LAOS NATURE AND CULTURE

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Luang Prabang - Kuang Si - Muang Ngoi - Nong Khiaw - Vientiane - Pakse - Bolovens - Wat Phou - Don Khong - Don Khone - Pakse

Laos completes from North to South, a circuit that alternates the visit of the essential sites and stages off the beaten track. You will not only discover the country's cultural and historical heritage, but also its natural and ethnic riches.

13 days 12 nights
18+
Laos
Adventurer spirit

THE AMICA PLUS

Our direct presence on Luang Prabang and Pakse
Accompaniment by experienced French-speaking guides
Possibility to readjust the program on site, according to your wishes

DAY 1: WELCOME TO LUANG PRABANG

Arrival in Luang Prabang. Airport reception and transfer to hotel. Free time. In the late afternoon, climb Mount Phousi to contemplate the city bathed by the last golden lights of the day (If the arrival flight arrives too late, this climb will be moved to the next day).

DAY 2: MUSEUM AND GOLDEN TEMPLES OF LUANG PRABANG

At the first light of the day, attend the thousand-year-old Buddhist ritual of bonzes, dressed in saffron robes, silently crossing the old city to beg for their food, as Buddha had done. Continuation of the program with the discovery of the market with fresh products of Phousi, true mosaic of colors and scents. You also visit the Ethnological Museum (closed on Mondays), founded in 2006, whose aim is to promote the understanding of the different lifestyles and traditions of the fabulous ethnic mosaic that forms the Lao people. If time permits, the discovery of the UNESCO part will continue during this late morning. Lunch at the local restaurant. In the afternoon, explore the most beautiful temples and museums. Visit first of the National Museum, former royal palace built in 1904 under the French protectorate (museum closed on Tuesday), then that of the Temple of Xieng Thong, built in 1560, certainly the most beautiful and richest temple in the city , and finally visit Wat Aham and Wat Visoun, the oldest temples of Luang Prabang. If time permits, visit other temples of the historic district which contains some of the most beautiful architectural jewels of the country: Wat Mune Na (built in 1533, restored in 1920) then Wat Aphay, the legend tells that the monastery Formerly called Wat Hay Padek, which means the Monastery of the Padek Jar (kind of thick fish brine). Free time with possibility to walk to the night market of Luang Prabang. Night at the hotel.

DAY 3: AROUND LUANG PRABANG

Departure for the community farm, The Living Land. This beautiful project, created by a Laotian belonging to the Hmong ethnic group, supports local families of farmers, as well as young people by providing them with financial support for their studies. Transfer 15 minutes by car to the farm. During 3 hours, you will learn each step of rice cultivation, in a playful and interactive way: plowing fields with a buffalo, transplanting rice, harvesting shoots, sorting and separating grains in a traditional way, etc. The tour ends with a tasting of the famous Lao glutinous rice and some other specialties based on rice. In the afternoon, excursion to the waterfall of Tad Kouang Si, 30 km south of Luang Prabang, by a road in good condition through H'mong villages. The waterfall, which forms many natural pools, is a particularly pleasant place for nature lovers. Back at the end of the day at the hotel. Free time. Night at the hotel

DAY 4: KARST LANDSCAPES ALONG THE NAM OU RIVER

After breakfast, drive to Nong Khiaw. Halfway, stop for the visit of Pak Ou caves.These sacred caves, which open on a cliff at the junction of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers, are full of thousands of Buddha offerings, accumulated over the centuries. Arrival around noon in Nong Khiaw, a small town on the banks of the Nam Ou River. Breakfast in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, return by canoe on the average Nam Ou to join Muong Ngoi.Here, the mythical river is a path between high bars and limestone massifs, historic Khmu country, the first inhabitants of Laos and whose legendary kingdoms were to Muong Ngoi. After an hour of navigation, interspersed with stops for visiting some riverside villages (Ban Had Sao, Sop Vanh, Sop Keng), arrived in Muang Ngoi. Installation in a local inn and free time. Journey: 4H00 Navigation: 1H00 Night in local inn

DAY 5 : VILLAGES AND RICE VALLEYS IN THE MOUNTAINS

After breakfast, walk to the ethnic villages. This walk of discovery, of a few hours on uneven paths, crossing the rice fields, takes you to the cellar of Kaang, old cave that served as shelter for the villagers during the war of Indochina. Then, discover the village of Ban Huay Boor populated by Khmu and T'ai Deng, as well as that of Ban Na T'ai Deng. Lunch at an inhabitant and meeting with the villagers. In the afternoon, return to Nong Khiaw by canoe on the Nam Ou. Installation at the hotel. Free time to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of this mountain village. Walk: 3H00, without elevation gain Navigation: 1H00 Night at the hotel

