14 Days Laos and Thailand Tour
Duration
14 Days | 13 Nights
Destinations
Laos, Thailand
Travel Type
Private | Customizable
Places You’ll Visit
Tour Overview
This 14 days tour is for you to discover the lifestyle of Laos and the highlights of Northern Thailand. You will be accompanied by your expert English-speaking guides to explore the cultural charms, and natural wonders in Luang Prabang, discover the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang, enjoy the hidden charms of the quiet capital Vientiane, visit iconic sites and hill tribes in Chiang Mai, and enjoy close contact with Asian elephants there, and look into the royal palaces and ancient temples in Bangkok.
Highlights of This Tour
- See the best ancient temples, natural beauty, and experience the local morning market in the charming UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang
- Explore Plain of Jars, a mysterious archaeological complex with numerous 2000 years old stone jars.
- Lose yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Kuang Si falls, and enjoy leisurely walking along the forest trails.
- Visit rural villages and look into the life of local villagers in Laos.
- Look into the royal palaces and ancient temples in Bangkok.
- Visit Blue Tao Elephant Village in Chiang Mai, enjoy a fun time with Asian elephants and learn to feed and interact with them.
- Adventure to Chiang Rai’s White Temple, Golden Triangle, and hill tribe villages.
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Luang Prabang, your local guide and driver will be ready to welcome you at the airport and escort you to your hotel in Luang Prabang.
Located at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang is a must-visited place in Laos which is known for many golden-roofed wats, well-preserved Buddhist customs, and remnants of French colonial architecture.
After hotel check-in, you’ll be guided to the local restaurant for dinner. The night is free for you to relax in the hotel or explore the local night market.
Meals: Dinner
Overnight: Luang Prabang
This morning, you can get up early (optional) 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.
After that, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before we head to Wat Visoun (aka Wat Wisunarat) to see many precious religious artifacts in this oldest Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang. Followed by a visit to Wat Aham and the photographed Vat Xiengthong, the highest symbols of Buddhism in Laos, to appreciate characteristics of 16th-century Lao architecture.
In the afternoon, visit the National Museum (closed on Tuesday) which is the former Royal Palace, presenting a wealth of interesting artifacts. Move on to Wat Mai, the most picturesque and most photographed temple in Luang Prabang, featuring golden bas-relief. It once served as a temple for the Lao royal family.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Luang Prabang
After breakfast, head to the pier to take 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 the Ban Xangkhong village, a weaving village where you can follow a local expert to explore their traditional wooden looms and techniques.
In the afternoon, a scenic route decorated with green rice paddies and farms will lead you to the Kuang Si waterfall. You will immerse yourself in the beauty of this three-tiered waterfall when 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.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Luang Prabang
After breakfast, depart early to the Xieng Khouang Province for your adventurous journey through the Plain of Jars. During the route, you will run through scenic paddy fields and stop at several hill tribe villages for local cultural exploration.
Upon arrival, check-in at your hotel in Phonsavan, the rest time is for you to explore the town by yourself, you can either visit the MAG Center or sip a drink in the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Xieng Khouang
After hotel breakfast, we will head to the Plain of Jars. Itis a huge and mysterious archaeological complex with stone jars over 2000 years old and of different sizes (from 70cm up to 3 or 4 meters) scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills. The origin of these stone jars is still an enigma today, French archaeologist Madeleine Colani has led several pieces of research and suggested that they might be ancient graves.
Today, we will explore Sites 1, 2 & 3 in the Plain of Jars, and also visit some local villages.
- Site 1: the biggest site that is settled at Thong Hai Hin.
- Site 2: at Hai Hin on Phou Salator.
- Site 3: in Hai Hin Lat Khai, scattered with over 150 jars, the most impressive one.
On the way back, we will pass the former battlefields during the American secret war. Bomb craters from that era can still be seen today.
Kind Notice: All tourists need to follow the signs and walk along the defined trails because the Plain of Jars was a heavily bombed place during wartime, having been left bombs, UXO, and landmines.
After the tour, drive to the airport for your flight to Vientiane. Your guide and driver in Vientiane will welcome you at the arrival hall, and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Vientiane
After breakfast, follow your guide to discover the hidden charms of Vientiane. This quiet capital city is the ideal place to escape hustle and bustle.
Your first stop is Wat Sisaket, the only temple that survived the Siamese (Thai) invasion in 1828, featuring over 10,000 miniature Buddha statues and beautiful architecture and layout from hundreds of years ago.
Continue to visit Wat Phra Keo, a religious museum with numerous works of art from both Laos and Khmer. An outside visit to Presidential Palace will show you the town’s colonial past.
Move on to the gold-covered Pha That Luang, a large Buddhist stupa in the city center that has been regarded as the national monument and symbol of Laos. And get a great photo opportunity at Patuxay Monument – Laos’ version of Arc de Triumph.
From there, you’ll head to COPE (a local association that works to help landmine victims) for an in-depth understanding of the American/Vietnam war and how the unexploded ordinances (UXO) threaten the safety of people in this area.
