Family Fun in Laos

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

Welcome to Luang Prabang, the spiritual capital of Laos!

Upon arrival to Luang Prabang, our guide and driver will be waiting to provide the family transport to the hotel for check in. After relaxing at the hotel for a bit, take off for an afternoon orientation tour.

Alongside our local guide, get to know this UNESCO-celebrated town with a short tour. Soak up the French colonial buildings and traditional architecture on the way to a game of petanque. The perfect way to interact with the locals, take part in this local favourite activity alongside some snacks and Beerlao (for the adults).

Dinner this evening will be held at Coconut Garden, offering a great introduction to Lao cuisine and also catering to children and western tastes.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

Today, take a half-day guided tour of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The guide will pick the family up at the hotel after breakfast.

Start the city tour at the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, to discover the history of Laos. Continue on foot to Wat Mai, a temple renowned for its golden bas-relief, and Wat Sensoukarahm, which features a beautiful dazzling golden façade. Finish the tour at Wat Xieng Thong, the most revered temple in Luang Prabang.

Lunch today will be held at Tamarind Restaurant. Enjoy a fresh menu of Lao dishes in a family run restaurant dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of the local cuisine. The friendly staff will happily explain the ingredients and customs of the cuisine during the meal.

(Note: closed on Sundays)

This afternoon is free at leisure.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Luang Prabang – Shangri Lao (15 km): 30 min

08:30 - Depart Luang Prabang. Tour guides will pick up clients from hotels and guesthouses.
● Arrive at MandaLao - Get an in-depth introduction into elephant behavior and
communication.
● Cooking for Elephants - Prepare special treats for the elephants that help in their digestion.
Fun hands-on time preparing tasty food we only feed the elephants in the afternoon.
● Feeding elephants- Head to the Nam Khan river and feed the elephants a variety of special
snacks.
● Elephants and Mahouts will interact and continue their on-going bonding in the river, while
you watch them and enjoy the majestic elephants during bathtime.
● Trek- Do a small 1 Km trek up Hoy Kang stream side by side with these gentle giants. This trek
is flat and can be catered to clients needs.
● Say Goodbyes - After a few more treats head back across the river to MandaLao.
● Relax - Enjoy the afternoon with snacks on our beautiful deck.
● A ride back into Luang Prabang. Arrive approximately 1:30 pm.

NOTE: Manda Lao does not allow customers to bathe the Elephants directly.  This is to fall in line with WAP-World Animal Protection Guidelines whom we are working closely with.  The elephants are free to choose if they enter the river or not and the only people that will wash the elephants would be their mahout.

After lunch, transfer back to your Hotel in Luang Prabang around 2:00 pm.
Enjoy an afternoon at leisure. 
Overnight in Luang Prabang
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Luang Prabang – Kuang Si (32 km): 1 hour Luang Prabang – Luang Prabang Train Station(12 km): 25 min Vang Vieng Train Station- Vang Vieng town(5 km): 10 min

After breakfast, the guide will provide a hotel pickup and a short transfer to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. Stop en-route to visit a small ethnic village to learn about the local traditions and culture, much of which has remained unchanged for centuries.

Upon reaching Kuang Si Waterfall, enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings or explore the surrounding dense jungle on foot. For the adventurous, it is possible to walk to the top of the falls via a steep track where beautiful views await. Additionally, the falls collect into tranquil, turquoise pools at the bottom which are perfect for swimming. 

After a morning of adventure, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch next to the falls. 

After lunch, make an optional visit to the Free the Bears sanctuary, housing 23 Asiatic Bears which were rescued from poaching. Additionally, make a stop at the unique Lao Buffalo Dairy Farm, a social enterprise that produces sustainable and delicious cheese while giving back to the community and environment. While the buffalo may be the stars here, there are also playful pigs, cheeky chickens and rollicking rabbits that are just as fun to interact with for the young and young at heart. Enjoy a homemade ice cream at the cafe before saying goodbye to the Buffaloes and the team. (Opening Hours: 9.30am – 5.30pm, Monday - Sunday) 
Then, depart for the Luang Prabang Train station to catch the last South-bound train of the day. Suggested train: C83 departing Luang Prabang @18.30, arrival in Vang Vieng @19.20. 

Upon arrival at the train station, your driver will be there to pick you up.

Arrive in Vang Vieng, a small town on the banks of the Nam Song River surrounded by spectacular limestone karst scenery. 

The rest of the evening is free at leisure with the driver and guide at guests’ disposal.
 
Overnight in Vang Vieng 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

This morning, begin with a short journey across the Nam Song River before driving to the Tham Pou Kham (Golden Crab Cave) and the Blue Lagoon. For those who don’t mind the cold, a dip in the waterhole of the Ka River is very refreshing! There is a slide for kids and life jackets are available.

