Selected: fully customisable Luxurious LaosYou no longer have to rough it to experience the best of Laos. Want proof? Look no further.Stay in French-colonial villas and riverside lodges. Take private tours with local experts and bask in the scenery. Combining classic destinations with a little bit of off-piste, Luxurious Laos is a showcase of the very best of Southeast Asia’s most underrated destination.Read more LocationLaos Suggested Length12 days /11 nights Activity Level Fully customisable Every trip is unique Ratings LightLight mobility requirements as sightseeing activities are done predominantly by vehicle, with light walking SteadyIdeal for most fitness levels. Sightseeing involves walking and being on your feet for a couple of hours at a time, with down-time included too ActiveRequires a moderate level of fitness. Activities and sightseeing will generally involve walking and being on your foot for much of the day. Often includes light activities such as cycling, kayaking, or hands-on experiences AdventureDemands higher fitness. Most days will include a substantial amount of walking and/or activity throughout the day. EnergeticFor people who love being active. We reserve this rating for active itineraries with substantial movement and adventure activities almost every day. Trip highlights Itinerary Is this trip for you? Reviews What's included Explore the landmarks of Vientiane with an expert guide, visit the Buddhist photography archives of Luang Prabang with its founder and experience a baci ceremony with a descendant of the royal family Tour the karsts and caves of Vang Vieng by boat, bike and hot air balloon, cruise on the Mekong River at sunset, visit the picturesque pools of the Kuang Si falls and explore the villages of the 4,000 Islands. Enjoy a Lao barbecue on a street-food tour of Vientiane, and take a private cooking class in Luang Prabang ItineraryAll itineraries are fully customisable. Our destination experts created this trip as an example of a cultural adventure: combining remarkable sights, guided experiences and a slice of everyday local life. Choose us, and we’ll create you a custom holiday where every detail reflects your pace, passions and preferences. Take as much or as little from this trip idea as you want, talk to us when you’re ready. Plan my trip Image Image Day 1-2Vientiane Highlights: Experience a traditional Lao sindat barbecue, cooked on a grill over a bucket of hot coals Tour Vientiane’s temples and monuments with a private guide Try some innovative local cocktails at a bar with views over the MekongVientiane 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. Accommodation Vientiane • Laos Superior Souphattra Heritage VientianeFor a peaceful stay in Vientiane, the Souphattra Heritage is one of our favourite choices, feeling more like a home than a hotel with just 26 guest rooms and offering a very personalised service. Not quite what you had in mind?We’ve plenty more to choose from, these are just a few of our favourite options. Chat with an expert to find stays that suit your style and budget. Make an enquiry TransportDay 1:Car transfer from Vientiane airport to hotel (15 minutes) Day 3-4Vang Vieng Highlights: Enjoy a drive through some of the most spectacular scenery in Laos Learn Khmu customs and traditions with a visit to the village knifesmith Enjoy the early morning glow with a sunrise balloon flight over the Nathong ValleyPass 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. Accommodation Vang Vieng • Laos Superior Riverside Boutique ResortThis is the top hotel in Vang Vieng, a crisp, modern boutique resort with wide spacious grounds and a lovely swimming pool facing straight on to the Mekong River with a dramatic backdrop of karst limestone mountains. Not quite what you had in mind?We’ve plenty more to choose from, these are just a few of our favourite options. Chat with an expert to find stays that suit your style and budget. Make an enquiry TransportDay 3:Car transfer from Vientiane to Vang Vieng (3.5 hours, plus sightseeing) Day 5-7Champasak Highlights: Explore the 4,000 islands by boat and bike Take in the sunrise from Wat Phou, with farmland sprawling before you Stop at Turtle Island during a cruise for sundowners on the beachFlying south brings you to Champasak, home to pre-Angkorian temples, island fishing communities connected by ferries and Mekong scenery as far as the eye can see. Take mountain bikes between the villages, using small bamboo ferries to connect the islands together. Visit wooden temples, bamboo-basket weavers and stop for a home-cooked lunch along the way. Start the next day with sunrise at Wat Phou temple; one of Laos' most revered temples, it's split across three levels and climbing to the top rewards you with views of the surrounding farmland and waterways. Accommodation Champasak • Laos Superior La Folie LodgeUnspoiled natural beauty makes La Folie Lodge a wonderful place to relax and unwind in southern Laos. Champasak • Laos Superior The River ResortOne of Champasak’s top resorts, as the name suggests the resort overlooks a beautifully tranquil stretch of the mighty Mekong. Not quite what you had in mind?We’ve plenty more to choose from, these are just a few of our favourite options. Chat with an expert to find stays that suit your style and budget. Make an enquiry TransportDay 5:Car transfer from Vang Vieng to Vientiane airport (1.5 hours)Flight from Vientiane to Pakse (1 hour 15 minutes)Car transfer from Pakse to Champasak (1 hour) Day 8-12Luang Prabang Highlights: Take a private tour of the Buddhist Archive of Photography with the founder or director Learn about the many minority cultures of Laos on a private tour with the director of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre Meet with the head chef of Tamarind restaurant for your own, personalised cookery class Experience a Baci blessing ceremony with an artist descended from the royal familyArrive 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 Buddhist photography archive; then at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre; next a baci blessing ceremony with a royal descendant and finally at a cooking masterclass with a local chef. Round it off with an unforgettable sunset from the top of Mount Phousi and a picnic breakfast at the Kuang Si falls — there’s no better way to spend your time in Luang Prabang. Accommodation Luang Prabang • Laos Deluxe Sofitel Luang PrabangThis historic building was originally built to serve as the local prison, but since then was used by the Luang Prabang Governor as his local residence before being refurbished as a stylish and modern hotel. Luang Prabang • Laos Deluxe Rosewood Luang PrabangThe Rosewood is a forgotten 19th century hill-station that was once the estate of a French diplomat, bought back to life at the hands of designer Bill Bensley. Not quite what you had in mind?We’ve plenty more to choose from, these are just a few of our favourite options. Chat with an expert to find stays that suit your style and budget. Make an enquiry TransportDay 8:Car transfer from Champasak to Pakse (1 hour)Flight from Pakse to Luang Prabang (1 hour 40 minutes)Car transfer from Luang Prabang airport to hotel (20 minutes)Day 12:Car transfer from Luang Prabang hotel to airport (20 minutes) Is this trip for you? What's greatWe’ve included a diverse range of landscapes, so you’ll get to see towns, villages, rivers and limestone karstsThere are plenty of included experiences designed to get you beneath the surface of Lao culture, including time with local expertsYou’ll get to venture away from the usual tourist trail with a few days in ChampasakThings to considerThe accommodation on this trip is the absolute best that Laos has to offer, but it occasionally falls short of international standards. Trust us, the locations are worth it!With the exception of Champasak, this itinerary won’t get you too far off the beaten trackA moderate level of fitness is required for the trekking and cyclingThe flight from Pakse to Luang Prabang is only direct in the winter season (Nov - Mar). Outside of this window the flight's indirect via Vientiane. ReviewsOur trips start with listening. These honest, unedited reviews show how we put people first - because making customers happy is what we’re here to do.Read more reviews We had an idea of some of the places we wanted to visit, but had no idea of distances, weather, specific things to see and do etc... This is where we needed someone with a knowledge and experience of the countries we were hoping to visit. We feel very lucky [...] Everyone was there on time to meet us, show us around and give us lots of info about each country. Only one missed meeting at the airport in Laos, as guide had been given a later plane time. We found our way to hotel and agency more than made up [...] This was a wonderful vacation and the hotel choices were perfect. The tours and tour guides were great. What's included? What's includedBreakfast every dayThree lunches: one during your hike in Vang Vieng; one during the 4,000 islands tour; one you’ll make yourself during a cookery class at TamarindOne dinner: a street food tour in VientianeThree full-day experiences: trekking and villages of Vang Vieng; 4,000 islands by boat and bike; introduction to the heritage of Luang PrabangFour half-day experiences: city tour of Vientiane; private cookery class at Tamarind; baci ceremony; monks alms in Luang Prabang and picnic breakfast at Kuang Si fallsTwo evening experiences: a street food tour of Vientiane by tuk tuk; sunset river cruise in ChampasakTwo morning experiences: Sunrise hot air balloon flight over the Nathong Valley, sunrise at Wat PhouAll accommodationAll entrance fees to sites included in guided experiencesAll domestic transfers and transportNot includedInternational flightsAny necessary visasAny lunches or dinners unless statedEntrance fees to any sites not included in guided experiencesTipping and personal expenses
We had an idea of some of the places we wanted to visit, but had no idea of distances, weather, specific things to see and do etc... This is where we needed someone with a knowledge and experience of the countries we were hoping to visit. We feel very lucky [...]
Everyone was there on time to meet us, show us around and give us lots of info about each country. Only one missed meeting at the airport in Laos, as guide had been given a later plane time. We found our way to hotel and agency more than made up [...]
This was a wonderful vacation and the hotel choices were perfect. The tours and tour guides were great.