! Couldn’t recommend Thu enough 😊
Nadine
Date of Experience: Mar 2023
We had an amazing time! Me and my friends visited the Halong/Lan Ha Bay and the Dry Halong Bay. Everything was perfectly organized & all the pick-ups were punctual. The guide and driver were very nice. The cruise ship and the eco lodge, in which we stayed, were great. The staff was very friendly and everything was clean. We can definitely recommend booking a trip with Custom Asia Travel! The organisation and contact with the company was great before, during and after the trip.
Whitney B
Date of Experience: Dec 2022
I cannot say enough positives about Custom Asia Travel! We visited Vietnam in December/January 2023 and had an amazing trip with our 3 teens. The itinerary exceeded our expectations! We travelled to Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Nha Trang. We had no issues with any of our transportation around the country - our drivers and guides were always there on time (early, actually), friendly and helpful. The accommodations were excellent and our guides were fantastic (Tanh, Tanh, and Viet - they were awesome!). Every place we stayed put our rooms right next to each other, often adjoining, and the kids’ room always had two twin beds and a cot, while my husband and I had a king bed. This was perfect as our teenagers did not want to share beds, lol! The activities were super fun and appealed to all of us. So many highlights - the kids loved the rice farm tour (riding the water Buffalo elicited the biggest smile we’ve ever seen from our 16 year old!), seeing the caves in Ninh Binh, the cooking class in Hoi An, and Ha Long Bay. I really appreciated that some of our itinerary was focused on less crowded activities - a couple of the temples we saw were practically empty, allowing us to enjoy and experience these beautiful sites on our own. We did a couple of bike rides which were also highlights, such a great way to explore and see the area! Minh was available and responsive while planning the trip and while we were there. I agree with others reviews about whether she ever sleeps! She was able to coordinate our luggage getting dropped off as it did not arrive with us, and contacted one of the hotels about a ring that had been left, and arranged for us to pick it up. She was warm, friendly, knowledgeable, and so helpful. We truly had a relaxing and stress free trip because of the excellent customer service from Minh and our guides. With only having 12 days to visit we were so grateful to be able to enjoy the travel and know that Minh and her team were there if and when needed. I highly recommend using this company, you will not regret it! Now I am dreaming of how quickly we can make it back!! Thank you thank you to Minh and the team, our trip was unforgettable!
Date of Experience: Feb 2022
We are over 60 yers old and for eficiency we decided to organise our trips in Vietnam with a local agency. Custom Asia Travel is the wright agency. We decided to visit Hanoi, Tam Coc, Ha Long, Da Nang, Hoi An, My son Sanctuary and Ho Chi Minh City with help of this agency. The organisation and planing of the tours, the selection of the places to visit, hotels, restaurants,cars ( clean and comfortable), drivers and guides was perfect. The drivers and guides where friendly and polite. The guides ( Cường Xi,in Hanoi and Tam Coc, Tran Thanh Binh in Ho Chi Minh as also the guide in Da Nang area) where perfect. They gave us many interesting information about the visited places, organized perfect the details of the trips. The boat arrangement done by Custom Asia Travel in Ha Long Bay - Peony 1 was perfect. The prices for the offered services are fair. We kindly recommend this agency for tailor made trips.
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