Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

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Benolaos — 2023-01-25T05:54:29Z

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Benolaos — 2018-12-02T05:38:22Z

We assist you to create your own journey in Laos, belonging to your sensitivities, and your interests, your range of time and your budget.

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Benolaos — 2018-12-02T05:37:25Z

We offer everywhere in Laos land transports (4x4, minivans, buses, bicycles), fluvial (slow boats, kayaks) and air (national) solutions.

Local Guides

Benolaos — 2018-12-02T05:36:29Z

We provide you with French, English, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean local trained certified guides.

3 days in Luang Prabang

Benolaos — 2018-12-01T07:10:13Z

3-day journey in the city classified by UNESCO, with the help of an experienced English speaking guide.

Day 1. City centre tour [../../ ..]

Your guide will meet you at your hotel at 8:30 am, with your driver if you have taken the local minivan or tuktuk option, and with your bikes if you choose this option.

You will start this day with the visit of the National Museum and former Royal Palace when it was time of the the Kingdom of Elephants and White Parasol. You will then move to the neighbouring temple, Vat Mai, one of the most important temples in town.

Then you will join the Centre for Traditional Arts and Ethnology (TAEC) with exceptional annual exhibitions.

If you are interested in secret warfare, we recommend that you visit the newly renovated UXO Centre which proposes to rediscover this period and its consequences.

You will also pass through the Vat Visoun Temple and Watermelon Stupa, before climbing Phousi Hill to admire the stunning views of the city, especially before sunset.

You will go down on the other side of the hill to the night market for a visit of the stands showing local handicraft.

Day 2. Morning Alms and day cruise on the Mekong [../L/ ..]

Before sunrise, your guide will meet you to make you live the morning offerings by participating in the traditional Laotian ritual, whose guide will teach you the principles, the importance of this daily act, and its singularity in the Buddhism world's practice.

Then you will head to the morning market, located in down-town, which centralizes the jungle products reported by the hunters of the region. There is a fate of exoticism, endemic species.

You will then return to your hotel for your breakfast; Then it will be time to leave for the day on the Mekong.

The boat will be charted at the foot of Vat Xieng Thong, the most emblematic Temple of the town, which you will visit before embarking on.

Then you will be enjoying 2 hours cruise on the Mekong with scenic view on the local life, crossing landscapes of primary forest, in more or less narrowed water corridor. You will arrive at the village of Pak Ou around noon, to visit the 2 caves hosting hundreds of representations of the Lord Buddha.

It will be time for lunch, that will be organized in a local gourmet restaurant on the bank of the Mekong, viewing the caves.

Then it will be time to go down to Luang Prabang. On the way, you will probably be interested in visiting craft villages, alcohol to Ban Xang Hai, silk and Saa paper at Ban Xang Khong.

Then we will stop at Ban Xieng Mene to discover this small village in front of Luang Prabang. You will visit a unique temple, enjoying a magnificent view from there of the city of Luang Prabang.

Optional fee: you can also visit the potter village downstream, and possibly try 1 hour to practice pottery with a local craftsman.

Return to Luang Prabang at the end of the afternoon.

Day 3. Ethnic Villages and Kuang Si Waterfalls Park [../../ ..]

After your breakfast, departure for the falls of Kuang Si. On the way, we can stop at Phosy Market, on the outskirts of the city. It is the largest local market.
Not far away, you can also be interested in visiting the Ock Pop Tock Tail Center, which offers a guided tour (and weaving and dyeing workshops).

We will then take the road to the Park (approximately 45 minutes drive). On the way, we can stop in some of the villages of ethnic minorities bordering the road.

We will arrive late around noon.
Option: book a table at the Carpe Diem Restaurant

You will visit the park of little black Bear saved by traffickers, then the waterfall, a particularly beautiful scenic place where pure mountain filtered water comes out with the turquoise colour in a karst environment. Some areas are allowed to swim, you might think about special dress.

You will return to Luang Prabang late afternoon. Before we get back to your hotel, we will stop at Vat Phabatthai temple, on the bank of the Mekong, enjoying an exceptional view of the sunset.

End of program.

