Luang Prabang Highlights

Tour Itinerary

What to expect

• Walking along the small street of Luang Prabang and admire the local life
• Attending the daily morning alms giving in Luang Prabang
• Sense the skin, the smell, and the breath of the elephants as closed as you wish
• Leisurely cruise along the mighty Mekong river
• Visit various temple and museum in the ancient town of Luang Prabang to learn about the culture of Laos
• Visit local villages to learn about their daily life

ITINERARY

Day 1. Arrival in Luang Prabang – Baci Ceremony (D)

On arrival at the Luang Prabang airport, meet our guide and transfer to hotel for checking in.

You are free to stroll around the city for first impression of this ancient city. Late afternoon, start our tour joining a private Baci ceremony at a local family. The Baci ceremony as a traditional ritual of 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 to share with the host family. This is the best chance for you to have experience of local life and culture.
Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 2. Morning Alms Giving – Cruise to Pak Ou Caves (B, L)

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 14^th 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 way to experience the taste of local life.

Breakfast at the hotel. You first visit to Royal Palace Museum, which hosts a range of interesting artifacts. Then embark on a leisure cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside, before reaching the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. Along the way, we stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where they make the local rice wine.

On the way back, we visit magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture.  Afterwards, visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center to learn about Laos’ many ethnic cultures.

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.  Then visit to the famous Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by local hill-tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 3. Elephant Village and Tad Sae Waterfalls (B, L)

8.00AM depart to the Elephant Village. On arrival at the Elephant Village Camp, welcomed and greeting by our camp manager and participate in short briefing about elephants. After that you will enjoy the impressive experience of a 30-minute elephant ride on elephant’s neck*. We then receive basic mahout training on how to control an elephant.

Lunch at the Elephant Restaurant

Bathe your elephant: Take your own elephant down to the Nam Khan River for an exhilarating bathing experience!
Boat trip to the Tad Sae Waterfall: Take a traditional Lao long boat to the Tad Sae Waterfall and relax in the clear water.
We are free to stroll around the Elephant Village before transferring back to city center.

Note: there is no seat for the elephant ride, we will ride the elephant’s bare neck

Day 4. Kuang Si Waterfalls – Departure (B, L)

After breakfast, transfer to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls which is the biggest in the Luang Prabang 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 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.
If time permits, 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.

Transfer to Luang Prabang airport for your departure flight.