Laos Encounter
6days/5nights

Day1.   Arrival –Vientiane
On arrival at Wattay Airport or Friendship Bridge, you are met and transferred to our centrally located hotel. On the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is the charming and fascinating capital of Laos. This small town conjures up exotic images, with the curious mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, French influences. We explore the town this afternoon; with Wat Sisaket which is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane. This amazing structure features remarkable frescoes and Buddha images. The following sight is Haw Prakeo, the former royal temple of Laos monarchy, where previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Statue. We then visit the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane's own Arc de Triumph before continuing to the famous That Luang Stupa. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day2.   Vientiane - Vang Vieng
The journeys northwards begin as depart the town and drive through the Atacular countryside towards the mountain region. Along the way we visit the busy and colorful market of Thalat where various hill tribes come to trade their goods and buy previsions. A next stop of our trip is Vang Xang, famous for the archeological site dating back 11th century. We reach our final destination, Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. The small and tranquil village of Vang Vieng is rapidly developed with the advent of tourist, but the beautiful scenery with a mixture of quiet water and limestone outcrops unchanged for century. After checking into hotel we take a wander to catch our first glimpse of this hill town. Over night in Vang Vieng. (B)

Day3.   Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang
Heading out of town we explore the famous cave of Tham Jang that was once used by local people as a hideout from Chinese invaders. We also cross the river to Ban Huai Ngai, a very pleasant village where we can explore the different local lifestyle. Upon leaving Vang Vieng, the roads begin to deteriorate; however the stunning mountain scenery makes for an interesting journey. We wind our way through Kasi and Phoukhoune to Luang Prabang. This town with its gleaming temple roofs, fading colonial architecture and stunning mountain backdrop has been claimed by UNESCO to be "the best preserved traditional city in South East Asia".  There is little traffic on Luang Prabang roads and monks in orange robes scurry in all directions carrying umbrellas to shade themselves from the Sun. Overnight in Luang Prabang. (B)

Day4.   Luang Prabang – City Tour
The former Royal Palace has been turned into a National Museum. This interesting structure displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign. We also have enough time this day to explore some other landmarks, including the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham, the city's oldest temple of Wat Sene and the Wat Mai with five tiered roofs. A visit to Luang Prabang would be not complete without climbing 329 steps to the top of Phousi Hill for a beautiful sunset view of the Mekong River. The zigzag path crosses over various temples to the sacred, gilded stupa of Wat Phou, another World Heritage Site, recognized by UNESCO in 2002si at the summit. Overnight in Luang Prabang. (B)

Day5.   Luang Prabang - Pakou – caves
Today, we continue our city tour, seeing the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, which nestles at the meeting of the Mekong and the Nam Khan River. The temple structures are decorated in various ways with gilded stuccoes and doorways. The main Sim has a marvelous 'tree of life' mosaic pattern on an outer wall.  We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a taste of the tranquil countryside and an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. Along the way, we stop at Ban Xang Hai to visit the rice wine distillation. Upon disembarking, we drive to the famous weaving village of Ban Phanom where shoppers have a chance to try their hand at bargaining. Overnight in Luang Prabang. (B)

Day6.   Luang Prabang - Vientiane –Departure
The National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of the artifacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign, and the central market are not to be missed. We visit these sights and have free time wandering around the town before transfer to the airport for a short flight to Vientiane and then get a connecting flight out to your next destination. (B)