Trip
Features
Day 1: Siem Reap City Arrival
You
will be met by our local tour guide upon arrival to
Siem Reap airport. Transfer to the city for hotel
check-in. Rest of time will be at your own leisure.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day
2: Siem Reap - Angkor Tours
Today
we will visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom
(12th century). See the South Gate (with its huge
statues depicting the churning of the ocean of
milk), Bayon Temple (unique for its 54 towers
decorated with over 200 smiling faces of
Avolokitesvara), the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas,
the Elephant Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper
King. In the afternoon, visit the most famous of all
the temples on the Angkor plain: Angkor Wat. The
temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable
in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. The
distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the
Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is
considered by art historians to be the prime example
of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor
Wat's five tower symbolize Meru's five peaks, the
enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge
of the world and the surrounding moat symbolizes the
ocean beyond sunset from Phnom Bakheng, one of two
hills dominating the plain of Angkor, from where you
will have a spectacular view of the Western Baray
and Angkor Wat.
Day
3: Siem Reap - Angkor Tours
In
the morning, you will continue your temple visits.
Included are Prasat Kravan (with its unique brick
sculptures), Srah Srang ("The Royal Boths"
was once used for ritual bathing), Banteay Kdei
(surrounded by four concentric walls), Eastern Mebon
(guarded at its corner by stone figures of the
harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a
reasonable state of preservation) and the
"Mountain Temple" of Pre Rup. In the
afternoon, transfer to the archaeological site and
continue to the temple tour. Visit Ta Prohm, one of
the most beautiful temples in the area. Ta Prohm has
been left relatively untouched since it was
discovered and retains much of its mystery. Then,
visit Takeo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda temples.
Overnight at hotel in Siem Reap.
Day
4: Siem
Reap - Luang Prabang
On
arrival at the airport, you will be met and
transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang was the
royal capital of the former Lane Xang Kingdom, with
its gleaming temple roofs, colonial architecture and
stunning mountain backdrop retains a unique
charm rarely found in all Asia. Here is plenty to
see, including the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun,
the shrine of Wat Aham and Wat Mai with five tiered
roofs. We include these sights in a half day guided
tour, which ends with a climb to Phousi Hill to
enjoy a beautiful sunset view of the city and its
glowing reflection on the Mekong River. There are
329 steps leading us on zigzag way past various
temples to the sacred, gilded stupa of Wat Phousi at
the summit. Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day
5: Luang
Prabang - Pakou - Luang Prabang
Today
we continue our tour of Luang Prabang with the
temple of Wat Xieng Thong, a magnificent piece of
architecture, which nestles at the meeting of the
Mekong and the Nam Khan River. The temple structures
are decorated in various ways with gilded stuccoes
as well as doorways and the main sim has a marvelous
'tree life' mosaic pattern on an outer wall. We embark
on a boat for a leisurely trip on the Mekong River,
stopping en route at Ban Xang Hai to see the
production of and to sample the local rice wine.
Upon leaving this village we pass through stunning
mountain landscape to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves.
These two linked caves are crammed with
thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of
various shapes and sizes, all brought there by
devout villagers. After the river trip we drive towards Ban
Phanom, a small village known for its hand weaving.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day
6: Luang
Prabang - Khouangsi Waterfall
The
exploration of Luang Prabang would be not complete
without a visit to the National
Museum (closed Tuesdays)
at the former Royal Palace. This interesting
structure displays a lovely collection of treasures
and artefacts
reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from
the days of the early kings right through the last
sovereign. Heading out of town we drive southbound
passing some verdant and rugged scenery on our way
to visiting some hill tribe people at Ban Lao Soung
and Ban Ou. Here we take a walk to the beautiful
Khouang Si waterfalls, where water tumbles over
multi tiered limestone formations into cool and
crystal clear pools, ideal for anyone seeking an
enjoyable escape when the heat becomes unbearable.
Overnight in Luang Prabang
Day
7: Luang
Prabang – Xieng Khouang (Road)
Today
we leave this charming town and drive to Xieng
Khouang, an area famous for the mysterious Plain of
Jars.These
back roads are a great way to explore the real Laos.
We see very few other travellers, mostly rural
dwellers who are just as interested in finding out
about our lives as we are of theirs. The drive is
very long, but we can make many stops at our
pleasure, to stretch our legs and take some
wonderful photographs. In
the afternoon there will be time to see the old
capital of Muang Khoun Province and its' nearby
villages. Overnight in Phonsavanh
Day
8: Xieng
Khouang – Vang Vieng (Road)
The
“Plan of Jars” is an impressive archaeological
site where hundreds of large stone jars are
scattered all over a plateau. These huge jars are
supposedly over 2,000 years old, but most of
archaeologists still question their purpose. We have
time today to explore the site and some nearby
villages, populated by the Hmong hill tribe and Tai
Dam people; they are very poor but possess a vibrant
local culture and an interesting history. We leave
Xieng Khouang for our scenic drive to Vang Vieng, a
small town, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam
Song River. Its stunning scenery with its limestone
outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent
developments with the advent of tourism. Depending
on road and traffic conditions, we will arrive at
Vang Vieng by mid or late afternoon. Overnight
in Vang Vieng
Day
9: Vang Vieng
- Vientiane
(Road)
An
impressive way to start our day is a walk around the
bustling central market. Heading out of town we
enjoy a short bamboo raft along the Namsong River,
which gives us a taste of adventure. The limestone
cliffs and valleys surrounding the resort complex of
Vang Vieng are home to numerous caves and caverns.
The most famous in Vang Vieng is the cave of Tham
Jang, which was used in the early 19th century in
defense against the Chinese invaders. We
also cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai, a very
pleasant village where we can explore the different
local lifestyles. We
bid farewell to Vang Vieng and drive to Vientiane.
Located
on the banks of the Mekong River. This capital
conjures up exotic images, with a curious mix of
Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French influences.
Overnight in Vientiane
Day
10: Vientiane
City Tours
Our
full day sightseeing tour of Vientiane commences
with a visit to Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple
standing in Vientiane. This amazing structure
features remarkable frescoes and Buddha statues. The
following sight is the former royal temple of Haw
Pha Kaew, which previously housed the famous Emerald
Buddha Image. We also visit the imposing Patouxai
Monument well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de
Triomphe before continuing to the great sacred
structure and symbol of Laos, That Luang Stupa. We
also head out of town to see the Buddha Park, a
scattered enchanting collection of Buddhist and
Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow,
near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately
200 religious images dating back over 500 years,
which were created by a mysterious monk spreading
his philosophy on life and revealing his ideas about
the universe. Admiring the spectacular view over the
Mekong River at sunset from one of the riverside
bars is a perfect way to finish the day. Overnight
in Vientiane
Day
11: Vientiane
Departure
We
will transfer you to airport in Vientiane where you
can connect your flight to Hanoi City in Vietnam or
Bangkok in Thailand to continue your trip. End of
service.
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Accommodation (double/twin sharing)
