Image Of Laos , 5 days

On arrival at Luang Prabang  Airport, you are greeted by our guide and transferred to your hotel.  You have some time free to relax and catch your first glimpse of Luang Prabang. This ancient town was strikingly built on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. The human life has been recognized in place for over thousand years; however, Luang Prabang began a prosperous time, once being the royal capital of the Lane Xang Kingdom. The old-time appearance of Luang Prabang  has been changed since the protectorate  of the French, whose influence led to the construction of many colonial villas. This remarkably preserved town with saffron-clad monks, exquisite cuisine, gleaming temples, vibrant cultural traditions, distinctive artwork, relaxed atmosphere, traditional wooden houses and colonial style structures, makes it an unforgettably beautiful destination. You can wander through the old quarter where are many striking houses adjoining along narrow lanes and friendly people around. The main street is a paradise, giving way to the night market, a famous place to sample local foods and buy some souvernirs at bargaining. This fascinating old quarter captivates travellers in all senses and offers an endless exploration.

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 take a trip along the Mekong River  to  Pakou Caves, passing by Ban Xang Hai, a riverside village famous for  the rice alcohol  distillation in traditional way. This stopover gives a chance to  taste the potent local whisky and buy some souvenirs. Upon leaving this village, we race against the Mekong River towards the mysterious Pakou Caves. They are  crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes, all brought here by devout villagers. We cross the Mekong River to Ban Pakou before we travel by road to Ban Phanom. This small village is dominated by the Tai Lu hill tribe people who used to make the royal silk textile for the Lao former royal family down centuries. We keep driving to the Kuang Si Waterfall and visit en route the Hmong hilltribe people at Ban Na Oun. The water sound welcomes visitors to  Kuang Si, the largest waterfall in Luang Prabang, which tumbles from the thick jungle over multi tiered limestone formations into cascaded pools. They are perfect for cooling off on hot days. We admire this spectacular waterfall and enjoy relaxing in beautiful setting of turquoise pools and evergreen forest. The adventurers can follow steep tracks to conquer the jungle above the waterfall, catching panoramic views of the natural surroundings.

The memorable experience of Luang Prabang will be rounded off as we board a flight to Vientiane. On arrival at Vientiane Airport, you are greeted by our guide and transferred to your hotel. We start exploring the capital city of Laos, Vientiane. This laidback city stretching long the mighty Mekong River conjures up exotic images with the curious mix of Lao, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and French influences. The initial history of Vientiane dates back the sixteenth century, but it left its legacy in form of few pagodas which are still standing in place after many struggles for the independence. The recent economic reform of Laos has made this small city undergo some vast changes with growing ambition. However, the historic old quarter of Vientiane still houses many French colonial villas, boutique hotels, vibrant shop malls, open air restaurants and tree lined boulevards. We visit  Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple in Vientiane, which features remarkable frescoes and cloister wall where are laying almost 7,000 Buddha statues in all sizes. They have been made from wood, stone and bronze, and brought here  hundred years ago. Nearby is the former royal temple of Haw Pha Kaew, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. This sacred jade statue is currently displayed at  Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. We keep driving  along the Lane Xang Avenue past  Patouxai, a version of own Arc de Triomphe, on our way to That Luang Stupa, the current national symbol of Laos. This most venerable Buddhist monument with the golden stupa  was  built in Laos style but influenced by Buddhist beliefs.

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