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.
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
– Guide in Italian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese
