Vientiane is one of the best places in Laos to get a taste of real, everyday city life – and that’s what you’ll be doing from the moment you arrive. After a night of exploring food markets and eating sindat barbecue with the locals (in spots you won’t find in Lonely Planet), tour the city’s colonial monuments and Buddhist wats, then visit the COPE Centre to learn about the lasting effects of American bombing during the 1970s – all with a private guide to put history in context. Finally, visit the studio of textile artist Carol Cassidy, a weaving expert whose incredible breadth of knowledge will allow you to get beneath the surface of this rich and intricate art form.

Pass through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in Asia to arrive at Vang Vieng: a spectacular landscape of jagged karst pinnacles, wound through with rivers and riddled with limestone caves. During your stay, you’ll get to appreciate this magnificent scenery from a variety of vantage points. Get beneath the mountains to see chambers filled with otherworldly stalagmites and stalactites, explore the jungles and mountains with an adventure guide, swim in a blue lagoon, have lunch at an organic farm, and take a ride down the Nam Khan by longtail boat.

Another glorious drive through rolling countryside and paddy fields brings you to the most remote and isolated destination on this itinerary: Muang La. Deep in the heartlands of Laos’s Hmong, Khamu, Akha and Ikhos minorities, this is your chance to really immerse yourself in the traditional culture of the mountains — all while enjoying the luxurious surroundings of the Nam Kat Yorla Pa Resort. With local guides to interpret, you’ll meet the local people, learn how they fish and farm the land, and follow trails through the rainforest to cooling waterfall pools.

The next leg of your Laos journey takes you through yet more stunning countryside to Pakbeng — this time travelling by boat. Along the way, disembark to visit Tai Leu and Hmong villages, peer into sacred caves packed with Buddha statues, and explore a morning market where ethnic minorities come from surrounding villages to trade their crafts and produce. Halfway through the cruise, you’ll stop to spend a night in Pakbeng, with its beautiful, teak-and-rosewood cabins shaded by palm trees on the banks of the river. Watch the Mekong drift by from your veranda, perhaps with a cocktail in hand, and you may decide you never want to leave.

In Laos, it’s often more about the journey than the destination — but in this case it’s both. After making your way through the countryside via minority villages and mountain viewpoints, arrive in Luang Prabang: one of the most charming towns in Asia. You’ll be going beyond the usual tourist checklist with some exclusive, expert-led tours: first at an 120-year-old photography archive; then at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre, and finally at a cooking masterclass with a local chef. Round it off with an unforgettable sunset from the top of Mount Phousi — there’s no better way to spend your time in Luang Prabang.