GLIMPSE OF LAOS – 7 DAYS

Upon arrival Wattay International Airport, after clearing all customs procedures, walk to the main exit gate, you will be met by Youin Travel representative carrying Youin Travel signboard with your name on it. Transfer from airport to your hotel with guide.

Rest of the day is free at leisure. No Car or Guide at disposal. 

Meals: None

Accommodation: Ansara Hotel

www.ansarahotel.com

Luxury Option: Settha Palace Hotel

www.setthapalace.com

8.30 a.m. meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start your exploration.

Spend a relaxing half day exploring Vientiane’s Buddha Park located 25km (15mi) southeast of the city. Built in 1958, the park is a fanciful sculpture garden containing more than 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues including a quirky giant concrete pumpkin with a three-level interior representing Hell, Earth and Heaven. Enter through the mouth of a 3m (10ft) tall demon head and climb staircases from Hell to Heaven. View sculptures at each level with a panoramic viewpoint at the top level. Stroll around the park to observe the many concrete sculptures scattered throughout including characters from Hindu mythology, as well as animals, humans and demons. Most are larger than life and carved with intricate and often bizarre details. Return to your hotel.

• Suggested departure time: 09:00 
• Tour duration: 03 hours.
• The Buddha park is open daily between 08:00 – 16:00.

12.00 p.m. meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start your exploration

Spend a half day visiting some of Vientiane’s most significant landmarks. A world apart from other frantic Asian capitals, Vientiane retains a quiet and pleasant aura. Visit some of the city’s most notable temples or ‘wats’, including: Wat Sisaket, the only temple left intact after the Siamese invasion of 1828 and famous for its cloister wall housing thousands of tiny Buddha images; Wat Phra Keo, now a museum adorned with carved wooden features, a magnificent 16th century lacquered door with Hindu carvings, numerous Khmer stone carvings and a variety of Buddha statues; and the popular Wat Si Muang with its carved gold pillars, brightly coloured ceiling friezes and painted scenes from the life of the Buddha. Also visit the Arc de Triomphe-like Patuxai Victory Monument, a war monument dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. Notice the typically Laotian elements including the half-woman half-bird mythological creatures which adorn the monument.

End the tour with a visit to That Luang, a large gold-covered Buddhist stupa in the centre of Vientiane, generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos. Return to your hotel

• Most landmarks in Vientiane are open daily between 08:00 – 16:00.
• Tour duration: 04 hours
• Please dress appropriately for visits to religious sights. Shoulders, chest and legs should be covered.

Evening is free at leisure. No Car and Guide at disposal

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Ansara Hotel

www.ansarahotel.com

Luxury Option: Settha Palace Hotel

www.setthapalace.com

08.30 a.m. meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start your exploration.

Visit the weaving home-studio of Mrs. Carol Cassidy, an American expert in textiles who arrived in Vientiane in 1989 as part of a United Nations project to promote traditional weaving.

Impressed by the quality and diversity of weaving throughout Laos, she set up the Lao Textiles Studio which now employs over 40 local weavers who create naturally dyed and woven silk pieces reflecting traditional Lao designs. Learn about Lao weaving techniques with an option to support the cause through purchases at the on-site gift shop. Return to your hotel. 

• Tour duration: 03 hours.
• The Lao Textiles Studio is open Monday to Friday between 08:00 – 16:00 and on Saturday morning from
• 08:00 – 12:00. It is closed on Sundays.

Rest of the day is free at leisure for your exploration the city. No Car and Guide at disposal

Meals: Breakfast  

Accommodation: Ansara Hotel

www.ansarahotel.com

Luxury Option: Settha Palace Hotel

www.setthapalace.com

Free at leisure until transfer from your accommodation to the airport for your flight to Luang Prabang. Upon arrival Luang Prabang Airport, after clearing all customs procedures, walk to the main exit gate, you will be met by Youin Travel representative carrying Youin Travel signboard with your name on it. Transfer from airport to your hotel.

Remainder of afternoon and evening at leisure. No Car or Guide at disposal. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel

https://www.angsana.com/laos/souvannaphoum

Luxury Option: Sofitel Luang Prabang

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-9669-sofitel-luang-prabang

08.30 a.m. meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start your exploration.

Located at the confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan (Khan River), UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang is a beautiful mix of ancient gilded temples, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and peaceful river scenery.

Take a half-day walking tour exploring some of the highlights of this incredibly picturesque town. Start with a visit to the Royal Palace, which is now a National Museum housing precious artefacts that belonged to the Royal Family. Drive or enjoy a leisurely walk to explore some of Luang Prabang’s famed temples including Wat Visoun, Luang Prabang’s oldest temple. Notice it’s unusually shaped stupa designed to look like a lotus flower but referred to by locals as “the watermelon stupa.” Additionally, Wat That Luang, traditionally the cremation site for Lao royalty; the gorgeous Wat Mai with its detailed golden reliefs depicting scenes from village life; and Wat Xieng Thong, built in the 17th century. Notice the stunning “tree of life” mosaic set on its western exterior wall.

Later, have lunch in town on your own expense.

In the afternoon, enjoy a half-day river cruise to the famed Pak Ou Caves. Board a long-tail boat and begin cruising past scenes of typical Laotian villages, barely visible behind thick foliage, wooden canoes bobbing by the shore attached to bamboo poles and floats marking the location of nets and fish traps. Located next to the mighty Mekong and opposite the mouth of the Mekong and the Ou rivers, explore the two limestone grottoes, which house approximately 4,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images which range from mere centimeters up to 2m (7ft) in height. Return to Luang Prabang by cruise with a stop en route at the village of Ban Muang Keo and observe local weavers and whisky distillers honoring their timeworn traditional crafts.

• Tour duration: 08 hours
• Lunch not included
• Please dress appropriately for visits to religious sites. Shoulders, chest and legs should be covered.

Evening is free at leisure. No Car and Guide at disposal

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel

https://www.angsana.com/laos/souvannaphoum

Luxury Option: Sofitel Luang Prabang

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-9669-sofitel-luang-prabang

08.30 a.m. meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start your exploration.

Spend a half day exploring one of Luang Prabang’s most picturesque sights, the cascading Kuang Si Waterfall with electric turquoise waters. Depart on a 1hr drive south of Luang Prabang, with stops at the vibrant Phousi Market and the nearby Ock Pop Tock Weaving Centre, a social enterprise working primarily in the field of textiles, handicrafts and design.

Continue on to the waterfalls, and take a leisurely hike through the natural park past the Asian Bear Rescue Center. Swimming in the refreshing waters is possible, although between November and January the water temperature is very cool.

Enjoy your lunch before returning to your hotel by private vehicle.

• Tour duration: 4.5 hours
• Includes lunch (for morning tours only)
• The Kuang Si Waterfalls can get crowded on weekends so it is advised to visit during the week, if possible. 

Remainder of afternoon and evening at leisure. No Car and Guide at disposal.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel

https://www.angsana.com/laos/souvannaphoum

Luxury Option: Sofitel Luang Prabang

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-9669-sofitel-luang-prabang

Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and transfer to the airport for your flight back home.  

The regular check-out time is at 12:00; late check out is NOT included and subject to availability.

Meals: Breakfast