Mekong Serenity and Splendors Expedition

You will be met by our staff and transferred to your hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos. We’ll visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai; we then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as capture a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. From there, we visit the Night Market, where you can browse through a lovely selection of handmade textiles. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

You’ll meet early and drive 30 minutes outside Luang Prabang to the elephant camp on the banks of the Nam Khan River. There, you’ll learn about Asian elephants in the magnificent Nam Khan River Valley. Spend some intimate one-on-one time with an elephant. During this time, you can observe the elephant, feed it and learn to communicate with it for the most intimate elephant experience in Laos. Then you’ll enjoy a 15 minute boat ride to the Tad Sae Waterfall (seasonal) for swimming in the refreshing waters and exploring the surrounding jungle. Water conditions vary, from strong impressive currents during the height of the rainy season to inviting crystal-clear pools after the rainy season.

Today we visit The National Museum (closed Tuesday) at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture throughout the ages. We also will see the Central Market , we then visit the city's oldest temple, Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong where you can see the impressive “tree of life” mosaic set in colored glass. We then board an upstream cruise on the Mekong River, which gives us a panoramic view of the tranquil countryside. We’ll make sure to stop at the Pak Ou Caves, sanctuaries consisting of two large caverns, both repositories for thousands of Buddha images. We will also stop at a few villages during the day, including Ban Xanghai where the local rice wine is produced. We return to Luang Prabang in the afternoon after seeing Ban Phanom, a village well known for its hand weaving. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

After breakfast , take morning flight to Pakse. Upon arrival, we drive south to visit the fascinating UNESCO protected pre-Angkorian ruins of Wat Phu, one of Southeast Asia's most dramatically situated temples. They are perched at the base of Mount Phu Kao and date back to the 5th century. We continue our journey to Ban Nakasang Village the local pier , continue by boat to the island of Done Det , we explore the local villages, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era including an old railway and locomotive. We continue to discover the area by Bicycle and make stop at Liphi waterfalls, one of the most beautiful in Laos. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin. After visit , we ride our bicycle back to Hotel in Done Khone

After an early breakfast, we explore the local villages, where you will see an array of relics from the French colonial era including an old railway and locomotive. We continue to discover the area by boat at our leisure and make sure to stop at Liphi waterfalls, one of the most beautiful in Laos. If we are lucky, we may even see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Mekong dolphin. We return to Ban Nakasang and drive to Khone Phapheng, the largest and most famous waterfalls in South East Asia. After visit, we will drive back and catch boat to overnight in Done Khone.

Breakfast, and transfer to Dongkalor or Vuenkhan border gates for departure