Indicative rate for 4 people:

Optional, with air conditioning minivan for 3 days: 648 USD (162 USD / person)

Included in the tariff:

* Minivan private, air conditioning with driver
* English speaking local guide
* Private boat for the day Muang Khua - Nong Khiaw
* Meals according to: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
* All paid entries
* The organization at sunrise of traditional offerings
* All government taxes and service charges
* Handling of luggage
* 2 bottles of drinking water per day
2 cold towels per day

Options available:

Available Options:

Lunch days 1 and 3
Bicycle Day 1
Tuktuk local days 1 to 3
1 hour of elephant backdrop on day 2
visit the potter village on day 2
visit the Butterfly Park on day 3
Guide in Italian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese

Exhibition at TAEC

Benolaos — 2018-10-31T12:27:27Z

TAEC's newest special exhibition, “Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos” is now on display after more than two years of extensive research and documentation in remote regions of northern Laos led by Belgian ethnomusicologist and curator, Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir, and the TAEC research team.

A highly interactive and intimate exhibit, display spaces communicate three important contexts of instrumental practices: ritual, instrument-making, and courting. Through village scene re-creation, audio stations, and interactive video and photograph kiosks, visitors will enter a world rarely seen by the general public.

In Laos, music and musical instruments are a part of everyday life. For entertainment, courtship, or rituals, to banish loneliness, teach children, or communicate with the spirits, musical practices touch every member of a community during every part of the year. There is now a struggle and urgency to document these instruments from construction to playing as modernity takes over and replaces intimate settings and songs with amplifiers, microphones, and pre-recorded music. Music is the voice of a community, the voice of a country. A voice that is constantly evolving, like every human activity.

This exhibit also coincides with the recent UNESCO inscription of the music of the mouth organ or “khaen” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is the very first inscription for the country on the ICH list and a positive step forward for safeguarding the transmission of knowledge, skills, and meaning of this emblematic instrument for future generations.

TAEC would like to acknowledge the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation for making this critical research possible, and William Klausner for supporting the creation of the exhibition.

“Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos” will be on display until the Fall 2020.

From the Curator: “Music can be explored in so many ways. There is the role of music in traditional ceremonies and celebrations, but also the crafting of instruments, playing techniques, and the decline of apprenticeship. Laos is particularly fascinating because many instruments are used to communicate, whether to pass a message through the mountains with the powerful sound of a leaf, or to express ones love with the discreet sound of the jaw harp. Speaking about music is speaking about life in Laos, its changes and challenges.”– Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir

Hmong instrument maker and musician: “There are so many people making qeej, but if I am the one who is able to help document the process of making it from the beginning to the end, then I hope my knowledge is able to inspire people not to let go of their culture and traditions, not to let go of your ancestors and family spirits. I want to leave this message behind for the future generation.”– Mr. Neng Chue Vang

TAEC's objectives of this exhibition:

Demonstrate the diversity and similarities in musical practices among minority groups in Laos.
Expose unexpected sounds and instruments to visitors in an innovative experiential space. The scenography of the exhibit and its use of different mediums will allow a deeper understanding of music and its techniques.
Stimulate local and foreign visitor interest in Laos' musical traditions and its importance to society through special events and outreach at the Centre.
Highlight, document and safeguard endangered practices and instruments.

Discover the people of Laos at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre. TAEC is the only museum and learning centre in Laos dedicated to cultural diversity. The Centre is engaged in a broad range of museum and community engagement activities, reflecting its commitment to supporting living ethnic minority communities to preserve and promote their cultural heritage while looking towards the future.

Located in Ban Khamyong, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, the museum and shop is open 9am until 6pm, closed Mondays. Admission is 25,000 Lao kip for adults, free for children under 12 and Lao citizens. The TAEC Boutique on the main road in Ban Vat Sene sells fair trade crafts made by ethnic groups. It is open from 9am – 9pm every day.

Contact:
Kristy Best, Director Sales & Marketing
kristy taeclaos.org
www.taeclaos.org
Mobile +856 20 5544 7895

View online : http://www.taeclaos.org

3d / 2n: Night Safari in Nam Nern

Benolaos — 2015-08-27T13:11:00Z

To know beforehand:

Up to 10 people.
Happens in a protected park dedicated to the conservation of species threatened with extinction, including the tiger.
Terms of rudimentary accommodation for 2 nights (1 night in a modest guesthouse, 1 night at the ecolodge inside the reserve).
Exceptional costly ecotourism activity
To learn more about the international award, read this official page: Winners 2013 (en) and 2014 Winners (in).

Day 1. Luang Prabang - Ban Vieng Thong (10h whose 7-hour drive).
En route visit the villages of weavers Lao Loum (the outskirts of Luang Prabang), and Thai Lue outskirts of Nong Khiaw.
Local lunch in Nong Khiaw.
Visit caves where stayed the administrative center of the region during the 12 years of the secret war.
By late afternoon, check into a guesthouse Ban Vieng Thong.

Day 2. Night safari camp preservation and study
In the morning, your guide will take you to the rendezvous point, in a village of Kamou ethnicity. Here begins your safari. After location scouting, you will take a boat up the river to the ecolodge. There, a breakfast awaits you; Then you have some free time to relax or walk the camp before taking the boat up the river again in a perfectly preserved jungle landscape.

Dinner will be on the banks of the river as a barbecue, before silently down the river, with research guides for species with powerful spotlights.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gJMpcZ0Zb_Y

Laos wildlife ecotourism adventure in Nam Et Phou Louey National Protected Area WCS

The ecotourism products at NEPL NPA have been designed to create a direct link between conservation and tourism so that the money that tourists pay has a positive impact on encouraging local people to protect endangered wildlife.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been supporting the NEPL Management Unit since 2003, and has assisted with the development of ecotourism products commencing in 2009. During this time significant experience has been gained on how to implement ecotourism in the Laos NPA context, and how to ensure effective operations and meaningful community engagement.

You will return to the Ecolodge to spend the night.

Day 3. End of safari, and options ...:
In the morning, after breakfast in the jungle, you will have time to learn about medicinal plants locally very used and very effective against many ailments. It is time to take stock of these 24 a unique and authentic experience of a lifestyle living in near autarky, in full harmony.
Then you will take the boat down the river to the place where the adventure began.
Then...

Notice: now, the 2-day trek can be extended up to 5 days in the conservation area.

Treks up to 5 days

The Nests trek consist of moderate 2 and 3 day trekking options with an overnight stay in spherical baskets hanging from the trees. Near the campsite a wildlife observation tower has been constructed overlooking the Poung Nyied salt lick and offering opportunities to spot wildlife.

The Cloud Forest Climb involves a more challenging 4 to 5 day trek up to the summit of Phou Louey (Elev.2257m) – the third highest peak in Laos and one of the few cloud forests in the region. This trek through the evergreen forest includes a homestay in a Khmu village at the start of the tour, followed by camping in jungle huts inside the NPA.

Proposal of programs with the 2-day Night Safari Trek

Option 1: 3D / 2N - back to Luang Prabang on Day 3

Day 3: Return to Luang Prabang in the late evening
However, the journey is long and you get tired. It is recommended to add 1 day. as presented below, which presents only qualities:

Option 2: 4D / 3N - return to Luang Prabang by day 4

Day 3 night break in a good hotel in Nong Kiaw
With a night at Nam Ou Riverside, run by a German married to a Thai, comfortable rooms, retreat for Yoga practitioners; with a pool ; or Nong Kiao Ecolodge, with its very inspired bungalows of traditional houses but with all the comfort very neat decoration. often overlooking the breathtaking sunset in Nong Khiaw, a village located 3 hours from Luang Prabang along the Nam Ou.

Day 4: Small boat trip and return to Luang Prabang
the morning by private boat for a walk, or long boat to the most upstream walks to Muang Ngoi, Sopjam. Possibility of the tubbing (large buoys tractors on which we descend part of the Nam Ou River) or kayaking in magnificent landscapes, dense and mysterious.

Return to Luang Prabang in the day, as desired.

To remember :

* On day 4: ability to adjust the schedule to be returned in connection with domestic and international scheduled flights.
* This program can be accompanied by a professional photographer serving as tour leader. French speaking exclusively.

