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Jour 1: Pakbeng
HUAY XAI - PAKBENG (Lunch, Dinner)
Arrival in Huay Xay, the border town on the Laotian side of the Mekong river. We board a comfortable boat to descend the river to reach Pakbeng. Along the way we stop at various hilltribes villages near the river. Lunch on board. Arrival in Pakbeng in the late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. Dinner at a riverside restaurant.
Jour 2: Luang Prabang
PAKBENG - PAK OU - LUANG PRABANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After breakfast we visit the colorful fresh market where hilltribes from the nearby mountains come to buy and sell various products. After the market we return to the boat for the second day of cruising down the Mekong. Along the way we stop to visit a H'Mong village. We continue downriver until we reach the famous caves of Pak Ou. The caves are high in a vertical cliff and a long wooden stairway leads to the entrance. The inside is filled with thousands of Buddha images, from various times, offered by the people. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Before arriving in Luang Prabang we moor on the right bank of the Mekong, in front of the city, for a short walk to the village of Ban Xangkong Sa, famous for its paper processing workshops and its ancient temples. Arrival in Luang Prabang and transfer to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Jour 3: Luang Prabang
LUANG PRABANG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Transfer to the Kuong Si waterfalls along a road that passes through a natural landscape of great beauty. We reach the park and after a short walk in the forest we admire the great waterfall framed by thick vegetation. Time to explore the various levels of the waterfall and, for the more daring, take a swim in the numerous pools of turquoise water. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Visit of Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital located in a valley on the middle course of the Mekong and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The numerous temples give the town a sense of mysticism and spirituality that is felt by every visitor. We visit Wat Visoun, Wat Sené and Wat Xieng Thong. In the late afternon we climb to the Wat Chom Si, at the top of the Phu Si hill, to wait for the sunset and enjoy the beautiful view. Return to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Jour 4: Vientiane
LUANG PRABANG - VIENTIANE (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Early wake up call (before dawn) to watch the daily silent procession of over 200 monks, with the Patriarch at their head, who silently accept the food offered by the people. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Visit of the National Museum inside the building of the Royal Palace. A rich collection of objects that belonged to the treasure of the royal family is displayed in the large, breezy rooms. The most precious item here is the Phra Bang, the 83-centimeters-tall gold statue, symbol of the ancient Lan Xang kingdom. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Vientiane. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon we visit the main temples of the city. Passing the side of the Patuxai, one of the city's landmarks, we reach the most sacred place of all Laos, the That Luang, a grandiose stupa that is said to contain a relic of the Buddha. We return to the old city to visit the ancient Wat Si Saket, where more than two thousand images of the Buddha are kept. Across the road is Wat Phra Keo, where we visit the Museum of Religious Art. Return to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Jour 5: Paksé
VIENTIANE - PAKSE (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Transfer to the airport. Flight to Pakse. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Pakse. Arrival in Pakse and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Bolaven plateau, a region known for tea and coffee plantations. Lunch in a typical restaurant. We visit villages where the local ethnic groups Laven, Alak, Nghé and Suei live. Each village is built around an open space in the center where the Protector spirit dwells. Return to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Jour 6: Don Khon
PAKSE - CHAMPASAK - DON KHONG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After crossing the Mekong we reach Champassak for a visit the very sacred Wat Phou, a place of great spiritual power for centuries, where the emperors of Angkor worship the god Shiva. Now the temple is revered by the Laotian and Cambodian Buddhists. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Returning to the left bank of the Mekong, we travel southwards along the river until we reach Si Pan Don, literally 4000 islands, an area of rare natural beauty, unique in the world. Arrival at the hotel on Don Khon, the largest island. Dinner at the hotel.
Jour 7: Don Khon
DON KHONG (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Free morning to explore Don Khong, an island that offers one of the most evocative and grand landscapes of old Indochina. Time seems to have stopped and people live traditionally by fishing and farming. Lunch in a typical restaurant. Visit the famous Khone Phapeng waterfalls, the only Mekong rapids, which have always blocked their navigability. In these waters, if you are lucky, you can see the very rare pink dolphins. Return to the hotel. Dinner in hotel.
Jour 8:
DON KHONG (Breakfast)
Transfer to the Pakse airport or to the Laos/Cambodia or Laos/Thailand border.
