LAOS IN STYLE & TRADITION 6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS

See the best of Laos in style. We’ve included top local restaurants and insider tours of the main cities of Luang Prabang and Vientiane, with cultural courses and visits to real community projects and local villages to let you explore and experience the country in comfort.

Welcome to Luang Prabang, spiritual heart of Laos. Dine tonight at L’Elephant, Luang Prabang’s top restaurant, housed in a French colonial-style building. Next day, take a tour of Luang Prabang. Take part in a weaving course and learn about this craft which is central to Lao culture. Later, attend a cooking class run by one of the city’s most famous restaurants. Visit the most photographed temple in Luang Prabang and cruise to the Pak Ou Caves, filled with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues.

Enjoy a Lao lunch on board, then visit villages to see them produce their local specialties. Arrive in Vientiane and drive to Makhpet Restaurant for lunch, which helps to improve the lives of marginalized children and families. ‘Les Artisans Lao’ is a community-based project where trainees use recycled materials to create fine quality stationery.

See traditional Lao performances as you indulge in some sumptuous Lao cuisine. Take a guided tour of the Laos capital, Vientiane, enjoying lunch at a French-style bistro. Have a very special final dinner in Laos where you’ll visit the home of your local hosts and participate in a traditional ‘Baci’ ceremony.

HIGHLIGHT

Luang Prabang-Luang Prabang-Vientiane-Vientiane

Dine at Luang Prabang’s top restaurant, housed in a French colonial-style building.
Take part in a weaving course and learn about this craft which is central to Lao culture.
Attend a cooking class run by one of the city’s most famous restaurants.
Visit a community project where recycled materials are used to create fine quality stationery.
Visit a local family for a real home-cooked Lao dinner.

TRIP IN BRIEF:

Tour type: private tour - can be customized
Trip Duration: 06 days 05 nights

Tour route:Luang Prabang-Luang Prabang-Vientiane-Vientiane
Tour Operates: Year Round/ Upon Request
Accomodation: 05 nights at hotel .

Note: Below price is based on English speaking guide, but we have guides available in other languages also: French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Thais

Tour Itinerary: LAOS IN STYLE & TRADITION

Day 1: Luang PrabanG(D)

Welcome to Luang Prabang, spiritual heart of Laos. Our team will see that you pass immigration quickly and will deliver your luggage to your room, along with an arrival gift.

Option: Be greeted at the airport by children playing traditional music and ladies dressed in traditional costume who will give you garlands of fresh flowers.

Take a half-day tour of the city with our expert guide. Towards the evening ascend the stairs of Mt. Phousi and take in the spectacular view as the sun sets over the city. On the way back to the hotel, you can stop off at the hill tribe evening market to see its array of locally produced goods.

You’ll dine tonight at L’Elephant, Luang Prabang’s top restaurant, housed in a French colonial-style building.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals included on this day: Dinner

Day 2: Luang Prabang (B/L/D)

If you’re an early-riser you can go to watch as residents of the city offer food to long lines of orange robe clad monks who disembark from pagodas in this, their magical morning ritual (5.30am).

After breakfast, take a tour of Luang Prabang. We’ll start at a fresh market in the old town which displays fruit, vegetables and local delicacies. Nearby is The National Museum (closed on Tuesdays), housed in the former Royal Palace; where you can learn about the history of Laos and gain insight into many of the sights and buildings which you’ll visit. Continue to the holiest temple in the city, Wat Visoun. This temple was rebuilt in 1887 and its courtyard contains the distinctive Watermelon stupa, named after its resemblance to the fruit. Also visit 16th century Wat Aham and see the altar of the two guardian spirits of Luang Prabang.  Have a proper Lao lunch at the family-run Tamarind Restaurant, where the friendly staff explains the history and ingredients of the food they serve. After lunch, take part in a weaving course at Ock Pop Tock, and learn about this craft which is central to Lao culture. Hear about the raising of silkworms and the use of natural dyes. You’ll also get the chance to design and/or dye your own scarf. Stop at center’s Le Patio Café for some local coffee. At the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre you’ll learn more about Laos’s culture and its great diversity of hill tribes.