Transfer back to the center of Vang Vieng, with an optional stop at a local village where women still weave on traditional looms. Afterwards, take a local longtail boat (two people per boat) to cruise for approximately one hour upstream on the Nam Song River, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way.

Arrive at the area’s extensive Organic Farm, which specializes in refreshing mulberry tea as well as having a range of livestock and organic crops. Take a short tour of the Organic Farm and enjoy a delicious lunch there.

In the early afternoon, the guide will provide transport back to the hotel.

The rest of the day is free at leisure.

Overnight in Vang Vieng

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Vang Vieng – Vientiane (160 km): 3,5 hours

Enjoy a leisurely morning before starting the drive to Vientiane. After driving for around 1.5 hours, reach Nam Ngum, the largest lake in Laos and the source of the country’s first hydroelectric dam. From here the drive to Vientiane takes around 2.5 hours and the rest of the day is free at leisure.

Enjoy dinner at local Restaurant.

Overnight in Vientiane

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Vientiane – Buddha Park (24 km): 45 min

This morning, drive out to Buddha Park. The drive takes around 45 minutes along a road which serves as an important link between the Lao capital and Thailand. Arrive at Buddha Park and enjoy a stroll around the park. Also known as Xieng Khuang, this unusual park is filled with more than 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues. The quiet and tranquil setting along the Mekong River is a contrast to the slightly eccentric sculptures which were built in 1958 by a Lao shaman.

After visiting Buddha Park, start the drive back to Vientiane.

After the park, pay a visit to the serene Wat Sisaket, one of the most beautiful temples in the capital. Continue on to the nearby Wat Phra Keo, which is used as a religious museum displaying a collection of both Lao and Khmer works of art. Also nearby is the Presidential Palace, which offers some unique insight into the colonial history of Laos.

Enjoy a delicious lao-style lunch at Lao Kitchen.

Tonight, enjoy strolling along the banks of the Mekong’s riverside promenade during sunset. Stop to enjoy a cold drink, sample some local snacks or browse the plethora of souvenir stalls.

Overnight in Vientiane

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Vientiane – Ban Kong Lor (290 km): 5 hours

After breakfast, the guide will provide transport from the hotel in Vientiane south to Ban Kong Lor. This first leg of the journey takes around three hours and includes an interesting stop at Wat Prabath Phansane (‘Temple of the Footprint of Buddha’).

Lunch will be included at a local restaurant.

The drive then leaves Route 13 and enters the Phou Hin Poun NPA (National Protected Area). The scenery will become much more spectacular, featuring limestone karsts, forests and rice paddies. From leaving the main road to reaching the destination will take approximately two hours.

Upon arrival in the small town of Ban Kong Lor, spend the rest of the day at leisure to admire the views.

For dinner, we recommend a simple local restaurant called Kounmee, which is a two-minute walk from Chantha House.

Overnight in Ban Kong Lor

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Ban Kong Lor – Kong Lor Caves (8 km): 5-10 min

After breakfast, meet the guide at the hotel for the short drive to the Kong Lor Caves. Life jackets and head torches will be provided before a short walk to the main entrance of the cave. Upon entering the cave, board a longtail boat for a journey through the length of this spectacular cave, along an underground section of the Hin Boun River. It will be 7.5km before seeing daylight again!

The river flows all-year-round and reveals vast formations of stalactites and stalagmites, some of which can be explored partly on foot whilst inside the cave. Once reaching the other side of the cave, stop for refreshments and walk to local villages, enjoying the scenery and observing a more simple way of life.

Return by boat, travelling ‘downstream’ through the cave to Ban Kong Lor. Enjoy lunch and take some time to relax.

Later this afternoon take an (optional) guided walk through the villages surrounding Ban Kong Lor. The soft light of the late afternoon is arguably the most photogenic; there will be ample photo opportunities as the locals come home from the fields, school and the markets.

Overnight in Ban Kong Lor

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Ban Kong Lor – Vientiane (290 km): 5 hours

After breakfast, begin the drive back to Vientiane, a journey of approximately five hours. After this adventure off the normal tourist trail, the excellent cafes and restaurants will be welcomed!

Arrive in Vientiane and check-in at the hotel.

This afternoon is free at leisure.

This evening, guests will have a chance to participate in a unique, traditional Lao ceremony. The Baci is performed in celebration of important events such as weddings, births, or for welcoming guests, and is a means of expressing good will 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. 

During the Baci, special flower trays and food treats are prepared, which are then touch by the participants while a Buddhist mantra is chanted.  After the chanting is completed, cotton threads are tied around the participant’s’ wrist whilst they receive an individual blessing.

Overnight in Vientiane

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Vientiane – Vientiane Airport (4 km): 15 min

After breakfast, enjoy the day free at leisure until transport is provided to the airport for the departing flight.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast