7 Days Vientiane – Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang by Train

DAY 1: ARRIVAL – VIENTIANE

Pick up at airport and transfer into hotel.

Overnight in Vientiane

DAY 2: VIENTIANE CITY TOUR – AFTERNOON TRAIN TO VANG VIENG (B)

After breakfast, we start visiting the major sights; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image.

Enroute to Lao’s national precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, you will have the opportunity to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

After city tour, transfer to train Station for Express Train, EMU C84 leave at 15h:05, arrival at 16h:11

Transfer into hotel in Vang Vieng.

At leisure.

Overnight in Vang Vieng

DAY 3: VANG VIENG CAVE & KAYAK EXPLORER (B, L)

Highlights: Experience Vang Vieng’s famous river and explore it in a kayak. Paddle past limestone mountains and through small rapids, seeing the best of the Nam Song

Explore ancient limestone caves to discover stunning formations and learn about the important role these caves have played in the history of the area

This one day tour combines the best activities that Vang Vieng can offer: kayaking on the Nam Song River surrounded by rugged karsts and beautiful rural scenery as well as discovering the secrets of the limestone caves

We depart from Vang Vieng to the start of the kayaking. After some paddling instructions and a safety briefing we set off down the beautiful Nam Song River. We will paddle down a few small sets of rapids along the way to our first stop at Tham Xang, the Elephant Cave. We will walk up to the massive theater like cave while learning about the local history of the area!

After emerging from the cave a short kayak will lead us to a picnic spot on the riverside where we will enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch we shall continue down the river until the next stop at the Organic Farm where mulberry tea and a variety of different fruit wines are produced.

Continuing on down stream we arrive at Tham None Cave which is one of the largest caves in Vang Vieng! It served as a bomb shelter for local villagers during the Second Indochina War. Today it is home to a group of bats and the ‘Magic Stone of Vang Vieng’. Our guides will explain how the magic stone works and the history of the cave. The final leg of the journey is a gentle paddle downstream to Vang Vieng where we will arrive in time to catch the sunset.

Approximately: 15 min. transfer, 4.5 h. (wet season) 3.5 h. (dry season) kayaking, 1.5 h. caving/walking, 1 h. lunch stop.

Expect a full day of kayaking. The river is mostly gentle with some small, manageable rapids. You do not need previous kayaking experience for this tour but you need to be able to swim 20m unassisted. In dry season (October – April) the river level is much lower and requires starting at a different point on the river. Dry season trips do not include visiting Tham Xang, but we visit Nam Them.

DAY 4: VANG VIENG – TRAIN TO LUANG PRABANG, CITY TOUR (B)

After breakfast, transfer to train station for Express train, EMU C82 leave at 08:23, arrival at 09:29AM

Pick up at train Station and transfer into hotel.

City tour.

Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. After checking into your hotel, we visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrines of Wat Aham and Wat Mai, we then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as have a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can browse a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by the local people and hill tribes surrounding Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

DAY 5: LUANG PRABANG – KUANGSI FALL (B)

We then visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings; and Ban Thapene, a Khmu village.  This then takes us to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails. We then return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

DAY 6: LUANG PRABANG TO PAK OU CAVES (B)

Today, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city’s oldest temples of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represents classical Laotian architecture. We then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside as well as exploring the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by devoted pilgrims. Along the way, we will stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where the local rice wine is produced. On return, we take a short drive to another small village Ban Phanom, which is famous for its hand weaving.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

DAY 7: LUANG PRABANG – DEPARTURE (B)

Transfer to airport.