Later, attend a cooking class run by one of the city’s most famous restaurants. Here, the chefs will show you how to make four Lao dishes, from which you will choose three you would like to make yourself. With expert guidance you will make your three chosen dishes and eat them for lunch. You’ll also be given a Lao cook book, filled with delicious recipes and with ideas on how Lao ingredients can be used in different types of cuisine.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals included on this day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Luang Prabang (B/L)

In the morning, visit the most photographed temple in Luang Prabang, Wat Xieng Thong; a beautiful, golden-gated building with colorful murals on its walls.

Take a cruise to the Pak Ou Caves, known locally as ‘Tam Ting’. These two caves are carved out of a huge limestone cliff and are filled with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues, some only a few centimeters tall and some as tall as a person. These caves are an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and you will see many people visit them in Pii Mai, Lao New Year. After this, your boat continues around the caves to the foot of magnificent limestone cliffs where we’ll enjoy a traditional Lao lunch on board. Cruising back to town we stop at two villages along the way: Ban Xien Lek, which produces Lao textiles, and Ban Xang Khong, which makes Mulberry paper.
The rest of your day is free at leisure to enjoy the city.

Option: Take in an evening performance at the Royal Ballet Theatre, founded in 2002 to help preserve this important aspect of Lao heritage.

Overnight in Luang Prabang
Meals included on this day: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Luang Prabang-Vientiane (B/L/D)

You’re free this morning until your guide meets you for your transfer flight to Vientiane.

Upon arrival in Vientiane you will be met by our guide and transferred to your hotel. After check-in, you’ll be driven to Makhpet Restaurant for a late lunch. Makhpet offers an extensive menu including Laap, the traditional spicy Lao salad, as well as a whole range of other local delights to try. It’s operated by Friends International, an organization which helps to improve the lives of marginalized children and families.

‘Les Artisans Lao’ is a community-based project where you can see trainees use recycled and renewable materials such as coconut, palm and mulberry leaves to create fine quality notebooks and stationery. If there’s enough time you can also visit COPE (Cooperative Orthotics and Prosthetics Enterprise). This local initiative plays a key role in reducing the impact of UXO (Unexploded Ordinance) in Laos, and the visitors centre here offers a sobering yet fascinating insight into the continuing effects of the bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War.

In the evening, a great place to join others chatting, drinking and eating is at one of the many food stalls that run along the Mekong river. Take in the sunset with a cocktail or a cold Beerlao. Tonight’s dinner is at Phatoke Laoderm where you will see traditional Lao performances and indulge in some sumptuous Lao cuisine.

Overnight in Vientiane
Meals included on this day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Vientiane (B/L/D)

Today go on a guided tour of the Lao capital, Vientiane. Situated on a bend of the Mekong River, Vientiane is one of the smallest capital cities in the world.  It’s a short drive to the holiest site in Laos, the National Monument: Tat Luang. Constructed in the 16th century by King Setthethirat, its sharp angles and beautiful decoration make it an arresting sight as the sun shines on its gold-leaf and towering main spire.

Next we go to Patuxay, situated at the end of Lane Xang, a large, tree-lined avenue. This Arc De Triomphe inspired building also incorporates traditional Lao motifs such as ‘Kinnari’, the mythical bird-woman said to represent feminine beauty, grace and accomplishment. Climb to the top and get fantastic panoramic views of the city.

La Tinay is a bistro run by French expatriates. Take lunch here and enjoy the delicious home-style French cuisine.

Your afternoon is free to walk around or relax. Try a soothing spa or massage treatment with professionally trained staff.

A very special final dinner waits this evening. Visit the home of your local hosts who will make delicious home-cooked Lao food and give you the chance to participate in a traditional ‘Baci’ ceremony. These ceremonies are deeply rooted in the Lao culture and are used to celebrate a special occasion- whether a wedding, an annual festival, or as a farewell.

Overnight in Vientiane
Meals included on this day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Vientiane (B)

Your guide will meet you at the hotel for your transfer by private car to the airport.
Meals included on this day: Breakfast

Price Tariff

The price is in US$, per person, based on double/ twin share and valid until 31 Dec 2013
Price details: The sample quote is for 3* hotel standard. Contact us email : info@indochinacyclingtour.com

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