Laos Backroads, 12 days

On arrival at Vientiane Airport, you are greeted by our guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. We may have some time free to explore 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. You can walk  from the old quarter area to the Mekong riverbank, admiring the cityscape and catching a view of the Mekong River. The long riverside is lined up with local food stands and open air bars, good place to enjoy some  drinks and  explore the authentic local ways of life.

Today, we start our exploration of Vientiane with the oldest temple of Wat Sisaket. This beautiful structure 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. We take a short walk to Haw Pha Kaew  which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. This sacred jade statue is currently displayed at  Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok . Upon leaving this sight,  we drive along Lane Xang Avenue to Patouxai, a version of own Arc de Triomphe . This imposing structure provides a  beautiful view over the town center.The following stop is That Luang Stupa which was  built in Laos style but influenced by Buddhist beliefs. This most venerable Buddhist monument with the golden stupa now becomes the country national symbol. We continue to  the vibrant Morning Market, a flagship shopping destination in Vientiane. This market interior is  crammed with shopping malls that sell everything from medicinal herbs, electronics equipment, silver jewellery, hand make  silks to everyday sundries. We finish a round of city tour and  travel by road through many sleepy villagers to Vang Vieng. This small, tranquil village is rapidly developed with the advent of tourists, but the beautiful scenery with a mixture of quiet water and limestone outcrops unchanged for century.

The mountainous altitude gives a lush color to the rolling hills which are often covered in a morning mist. We spend this morning exploring this stunning scenery and enjoying some adventure activities. Upon leaving Vang Vieng Town, we take a short drive by local transport to the amazing Tham Xang Cave set by the Nam Song River bank. This remarkable cave housing an important Buddhist shrine, has been named by a  limestone shape  inside. We head to the nearby Tham Hoi Cave, of which the interior goes spirally deep into the mountains, giving an impression of snail. There are numerous long corridors and wonderful limestone formations stretching from floor to ceiling, which form pillars to support the cave. We follow it with the Loop Cave that is naturally adorned with stalagmite formations. The footpaths go along the mountain sides towards the gorgeous Tham Nam Cave.  We  have time to enjoy a leisurely  swim at a nearby pool and glide through the water tunnel.  The walkway leads us to Phatthao Village where we stroll around  to meet the Hmong hilltribe people and understand  a little more about their life style and traditions. Upon leaving this village, we  take a drive back to Vang Vieng Town and have a free time at leisure.  You can take an optional boat trip along the Nam Somg River to explore the striking river landscape lined with towering karst and  the riverine life of local people. 

The northbound journey continues to Xieng Khouang Plateau, which is commonly known for the intriguing ‘Plain of Jars’. We make our way along the winding roads, passing through the rugged and verdant mountain scenery and timeless villages. These back roads are a great way to explore the real Laos as we see very few other travellers, mostly rural dwellers. They  are just as interested in finding out about our lives as we are of theirs. The scenic drive delivers us in Phonsavan, a new provincial center of  Xieng Khouang and a gateway to the Plain of Jars sites. This high plateau was heavily suffered from the bombing raids and the intense ground battles. The conflict has left a deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance which is still being cleared. However, the independence of Laos has made this vast plateau a peaceful region after many decades of war. We check in our hotel and catch a quick look at the townscape. There are not much to see in town besides the bustling local market and the bombing history. The bomb gallery shows how some of the defused weapons have been given a second life as support beams, scrap metal, and planters at a nearby village. We can soak up the fresh climate as much as we want since this plateau is tempred by its high elevation, with warm day and cool evening.

Heading out of the town, we travel by road to explore the enigmatic “Plain of Jars”, an impressive archaeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are littered all over the plateau. These huge jars carved from stone are supposedly over 2,000 years old, but most of archaeologists are still mystified about their purpose. They still stand despite the bombs rained down on this area during the Vietnam War. There are three sites of jars in place, but more interesting is the premier site where numerous jars in different sizes spread across the entire valley. We visit one of them before we head towards Muang Khoun, the original capital city of Xieng Khouang. This old town was almost  obliterated by the American  bombing between 1964 and 1973, therefore it was moved to Phonsavanh. Upon arrival in Muang Khoun we have a look at That Foun, an impressive 30 metre tall stupa made of brick with a hole right through  the round shape base. The major attraction of this demolished town is Wat Piawat where sits in state a large robed Buddha. We leave Xieng Khouang this afternoon for Sam Neua, the capital city of Hua Phan Province. This remote town is built in a small picturesque valley and surrounded by the rice fields and the green mountains. The winding roads pass through the rugged mountain scenery and many hill tribe villages perched on mountainsides. En route we have some stops to see the local villages and surely attract many local people.