DAY 6 :THE SCHISTOSE MASSIFS OF LOWER NAM OU

Visit the historical cave of Phathok. The villagers of Nong Khiaw used it as a shelter during the "Secret War" to protect themselves from the bombs dropped in the area. About 30 minutes from the center of Nong Khiaw, are necessary to reach the site. From the cave, beautiful views of the rice fields and the valley. Return to Luang Prabang by road or, partly, by boat on the lower Nam Ou. Arrival in Luang Prabang at the beginning of the afternoon. Free time or walk of 2 hours through Laos villages, established along the Mekong, in front of the city. Journey: 4H00 Navigation: 1H00 Night at the hotel

DAY 7 :LUANG PRABANG - VIENTIANE: FROM ONE CAPITAL TO ANOTHER

Free morning to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the city and transfer to the airport. After about 1 hour flight, you arrive in Vientiane at mid-day where our second guide welcomes you. It leads you directly to the Buddha Park, an amazing site that lists more than two hundred statues of Buddhas and other deities.Installation then to your hotel located downtown. Walk in the late afternoon along the Mekong to soak up the nonchalant atmosphere of the Laotian capital. Journey: 1H00 Night at the hotel

DAY 8: HERITAGE OF THE LAOTIAN CAPITAL

Morning visit of Khua Din market. Lively, colorful, this market with a joyous atmosphere exhales the typical oriental scents. The program is linked with the visit of two ancient Buddhist pagodas among the most characteristic of the country: the Wat Sisaket built in 1818 in the Siamese style with its thousands of statuettes of the Buddha and Wat Simuang built in the 16th century, the most revered of the city. In the meantime, visit the museum of Wat Ho Phra Keo built on the model of an ancient royal temple, housing various objects of sacred art Lao and Khmer. In the afternoon, discover the Patuxai, the Laotian triumphal arch, then walk to visit the golden temple of Wat That Luang, a religious monument of prime importance in Laos, residence of the supreme leader of Laotian Buddhism. A trip to the Silk Village Nong Bua Thong, a suburb of the capital, closes this day in the heart of the traditions of Laos. Night at the hotel

DAY 9: IN THE TROPICS: THE ENCHANTING SOUTH OF LAOS

Breakfast at the hotel then transfer to the airport for your flight to Pakse, a colonial city at the confluence of the Mekong and Sedon River. Arrival in Pakse after about 1 hour flight. Welcome by the guide then transfer to the plateau of Bolovens. At an altitude of 1200 m, the Bolovens plateau with a moderate climate is famous for its tea, coffee, rubber and banana plantations as well as for its picturesque katu and alak villages. The rivers that run through the Bolovens give birth to magnificent waterfalls (Tat Lo and Tat Fan in particular); Guaranteed thrill for trekkers with suspended bamboo bridges. On this day's program, visit Tadfane waterfalls, tea and coffee plantations characteristic of the region, a blacksmith village and a basketry village. Installation in a charming ecolodge. Free time. Journey: 1H30 - 60 Km Night in ecolodge Night at the hotel.

DAY 10 :WAT PHOU AND THE AMAZING ISLANDS OF THE MEKONG

After breakfast, transfer to the port of Pakse for a pleasant cruise of 2 hours on the Mekong. Destination Champassak, flower town of houses of colonial era where it still reigns a very marked "Indochina". You will then visit the famous site of "Wat Phou", listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. This site, older than the cities of Angkor but much smaller, has a magical atmosphere. Visit of the site and its museum. Continue by road to Khong Island, the largest island in the Mekong. Installation at the hotel and free time. Walk 30 minutes by bike for those who want to nearby, to watch the sunset. Night at the hotel. Journey: 1H30 - 60 Km Night at the hotel.

DAY 11: IN THE HEART OF THE 4000 ISLANDS REGION

After breakfast, drive to discover the island. Visit the local market and some pagodas. In the early afternoon, embark on a small boat for a cruise on the widest passage of the Mekong to join Don Khone, the most charming islands in the region, covered with coconut trees. Installation in a hotel at the edge of the water. Free time. Possibility to go around the village by bike. Night at the hotel.

DAY 12: VILLAGE BETWEEN SKY AND WATER

In the morning, departure in Tuk Tuk to Hangkhone then in canoe to go to observe, with a little luck, the dolphins Irrawaddy (only place in the world with Burma and Cambodia, where we can attend this show) . Back on the island, visit the small railway and the colonial bridge built by the French, waterfalls Liphi (Somphanith) and villages of Khone and Det. Visiting the villages is certainly one of the best ways to meet the locals. Free time to have a drink in a cafe, by the river. Night at the hotel.