8 Days Luang Prabang and Southern Laos Discovery Tour

Tour Overview

This is an 8 Days Laos tour for you to discover the cultural and historical highlights in Luang Prabang, and explore the peaceful Pakse, the sleepy, and breathtaking 4000 islands.

You will follow your English-speaking guide to explore many ancient temples, Kuang Si Waterfalls, and the mysterious Pak Ou Caves and take part in the morning almsgiving ceremony in Luang Prabang, visit a coffee farm and many rural tribes and villages in Pakse, embark on a jeep tour through lush Bolaven Plateau, spend leisure time in the 4000 Islands with many peaceful fishing villages and stunning waterfalls. Come and enjoy charming Laos with us.

Highlights of This Tour

• See the best ancient temples, and natural beauty, and experience the local morning market in the charming UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang town.
• Experience unique Laos traditions: morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings and the Baci ceremony.
• Lose yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Kuang Si falls, have fun in the pools, and visit the nearby villages of the Hmong and Lao Loum people.
• Cruise upstream along the Mekong River to explore the mysterious Pak Ou caves with numerous Buddha statues.
• Hop on a jeep to travel through coffee plantations, waterfalls, and ethnic minority villages around Bolaven Plateau.
• Enjoy the peaceful and relaxing vibe in the 4000 islands region, meanwhile, admire many famous waterfalls there.
• Have a stop at the UNESCO-listed Wat Phou.

Itinerary

Day 1: Luang Prabang Arrival – Baci Ceremony
Baci ceremony at a local family

Welcome to Laos! Upon arrival, your local guide and driver will be ready to welcome you at the airport and escort you to your hotel in Luang Prabang.

You will be left some free time to rest or stroll around the city yourself.

In the late afternoon, you’ll be guided to join in the Baci ceremony at a local family where a local elder will honor visitors by chanting blessings and tieing white threads around your wrists.

After the ceremony, enjoy dinner with the host family, a great chance for you to experience real and authentic local life and traditions.

Meal: Dinner

Overnight: Luang Prabang

Day 2: Luang Prabang – Pak Ou caves
Royal Palace Museum, Pak Ou Caves, Ban Xanghai village, Wat Xieng Thong, Traditional Art and Ethnology Center

After breakfast, visit the Royal Palace Museum (closed on Tuesday) which presents a wealth of interesting artifacts.

Then, relax on an upstream cruise along the Mekong River before you reach the mysterious Pak Ou Caves. Located by the Mekong River, Pak Ou Caves are two linked caves, in which you’ll discover thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues.

During the cruise to Pak Ou Caves, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery along both banks of the Mekong River, and glimpse into local life by visiting Ban Xanghai village, villagers here are good at making local rice wine.

After the Pak Ou Caves visit, drive back to Luang Prabang, and take a visit to Wat Xieng Thong, the highest symbol of Buddhism in Laos, to appreciate the characteristics of 16th-century Lao architecture.

The next stop is the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (closed on Monday) where you can learn about interesting local ethnic cultures. From there, you will head to the peaceful Wat Prabath to admire the stunning sunset (if the weather is good).

Before getting back to your hotel, enjoy an exciting time at a local night market where you can see various handmade textiles made by local villagers.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Luang Prabang

Day 3: Luang Prabang – Kuang Si Waterfalls
Alms-giving ceremony, morning market, Phousi Hill, Kuang Si Waterfalls, Bear Rescue Center, Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center

This morning, you can get up early to catch the daily morning rituals of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings. Laos is the only Buddhist nation that still preserves this unique tradition.

Then, a short visit to the local morning market is waiting for you for your more in-depth experience of local life.

Back to the hotel for breakfast, then get to the top of Phousi Hill (you’ll need to take 329 steps) to enjoy a bird-view of Luang Prabang City and the Mekong River.

We then drive to Kuang Si waterfalls. Upon arrival, you will immerse yourself in the beauty of this three-tiered waterfall as it flows through the limestone jungles and discharges into a series of cascading turquoise pools. You can either have fun around the turquoise pools or enjoy leisure walking along the forest trails.

We will also take a visit to the Bear Rescue Center to see dozens of animals that are rescued from poachers and traffickers and the Kuang Si Falls Butterfly Park.

As Laotian traditional crafts are also very famous, on today’s trip we will also arrange a short visit to the Ock Pop Tock Living Craft Center for you to glimpse into local silk, weaver, and traditionally styled workshops.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Luang Prabang

Day 4: Luang Prabang – Pakse – Bolaven Plateau
Boloven Plateau, Tad Lo waterfalls, Ban Houay Houn Village

Today we will take a morning flight to Pakse, the biggest town in Southern Laos.

Flight No. for reference: QV513 LPQ PKZ 10:40 12:20

Then hop on the car to Boloven Plateau which is known for the many hill tribes, amazing waterfalls, and coffee and tea plantations.

Your first stop is the Tad Lo waterfalls, there is a bridge for you to admire the waterfall of Tad Hang and Tad Lo in the distance. You can also hike further to admire the most impressive Tad Suong waterfall.

Then, drive to Ban Houay Houn Village to see local women weaving by using their legs to stretch the fabric but not a traditional loom.

Continue traveling through Paksong and Boloven Plateau. Thanks to the cooler temperature and rivers running off, Boloven Plateau is blanketed by lush forests and is rich in spectacular waterfalls.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Bolaven Plateau

Day 5: Bolaven Plateau – Coffee Trail Experience
Tad Moun waterfalls, Coffee Farm of Mr. Khamsone, Laven Village, Suay village

Expect an in-depth experience and exploration of several rural tribes and villages today.

At around 09:00 am, sip a cup of coffee with a jeep tour specialist at Chai Coffee before we hop on the jeep to Tad Moun waterfalls (30 minutes drive). It’s a cool experience to enjoy the stunning water, and refresh in the cool water while admiring the vegetable farm.

At around 11:00 am, drive along the muddy road to the Coffee Farm of Mr. Khamsone where the farm owner will show you the coffee roasting steps and offer you some different kinds of coffee (Robusta, Arabica, and Typica).

Enjoy a picnic lunch at the farm before we drive to the Laven Village to see the endless paddy fields and look into their daily life.

Continue driving to the Suay village where you will be attracted by their traditional bamboo-made long houses.

Drive back to your hotel in Bolaven Plateau at the end of the day.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Bolaven Plateau

Day 6: Bolaven Plateau – Champasak
Wat Phou, Ban Nong Bune Village, Ban Kiet Ngong Village

After breakfast, drive to Wat Phou, an ancient Khmer temple that was built during the late 10th to early 11th century. It is a combination of Khmer architecture and Hindu religion that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still served as a place of worship for local Buddhists today.

Then continue driving south, through Champasak Town featuring French colonial buildings, until you stop at the village of Ban Nong Bune to admire their traditional wood carvings. 

You will enjoy your lunch in a local restaurant in Ban Kiet Ngong Village. The afternoon is your free time to relax while marveling at the view of the paddy fields around the lodge, and trying some optional exciting activities offered by the lodge.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: King Fisher Eco-Lodge

Day 7: Champasak – 4000 Islands
Khong Island, Ban Khone Village, Li Phi waterfalls, fishing village, Khone Phapheng Waterfall

After a hotel breakfast, say goodbye to Ban Khiet Ngong village. Drive to Khong Island – the largest island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don (“Four Thousand Islands”) archipelago. Upon arrival, head to the pier where you will ride a long-tail boat to the widest reach of the Mekong River.

Visit the peaceful Ban Khone Village to see trace the colonial past from relics of the first Lao railway and many French colonial-era buildings.

Then hop on a tuk-tuk to the Li Phi waterfalls. Close to the Cambodian border, the waterfall is one of the best attractions in the 4000 Islands. Followed by a visit to the fishing village of Ban Nakasang and Khone Phapheng Waterfall. Khone Phapheng Waterfalls is the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia which is also regarded as the Niagara Falls of Asia. Enjoy your time to soak up the view of these majestic falls and wildlife around here before you drive back to Khong Island.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Khong Island

Day 8: 4000 Islands – Pakse Departure

Your driver will transfer you from the island to Pakse airport for your departure flight. End of your Laos travel.

Meal: Breakfast

Overnight: N/A