Vietnam - Laos Connecttion , 7 days

On arrival at Pang Hok border gate, you complete the immigration formality and enter Laos. You are greeted by our guide and transferred to Muang Khua, which sits at the confluence of the  Nam Ou and Nam Phak Rivers.  This small town was once an important stop for road and river traffic; however, the dynamic face has changed since the appearance of highway and  hydropower dam. We break our journey in Muong Khua to start our trek into the remote area where many villages remain untouched from the mass tourists for centuries.The local transport takes us away from the town center, delivering to the trekking place. We blaze the local track with our local guide and walk from flat terrains to undulating mountains. The trekking is difficult at times; however some physical preparation will help you to maximize the enjoyment from this adventure. The guide prepare our pinic lunch in a peaceful place. The traditional Laos foods are simple with many organic ingredients collected from the natural wilderness, but it is still an unforgettable experience. We continue walking to  Ban Dongkham village, home to two different hill tribe groups. They are Akha Lama and Tai Yuang people who are still retain their old age culture and traditions. We see how local villagers working on fields, making Lao whisky or taking care of their domestic animals. This day walking ends up with a transfer back to Muang Khua, a peaceful, tiny town by the Nam OU River.

Today, we stretch our legs on a boat trip along the Nam Ou River down to Muang Ngoy. This watercourse gives some incredible views of the secluded hill tribe villages in Phong Saly and also the lowland Lao culture in Luang Prabang. The local boat is rather small and simple, but this river trip is still an exciting journey. We can dicover the primitive jungle, funny children ,fishing scene, and riverine villages. Along the way we make stopover at Muong Samphan and Ban Kana Hamlets, where are many local houses built  with a mix of traditional décor  and modern architecture. These house  are quite different from the current structure in low land region. We arrive in Muong Ngoy Village by mid afternoon and  check in our simple hotel. This small riverside and sleepy village has remained detached from the world by a boat ride for hundreds of years. You will not find any banks, public internet access or landline telephones. However, it is only a matter of time before the modern world arrives in Muang Ngoy. We stroll around the village and  see many ancient houses filling  the ground between river and mountains. Along the village lanes are roosters, chickens, children, dogs and puppies scuttleing about. They make for a typical picture of rural Laos, which  you rarely find  in big city.

The village life usually starts at dawn as villagers mostly rely on this river for their livelihood. They embark on their boat for an early morning catch. We can see local villagers going about their daily works before we spend our time exploring Muang Ngoy. This beautiful regions also offer many outdoor activities, some of which are mountain biking, river kayaking, mountain trekking and caving. Today we take a short boat trip down the Nam Ou River to Ban Sokhan, home to the Lao Loum people. They are mostly living in river valley and low land region, making up the main population of Laos. The walking adventure begins as we balze the local track through the spectacular scenery of paddy fields and mountain backdrop  to Ban Pha Yoong. This rustic hamlet is inhabited by the Hmong ethnic minorities who are called  Lao Sung by their habitation style. They speak their dialect and also have the different culture and traditions from their Lao Loum neighbourhood. We stroll around this village to discover the local way of life and make fund with children. The following stop is Ban Tad Lene where we meet many Khmu hilltribe people, the largest ethnic group in northern Laos.  These ethnic minorities   are locally named Lao Theung as they are usually staying in mid-land region. The guide team will prepare a local style picnic with many organic ingredients collected from the natural wilderness. We enjoy our lunch before we continue our trek to Ban Sopkong Village and stretch our legs on a boat trip back.

Today, we bid a farewell to Muang Ngoy  villagers, travelling by boat downstream to Nong Khiaw, a beautiful and rustic town by the Nam Ou River.  This tranquil town boasts a gorgeous backdrop of imposing limestone mountains and picturesque river views.  On arrival in Nong Khiaw we have time to enjoy a short walk around Nong Khiaw Town. There are not much to see in town center since all attractions are over 500m away or more.  We walk across the bridge and continue along the main roads to the viewpoint near Ban Sop Houn. The local trail zigzags itself on mountainside, leading us to a viewpoint at an elevation of 1,100m. This trail  involves some steep uphill walking, however the fantastic panoramic  view from the nearby green valley,  winding rivers and  towering cliff mountains makes the hardship all worthwhile. We take a drive to Luang Prabang with stopover at Pakou Village, a  gateway to the facing Pakou Caves that sits at the confluence 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 here by devout villagers for many years. We take a short boat trip across the Mekong River to explore the Pakou Caves before we continue our drive  to Luang Prabang. Along the way, we have a chance to see the craft villages of Ban Xieng Lek and Ban Xang Khong. They are specialized in weaving traditional silk and making Saa Paper from mulberry tree for many years. The townscape of Luang Prabang comes into view, a sign of  our journey end.

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.

Heading out of the town, we start our cycling trip  to venture into the upstream of the Nam Khan River. The hill top temple of Wat Phon Phau drawns a line for our bike ride. This meditation temple dedicated to Ajahn Saisamut Teacher is now looked after by female monks. The octagonal outshape makes this structure exceptional while the interior decoration is remarkable with many beautiful paintings representing various traditional Buddhist scenes. We make a stop to visit Wat Phon Phau and catch a stunning view of Luang Prabang Town. The local track leads us through teakwood forests and rice fields to  the resting place of Henri Mouhot, a famous French naturalist and explorer. He has travelled from Thailand to Cambodia and Luang Prabang and has  left some interesting and detailed travel journals about Ayutthaya, Angkor Complex and Luang Prabang. On arrival at elephant camp, we enjoy an elephant ride through the stunning landscape of lush jungle and river. The following activity is a boat ride along the Nam Khan River to the Tadse Waterfall, an idial place for refreshing swim from August through Januray and funny visit to baby elephants in nearby jungle. We continue cycling along a new path back to Luang Prabang and pass by the beautiful scenery.

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.