Option 3: 6D / 5N: Hanoi rally

Day 4: Xieng Khouang (and the Plain of Jars) // Day 5: Xieng Khouang morning, Sam Nua night (Sam Neua, historical bastion of liberating communist party with its grottos (Audio -tour remarkable) // Day 6: Sam Neua - Passage of the international border Lao-Viet, then on to Hanoi.

Option 4: 6D / 5N: Vinh rally

Day 4: Sam Neua (historical bastion) // Day 5: Xieng Khuang (and the mystery of the Plain of Jars) // Day 6: Xieng Khuang - Passage of the border Nam Khan to Ky Son and Vinh further.

Option 5: 9N / 8N: rally Danang or Hue

Day 4: Sam Neua // Day 5: Xieng Khuang // Day 6: rustic Night in Pak Kading for the restaurant // Day 7: 4 hours road to Hinboun, 2013 favorite // Day 8: Visit the surrounding area, and 5 hours' drive from Savannakhet // Day 9: Crossing the international border Lao-Viet Ban Dong for continue to Hue or Danang.

View online : Official link to Night Safari

The elephant conservation center

Benolaos — 2014-12-02T05:06:00Z

The Elephant Conservation Center hosts Laos' first hospital dedicated to elephants that are victims of logging accidents or affected by diseases.

Located in Sayabouly (3 hours by road from Luang Prabang) the center is staffed with an international team of elephant vets and offers free veterinary care services, an emergency unit, a breeding center, a mahout vocational center and the most extensive elephant information center in country.

The Elephant Conservation Center is not just another elephant camp. It provides a global approach to the resolution of various problems striking the last elephants of Laos. Through a dedicated team of international conservationists and vets, programmes are implemented on site and beyond. ElefantAsia, an internationally recognised organisation, runs Laos' elephant conservation programme from the facility. A true private-public partnership, the Elephant Conservation Center cooperates with multiple conservation organisations around the world.

You can sponsor an elephant. Here are the animals who need your help : http://www.elephantconservationcenter.com/project/sponsor-an-elephant/

The Center proposes several way of visit :

1day visit, beginning at 8:30 in Sayaboury

Guided visit of the Center with veterinarians
Interacting with elephants
Lunch
Discover the Nursery
Elephant Bath

3 Days / 2 Nights Package

Short boat trip on the Nam Tien lake
Guided visit of the Center with veterinarians
Interacting with elephants
Walks with elephants and explore the forest
Discover the Nursery
Follow the elephants to their night resting place.
Elephant Baths
Sunset cruise on the lake

6 Days / 5 Nights Eco Experience

This package is your gateway to the Elephant World! During the week, you will share the life of a mahout and learn the basics of this centuries-old craft. Activities include support work at the Center and hospital; feeding the elephants; assisting the mahouts in all phases of their working day. An in-depth encounter with the Giants of Laos. It is possible to extend your stay on completion of your first week. You will then become a long-term volunteer (two weeks up to a month).
A special experience that gives you the real contact with the pachyderms, full of strength, full of love and fidelity.

See more details on the official website, see below.

View online : Website

UXO Luang Prabang Center

Benolaos — 2012-12-23T13:49:04Z

The UXO Laos Visitor Center is located behind the Chao Anouvong Monument. This free admittance center features information about unexploded ordnance, for what Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in history. Numbers talk:

Approximately 25% of villages in Laos are contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
More than 580,000 bombing missions were conducted over Laos
Over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973
Cluster sub-munitions or ‘Bombies' (as they are known locally) are the most common form of UXO remaining
More than 270 million bombies were dropped onto Laos
Up to 30% failed to detonate
Approximately 80 million unexploded bombies remained in Laos after the war
All 17 provinces of Laos suffer from UXO contamination
41 out of the 46 poorest districts in Laos have UXO contamination
Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents in the period 1964-2008
Over 20,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents postâ€ war period, 1974-2008
UXO Lao works in the nine most heavily UXO contaminated provinces in the country.
UXO Lao needs on an average, US$6.5 million, for operations. It employs over 1,000 people.

