A Taste of Luang Prabang

📍 Luang Prabang Airport – Luang Prabang (4 km): 15 min

Upon arrival to Luang Prabang, one of our representatives will be waiting to provide a VIP welcome in the immigration area. Enjoy a fast-tracked customs experience followed by a private city transfer to the hotel. After checking in at the hotel and relaxing, embark on a brief orientation tour of Luang Prabang.

Note: The availability of this service could change at any time depending on the airport authorities, surcharge: 40 US$ per person.

This evening, take part in Laos’ special Baci Ceremony. The Baci ceremony is performed in celebration of an important event, such as a wedding, birth, or for welcoming guests, and is a means of expressing goodwill and good luck to others. The Lao believe that each person has 32 spirits which constitute their spiritual essence and the Baci is the ritual used to call back any escaped spirits into the body.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Evening Performance at the Royal Ballet Theatre.

For those interested, enjoy an evening performance at the Royal Ballet Theatre. The Ballet works to preserve Laos’ cultural heritage featuring spectacular performances including scenes from the Lao-Ramayana and traditional folk/tribal dances. (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.)

Proceed to L’Elephant, one of the finest restaurants in Luang Prabang, for dinner before being driven back to the hotel.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

📍 Boat trip to Pak Ou Caves (25 km): 2 hours

After breakfast at the hotel, start a half-day touring experience through the city. Begin with a transfer to the historical centre for a visit to Luang Prabang’s National Museum. Once the Royal Palace of Laos, the National Museum is filled with artworks, artifacts and jewels, and provides an excellent insight into the history and rich culture of the country.

Continue on foot to Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-reliefs, and Wat Sensoukarahm, which features a dazzling golden façade. The morning tour finishes at Wat Xieng Thong, the most revered temple in Luang Prabang.

For lunch today, you will be transferred to Khai Phaen . Khaiphaen is run by Peuan Mit, an organization founded by Friends-International in Vientiane in 2004, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to address the needs of street children and young people in Laos.

After lunch, head back to the hotel to enjoy some down time.

In the late afternoon, transport will be provided to the river to board the Nava Mekong, an elegant and traditional riverboat. Cruising gently down the Mekong River, soak in the views of rural villages as the sun sets behind the surrounding mountains. The riverboat will moor on the opposite bank in time for dinner, which will include a selection of classic Lao dishes and traditional local entertainment. After dinner, cruise back to Luang Prabang. Please note that this is not a private cruise.

It’s a short ride back to town, where there’s an option to either transfer back to the hotel directly or visit the evening hill tribe market.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Hotel – E-bike station (2 km): 5 min Hotel – Cooking class private garden (8 km): 15 min

The day begins after breakfast with a hotel pick up, around 09:00. Depart alongside the guide with the custom-fit bicycles.

The tour starts with a visit to Phosy Market. Explore and sample some of the unique items on sale here, with any purchases directly benefiting the vendors selling them. Continue the ride to Ock Pop Tock, a  non-profit organization working to preserve traditional weaving techniques, a trade which was once an important source of income for many Lao families. A short tour introduces the processes of silk weaving, from the initial stages of creating the dyes to the final process of loom weaving.

Ride along the Mekong back into town for the final stop of the day: the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre. The centre is dedicated to exploring the rich diversity of Laos’ ethnic minorities, with a range of traditional costumes, tools and artifacts on display. (Note: closed on Mondays).

Cycle to a local restaurant or back to the hotel by bike.

Alternatively, after dropping off the bikes, enjoy lunch at Le Tangor, one of Luang Prabang’s top restaurants.

After lunch, transfer back to the hotel and enjoy some free time at leisure

Starting around 15:30, begin a private cooking experience learning the secrets of Lao cuisine.

The expert chefs will first demonstrate how to prepare authentic Lao dishes, before giving the guests an opportunity to cook in the traditional way. At the end of the hands-on course, sample all the delicacies and receive a cookbook to bring the skills and flavours back home.

After dinner, transport will be provided back to the hotel (around 21:00).

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Luang Prabang – Luang Prabang Airport (4 km): 15 min

For early risers, there is a very special dawn visit to watch the monks collecting alms.  As the sun begins to rise, long lines of orange-robed monks leave their pagodas and walk barefoot down the streets collecting offerings from Luang Prabang residents. It is a beautiful, serene ceremony that highlights the spiritualism of the Lao people. Return to the hotel for breakfast.

Depending on the flight schedule, there may be time to enjoy a unique tour, get picked up by the guide and driver at 08:30 at the hotel for a transfer along the Mekong River to Saffron Coffee.

Saffron Coffee is a social development business engaged in ethical, sustainable, and environmentally-regenerating farming practices. They work directly with hill tribe farming families of northern Laos with a motto: ‘We Believe Coffee should not only taste good, it should also do good.’

Meet the local expert, a trained coffee barista with excellent English skills. He/she will lead this interactive tour into the world of coffee in Luang Prabang.

Take the private vehicle with the specialist and transfer to Non Saat – Saffron’s Processing Plant.

Here, observe wet-process (washing) and drying of beans, while learning about Saffron Coffee’s sustainable coffee farming approach.

See nursery and seed beds, observe hulling, grading, and sorting before being transferred to Saffron’s office at nearby Pong Vaan Village. Here, see an example of a farmer’s coffee plot and how they maintain their coffee trees with organic fertilisers and permaculture techniques.

The last stop will be the coffee roasting (drum or table top roaster) before proceeding to the tasting section for refreshments (coffee or cascara tea) with freshly baked goods.

Next, be taken back to the Saffron Cafe along the Mekong for an official donation of USD 10! The money will go towards helping Saffron to plant 10 trees per donation. Be remembered for the kind act by placing your name on a sticker and add it to the ever-growing wall of donors!

From here,  be transferred back to the hotel or continue to the next planned destination.

Tour ends at about 11-11.30am .

Please note that based on the space available at the processing plant and in order to provide excellent service, Saffron is limiting the amount of participants per group to 6pax maximum.

This tour includes:

-              a cup of coffee to begin the tour

-              tasting requirements, including coffee, cascara tea and fresh baked goods

-              a donation of USD 10 per person to Saffron to plant 10 coffee trees, in partnership with their network of hilltribe farming families

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch