UNTOUCHED CORNER OF LAOS - 6 DAYS/ 5 NIGHTS - From: 331$

Your local guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel. From 2.00pm onward room is available. Take your time to rest for a while then begin your story of the capital city. Particularly, you will visit :

Vat Phra Keo - erected in 1565 to commemorate the Emerald Buddha it holds. It was rebuilt exactly the same in 1942. The Buddha it shelters now stands under sloping, excellent carved wood panels.

Pha That Louang - a cloister guarding a big stupa, luckily saved when the Siamese raided this city. The Ho plunderers demaged it in 1873, but in 1930 it was restored by the French. It is officially the iconic image of the nation, representing both Lao’s sovereignty and Buddhism. This relic is really a masterpiece of Laotian architecture.

Patuxay - a monument built to remind the intense war against France. From its top we can see a panorama of Vientiane.
Afterwards, take a visit to the Cope museum. Opening for tourists in 2008, this museum presents the action undertaken by Cope - an organization cooperating with the government to widen knowledges about the unexploded ordnance (known as UXOs) situation in Laos and help the invalid victims of the Indochina war. Those actions are presented in an interactive way in the Cope center. You can spend time in the projection room to watch some brilliant documentary films about UXO’s and Cope, and acces in a reproduction of a Lao house, try to make some normal footsteps with a prosthetic, and enjoy arts and sculptures with mine. It's really talent of the Cope Center museum to present a sensitive subject in an impressive way. This will offer you a very enriching experience with a deep look into an important part of Laos history.

To wrap up the day, take a stroll along the Mekong River before sunset. Find some scrumptious local foods for you own meals.Night at the hotel.

Remark: The program will be converted depending on your arrival flight.

Morning time is for a leisurely 6-hour drive (275 km) southeasterly to Hinboun, Khammouane. Holding many superb karst limestone formations, it is one of Laos’s most picturesque, but not often to see many tourists here. En route pay visits to a hill-tribe market, a 15th century stupa and plenty of opportunities to take satisfied photos! Arrival in Hinboun in the late afternoon, you will overnight at a remote & lovely riverside lodge set amongst amazing scenery of limestone. Spend your time to explore the area. Meals on your own. Night at the hotel.

Board a boat and we head to the wonderful Kong Lor Cave – a cavern with 7.5km in length and up to 100m in height, splendid stalactite formations around the sight and an underground river flowing from end to end.

We have to use a long tail boat, with lamps for sight, to discover the beauty of the cave. After reaching the other side, go trekking for a while towards a nearby village for lunch on the river bank. You can also have a swim after relaxation. Many kinds of wild creatures live in this area, usually monkeys and some large cats including Civet Cat, Clouded Leopard and Tiger. Local Fauna is diverse, too, with different types of Cycads, rare Orchids, Ferns and a variety of Epiphytes.

In the later this afternoon, have a short transfer transfer (1 hour) by road towards Thakhek - the Khammouane province 's capital city, situated in South-Central Laos, halfway between the Champasak province and Vientiane. Under French colonial, this city used to be an important administrative and trading platform. It's always proud of wide avenues typical of this era and the remains of former colonial houses, which make it attractive. It's also in an ideal position where travellers wishing to discover the central southern region of Laos by land have to stopover. Meals on your own. Spend your night in Thakhek.

This day trip through the area’s breathtaking limestone landscapes offers you a forest hike, where you will be introduced by local guides to traditional forest medicines and food collected by the local residents; a leisure stroll around the peaceful lake of Nong Thao to admire the skillful local fishing techniques, stop at these remote villages to learn about a secret cave temple, dating back to 300 years ago, only discovered in 2004. Afterwards, drive 3 hours (130 km) to Savannakhet - another important town in the colonial period – for overnight. Discover the cuisine here for your own meals.

This morning we keep driving 4 more hours (280 km) southward along the Mekong towards Pakse – another old river port. Have lunch upon arrival. Then after a short rest we will  explore Pakse - the capital of Champasak province in Southern Laos. The first destination is Wat Luang - the most beautiful temple in this area, also where located the Buddhist Monk school. Continue to discover the Heritage Museum. Meals on your own and spend your night at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer Northward and then board a local boat for a cruise crossing the Mekong River towards the weaving village of Don Kho – a perfect place for those who are interested in Lao traditional handicrafts. Let’s get back the old simple time with the peaceful ‘’no-sound-of-car-horn’’ atmosphere here. More than 300 people live in villages on the border of this 800m wide island. On rice farms at the heart of the island, you can observe some women working underneath their homes on large looms to produce special silk and cotton phaa salong, and long sarongs for men. Transfer directly to the airport for your onward flight. Meals on your own. Our services end here.