The mysterious cave complex in Vieng Xai  was once a headquarter of the Pathet Laos. This small town with grand history sits in a striking valley of fertile hills and limestone cliffs riddled with many caves, several of which were used to shelter the Pathet Lao officers during the second indo-china war. Today we take a short drive to Vieng Xai before we set off on our exploration of the cave complex, regarded as a hidden city which supported around 20,000 people. They sheltered in caves and surrounding jungle during nine years of constant bombing. Their daily lives were mostly led under the cover of darkness. This shelter complex contains  caves for living quarters, markets, printing presses, radio station,  hospitals military barracks and also government bureaucracies. We follow the local guide to unlock each site, getting a wealth of background information and historical context.  The most remarkable place is the Kaysone Phomvihane Cave, which still has its air-circulation pump in working order. Upon leaving this sight, we venture into the surroundings of Vieng Xai and visit a local house of  the Hmong ethnic minorities. Their residence stores everything from rice, corn, pots, fishing nets to many working tools. They looks like a small museum illustrating the traditional life of this hill tribe group . We travel by roadback to Sam Neua and  have time to explore this town at leisure.

Today, we take an early morning drive, travelling through the seldom visited areas to Nong Khiaw. The road conditions are very poor in some place; however, the beautiful scenery with a mixture of undulating mountains, lush jungle and dazzling green rice fields, will makes for an interesting journey. En route, we have a break in Vieng Thong, to stretch our legs and get a taste of  real rural Lao off the tourist trail. This tranquil village is also a jumping off point for the night safari in the enormous Nam Et -Phou Louey National Park, where some raoming tigers are still found in the surrounding forests. We continue our journey along  the meandering country path the final destination of this day. The beauty is not in rice fields or jungle; it is the wide-eyed welcome of villagers since they rarely see passing foreigner tourists along this road. On arrival in Nong Khiaw we check in our hotel and start our exploration. This small riverside town is standing against a gorgeous backdrop of imposing limestone mountains, meandering river, and genuine local villages. The favorable nature environment offers many possibilities for long walking, river cruise, kayaking, waterfall explorations, and photo expeditions. They certainly capture travellers to enjoy the area rather than an overnight stop. We check in our hotel and spend this evening to explore Nong Khiaw Town  or simply  enjoy some drinks at a riverside bar.

The stunning hundred waterfalls boas a major attraction of Nong Khiaw, but this fall comlex can be accessed by trekking only. Today, we start our adventure with  a peaceful boat  trip along the Nam Ou River to Don Khou, a small Laotian riverside village. We disembark and get a chance to discover the simple lifestyle of local villagers who mostly rely on this river for their livelihood. Upon leaving this village, we start walking with our local guide through a fairly forested area, many rice paddies and small streams to the Hundred Waterfalls. They were only first explored by non-locals in late 2008 and rapidly became a highlight  in Nong Khiaw. We see the water amidst luxuriant jungle and hear the sound of cascades which drop down in various levels and stretch nearly 2 km. The trekking is strenuous at times as we walk from flat terrains to very steep places. They are probably muddy in wet season; however, it is still a funny experience to explore these waterfalls and go for a dip in one of various pools around. The local guide prepare a Lao style picnic in a dominant place. We enjoy our lunch in beautiful nature setting before we walk down via a steep path through the grassy land away from the water. This local trail gives some fantastic views of the Nam Ou Valley. We complete our walk at Don Khou Village and head back to Nong Khaw Town on a relaxed boat trip.

Upon leaving Nong Khiaw, we make our way to Luang Prabang. On arrival at Ban Pakou we cross the Mekong River to visit 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 embark on a private boat for our cruise downstream  to Luang Prabang Town, catching a fantastic view of the mighty river and mountain scenery. Along the way, we make stopover  at Ban Xang Hai 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 in view, signifying the final destination of our river trip. You are met by our guide at the boat landing and transferred to your hotel. This ancient town is strikingly built on a peninsula formed by the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. The  human life  has been recognized in 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, relaxing atmosphere, traditional wooden houses and colonial style structures, makes it an unforgettably beautiful destination.

The morning mist clears over Luang Prabang, revealing a charming environment of French colonial buildings, intricate Buddhist temples, and cobble brick streets. 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. Heading out of the town, we take a drive southwards to Ban Long Lao Village, home of the Hmong hill tribe people. We start blazing the trails with our guide and walk through many rice fields and maize plantations to venture into a lush forest. The plant life in jungle is rampant, with trees growing over trees, plus countless butterflies dancing through the thick, humid air, which is as still as a painting. Along the way, the local guide will point out various species of fauna and flora. We continue trekking to the source of Kuang Si Waterfall, one of the most captivating attractions around Luang Prabang. The undulating terrains make our trek difficult at times, with some uphill and downhill walking, but it is still an exciting experience. We descend on steep walkway and admire the spectacular Kuang Si Waterfall, which  tumbles from 60 m high over multi-tiered limestone formations into clear cascaded pools. The turquoise pools in marvelous setting of waterfall and  evergreen forest for ideal for anyone seeking an enjoyable escape on hot days. Nearby is a famous bear sanctuary that has rescued over 23 bears from illegal trade. They are now allowed to roam and enjoy life outside a cage, giving us an interesting view close up of their life in nature.

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.