Enjoy four days exploring Luang Prabang on your Laos tour with the addition of this four-day extension. Witness the giving of alms to monks first hand in the early morning and observe as they walk the streets to collect their daily food. Visit the lively marketplace and wander to the main sites in Luang Prabang, including the Wat Xieng Thong Temple. Cruise the Mekong River and visit the hidden Pak Our Caves, once a spiritual haven. Spend time visiting weavers and other textile makers in riverside villages and hike to the Kuang Si Waterfall. Enjoy four days exploring northern Laos on this guided Luang Prabang tour.
Highlights
Witness the giving of alms to monks in the early mornings in Luang Prabang
Visit villages with textile makers along the Mekong River
Take a dip in the turquoise blue water beneath the Kuang Si Waterfalls
Travel to the hidden and remote Pak Ou Caves containing spiritual relics
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Rise early this morning to the sound of the monastery bells at dawn. If you are up early enough you can witness the lines of monks emerging to receive their morning rice from the townspeople. Respectfully wander the streets to witness this sacred ritual as long lines of barefoot monks weave through the streets on their alms rounds. We request that you observe this from a respectful distance and discourage photographs that interfere with the ritual. Afterwards, visit the Morning Market to see an array of meats, vegetables, and spices for sale by local vendors before returning to your hotel for breakfast.
Next set out to explore this historic World Heritage city. Start with the most popular and classic Luang Prabang temple, the 500-year-old Wat Xieng Thong. Explore small side streets along alleys and through temples as you get a feel for a city that seems to have been designed with slow travel in mind. Wander up the peninsula further and visit the National Museum (or former Royal Palace). Here see relics from Laos' royalist past and the overlooking Phousi Mountain. Climb the 328 steps to get the best view of the city and breathtaking views of the entire landscape.
Depart this morning through Laos's scenic countryside to the Pak Ou Caves, a mystical pilgrimage site high above the Mekong River. Stop in at two riverside villages along the way. Visit Ban Xang Khong to see the weaving of prized Lao textiles still created on ancient wooden looms. Some villagers here also engage in mulberry paper production. The villagers of the next stop in Ban Xang Hai produce a well-known rice whiskey called Lao Lao. Try a swig of this potent drink before continuing on to the ferry boat that takes you to the Pak Ou Caves. Peer into the dark corners to see the more than 3,000 Buddha figurines and faces. Cruise along the Mekong River on your way back to Luang Prabang, enjoying snacks along the way.
This afternoon you set out to visit the nearby Kuang Si Waterfalls, starting with a stop en route to the Living Crafts Centre. Here you learn about textiles and the weavers who strive to keep these cultural techniques and traditions. Continue on to the falls where you can hop into the idyllic turquoise pools at the base of the cascading water. Also take time to visit the nearby Sun Bear Refuge to learn more about the poaching of these endangered creatures. Return to Luang Prabang for the evening.
Day 4: Return Home
1 Breakfast
Return to the airport for your flight home or on to your next destination.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$6642-3 travelers
Notes
Select a Date
Rates based on group of 2 people in double occupancy.
Peak surcharge may apply Jan 1- 5 and April 12 -16.
Initial deposit is 30% ($400 minimum) + Internal flight cost, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. Final payments by credit card may be subject to surcharge and a maximum $20,000 charge
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!
