Mekong River Explorer, 5 days

On arrival at Houay Xai border gate, you are met by the cruise staff and  transferred  by the local transport to  the boat landing. We board the traditional boat at 9h00  and  navigate down the Mekong River. This mighty river winds its way from Tibet - China through  Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and finally into Vietnam. We will explore a part of the Mekong River on two day trip to Luang Prabang. This watercourse comes chiefly from rainfall, which fluctuates seasonally. The raining season makes the cruise up and down easy, however it involves some hardships for every boat rider to manage the boat past many rapids and rock formations in dry season. This thrilling river trip still is  a perfect way to admire the fantastic scene with a mixture of the lush jungle, undulating mountains, sleepy villages  and riverine life. Along the way we have a stop to visit some riverside village inhabited by the Hmong, Yao and Khmu hilltribe people. They are very poor, but have an interesting local culture and colorful history. The relaxed cruise reaches Pakbeng by mid or late afternoon depending on the water level of the Mekong River. This sleepy and small riverside town sets against the towering mountain backdrops and overlooks the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Beng Rivers. There are not much to see in town place as it is basically an overnight stop to break the long journey.

The exciting river journey continues to Luang Prabang Town via a full day trip from Pakbeng. We have plenty of time to relax and watch the local people doing a morning fish catch, buffaloes relaxing on sandbank, and many boats racing against the water. They  make for a fantastic scene and a memorable experience. The boat excursion passes through the stunning  landscape to the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, which are set near the meeting of the Mekong and Nam Ou Rivers. These sacred caves are crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes. They are  all brought there by devout villagers. Upon leaving this sight, we make our way to Luang Prabang Town, with stopover at Ban Xang Hai. This riverside village is famous for  the rice alcohol  distillation in traditional way. We can taste the potent local whisky and buy some souvenirs at the village shop houses. The townscape of Luang Prabang comes into view, a sign of  our cruise end. You are met by our guide at the boat landing and transferred to your hotel. You may have free time to catch the first glimpse of this delightfull town and set the tone for your days ahead. The palm lined riverbanks, terracotta roofs, golden stupas and saffron-robed monks come all together to form a picturesque scene of Luang Prabang Town.

The morning mist clears over Luang Prabang, revealing a charming environment of French colonial buildings, intricate Buddhist temples, and cobble brick streets. Today we stroll along the narrow streets and visit the  famous temple of Wat Xieng Thong, a striking temple which overlooks  the two rivers of  Mekong and  Nam Khan. The temple structure is decorated in various ways with gilded stuccoes and doorways, featuring an elaborate tree of life mosaic and  intricately carved walls. We follow it with the former Royal Palace, which is a showcase of Lao traditional and French architecture style. This mansion has been changed into the National Museum where display many artifacts and treasures dating from the early king period right through the last sovereign. The following stop is  Wat Mai, a large and nicely decorated temple in Luang Prabang, which is extensively adorned with black and red lacquer decoration and gold leaf. No doubt the oldest temple in this town is Wat Visoun, but this sacred structure is mainly destroyed by invaders from southern China. However, it is still interesting to have a look at the replica built over the original temple ground.  We visit this site and embark on a walk uphill along  the zigzag path of 318 steps on Phousi Hill , which is topped by a glittering golden stupa. This sacred shrine  dominates Luang Prabang skyline and lends  a panoramic view  from the townscape to the rugged surrounding mountains.

Today, we have an option to see the sunrise ceremony of “Arm Giving”  when many saffron-clad monks walk along the streets to collect offerings from the faithful residents and visitors. This old age tradition remains very unique in Laos, which is  the only Buddhist nation still preserving the procession. We head out of the town to visit Ban Phanom dominated by the Tai Lu hill tribe people. They used to make the royal silk textile for the Lao former royal family down centuries. We continue driving through the rugged mountains to Kuang Si, the largest waterfall in Luang Prabang. Along the way , we make stopover at Ban Na Oun to see the Hmong hilltribe people who are mostly farmers living form the slash and burnt traditions. The water sound welcomes visitors to the Kuang Si Waterfall, which  tumbles from the thick jungle over multi tiered limestone formations into cascaded pools. They are perfect for anyone seeking an enjoyable escape on hot days. We admire this spectacular  waterfall and  relax in beautiful setting of turquoise pools and  evergreen forest. The adventurers can follow steep tracks to conquer the waterfall source, catching panoramic views of the natural surroundings. We also have an optional visit to the Butterfly Park near the waterfall. This centrepiece is a large net-enclosed garden where reside  uncountable butterflies of many colours. We can see butterflies busy laying eggs, leaves studded with butterfly eggs or crawling with caterpillars. This butterfly park also has a nice garden with orchids, small waterfalls and pond, which is a good place to enjoy a rest and some drinks.

There are no activities planned for the final day. You may have free time to continue your exploration of Luang Prabang Town, do your last shopping or simply look back upon your trip images. The holiday comes to an end with a transfer to  Luang Prabang Airport for  your departure.