After lunch, be guided to Buddha Park (aka Wat Xieng Khouane). Though not a temple, it will entertain you with over 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. The 40-meter-long reclining Buddha is a highlight here. It will be great fun for your kids to see many quirky and different-sized statues.
Freely enjoy some local cuisine in the evening before you get back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Vientiane
Enjoy free time in the hotel before your driver transfers you to Wattay Airport for your flight to Bangkok. Upon arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, your guide and driver will welcome you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for Checking in (at about 14:00). The rest of the day is free for you to relax and explore this city.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Bangkok
After a hotel breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel lobby to start today’s city tour.
You will be introduced to the Royal Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, and Wat Pho – the largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok that is known for its colossal reclining Buddha in the morning.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, you will then take a ferry to Wat Arun to admire its unique design and riverfront scenery. Being made of colorfully decorated spires, Wat Arun is one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok.
Next, move to the Wat Traimit to witness the 900-year-old five-and-a-half-ton solid gold image.
Transfer back to your hotel at the end of the day.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Bangkok
After breakfast, embark on your trip to Ratchaburi Province. Get to the pier to hop on a long tail speed boat to explore the floating market that is teemed with farmers selling food, fruits, flowers, and many kinds of local products.
Then visit a local handicraft home industry, and head to the“The Thai Village” at Rose Garden to admire many traditional ceremonies and performances, including monk’s ordination, Thai wedding ceremony, sword fighting, kickboxing, and flock dancing.
On the way back to Bangkok, take a visit to the “PhraPathomChedi”–Big Buda in Nakorn Pathom.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Bangkok
After hotel breakfast, your driver will transfer you to Bangkok airport for your flight to Chiang Mai.
Your guide and driver in Chiang Mai will greet you at the arrival hall upon arrival.
In the late afternoon, have a traditional northern Thai dinner while you enjoy Fon-lep (Finger dance), Fon-tein (Candle dance), and Ramwong (Candle dance).
After dinner, enjoy more shows performed by people of hill tribes Akha, Yao, Meo, Lisu, and Karen.
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: Chiang Mai
After breakfast, your guide and driver pick you up at the hotel lobby and transfer you to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. A mountainside temple crowns the Doi Suthep mountain, the temple features its photo-worthy surrounding areas, golden and gleaming outside, and the meditation center where visitors can learn meditation.
Kind Notice: Please dress in respectable and modest clothes (clothes with shoulders and knees covered) while visiting the temples.
This afternoon, you’ll hop on a tricycle (samlor) to travel around the walled Old City. Follow your guide to see the city moats, and gates, and visit the famous Three Kings Monument to see the statue of the three founders of Chiang Mai. Then look into the city’s pre-history and how the local culture is formed at City Art & Cultural Center (closed on Monday).
Then, get close to local’s daily life by visiting Waroros Market, a lively market lined up with stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables, food, and many other necessary items.
Return to your hotel after the visit.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Chiang Mai
We will start today’s trip early. At 06:30 – 07:00 AM, your guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel lobby, then drive along the scenic mountain road (about 1.5 hours) to explore the Southwest of Chiang Mai.
Upon arriving at the local Elephant Village, you’ll carry your belongings and walk through the Karen tribe rice paddy field to get to our hilltop main base camp. Then your jungle adventure begins after you dress up in the traditional Karen tribe t-shirt.
Your expert guide will give a briefing on the Asian elephant story, and their daily life and introduce information about the elephant village. Then, it’s the exciting time for you to get close to the elephants, as an expert instructor will teach you how to approach them safely, ways to feed them, interact with them and cuddle them. You’ll also have a chance to observe how they forage food, walk with them through the lush forest (no riding), and enjoy fun swimming and bathing with them.
Have your lunch on the hilltop as you marvel at the stunning views, then at around 2:00 pm, it’s time to drive back to Chiang Mai.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Chiang Mai
After your hotel breakfast, drive to Chiang Rai. On the way, have a stop at a hot spring. Then a 1.5-hour drive will take you to White Temple (Wat Rongkhun). Continue your trip until you get to the “Golden Triangle” at the three country borders. From there, you will take a long-tail boat on the Khong River.
After lunch at a local restaurant, continue driving to Maesai to explore a city that sits on the boundary of Thailand & Myanmar. On the way back to Chiang Mai, you will also explore the colorful ethnic culture of Thailand by visiting Akha, Yao, and Long Neck hill tribe villages.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Chiang Mai
After breakfast, it’s free time for you to stroll around by yourself or shopping some souvenirs. About 3 hours before your flight, your driver will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.
Feel free to contact your guide or travel consultant if you want to extend your Thailand tour to more cities.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: N/A
What’s Included
Dates & Availability
Tuesday
15 Sep,2024
Wednesday
24 Sep,2024
Total price
$1,049
Tuesday
15 Sep,2024
Wednesday
24 Sep,2024
Total price
$1,049