3d / 2n: Luang Prabang - Muang Ngoi

Benolaos — 2012-08-29T16:52:50Z

From Luang Prabang, visit for 3 days / 2 nights (or more) a really preserved area, well known for its untouched nature, its calm atmosphere, and the authentic villages around.
Beginning your journey with a minivan, you will explorer handicraft villages specialized in silk, cotton and mulberry paper. You will reach Muang Ngoi, where you will spend 2 days, before coming back to Luang Prabang on a private boat for a little exclusive cruise. Recommendation: stay more and do a 2-day trek (or even 3-day trek!) in the natural, preserved area of Muang Ngoi "the old".

Itinerary at a glance

Day 1. Luang Prabang - Nong Khiaw - Muang Noi
Day 2. Discover the area of Muang Ngoi
Day 3. Private cruise to Luang Prabang

Detail of the journey

Day 1. Luang Prabang - Nong Khiaw - Muang Ngoi (.../.../...)

Early morning, your minivan with chauffeur and guide will pick you up at your hotel. Destination, Nong Khiaw, where a boat is waiting for you to go up to rise Muang Ngoi, a small fishermen village, in a beautiful nature.

En route, you will have an introduction to the weaving village in Laos, working silk and cotton : Ban Xiang Khong, Ban Xieng Lek, Ban Nagnane, 3 traditional villages, specialized in handicraft.
Free lunch in Nong Khiaw

After lunch, we will have a 1h30 cruise on one of the most beautiful rivers in Laos, with a majestic karst mountains landscape covered by a dense jungle. Possible stops in villages. recommended stop at the waterfall on the way.

Arrival in Muang Ngoi before the Sunset.

Night in Muang Ngoi

Day 2. Muang Ngoi (B /... /...)

Free Day.
Optional proposals:

1-day trekking: beginning early morning, when the sun is relatively mild, for 1 hour of very easy walk to the first village, Ban Na, the village of rice fields. We then can reach a couple of villages, depending on your wishes : Hmong village, Kamou village...
You will cross rice paddies, go through jungle, in a karst landscape which rise rocky peaks. You will also have the opportunity to visit one of the many caves where the inhabitants where living for ten years during the "secret war".
1-day kayaking (or tubing): we will go by boat further up the river (about 1 hour cruise) for an exploration of two villages: Ban Ban Sopcham and Atsapeui. You will then go down the river with your kayak or tubing on a very quiet river (2 to 4 hours). You will be followed all the way by the boat that carry material, food, etc. Level: easy. Beginners welcomed.
1-day fishing: spend one day with a fisherman, barbecue on one of the sand beach with the catch of the day. Visit of the 2 villages of Atsapeui and Sopcham.
2-day trekking (B/L/D - B/L): the journey is 1 day extended and become a 4D/3N. The trek is a loop from Muang Ngoi, with an overnight in homestay in one ethnic group village (Hmong or Kamou). Back to Muang Ngoi mid-afternoon.

Day 3. Muang Ngoi - Pak Ou Caves - Luang Prabang (B/ L /...)

After breakfast, a junk will be chartered for about 1 hour cruise, down the Nam Ou River. You will stop at Nong Khiaw, where a minivan will await you to finish the journey by road.

Stop a the mouth when the Nam Ou goes on the Mekong ; there stand the 2 holy caves of Pak Ou, hosting thousands of Buddha images. These representation are left by the believers who come here to pray and seek guidance from spirits.

Back to Luang Prabang, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Options :

2-day trek around Muang Ngoi
On day 3, continue to cruise downstream from Nong Khiaw to Ban Ngeun (2h cruise)

Included in the program:

Private transportation in air-con minivan
Accommodation in twin shared in Guesthouse**
Private boat trip Nong Khiaw - Muang Ngoi
Private boat trip Muang Ngoi - Nong Khiaw
Visit of Pak Ou Caves
English speaking guide all trip
Admission fee to indicated sights
Meals: daily breakfast at hotel
Government tax and service charge
Luggage handling
2 bottles of drinking water per day during the tour
2 cold tower per day during the tour