Multisport - Central & Southern Laos Explorer

📍 Transfer from Vientiane Airport to Hotel: 30 min

Sabaidee and welcome to Laos! Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting and will escort you to your hotel for check-in and an opportunity to freshen up.

In the evening, we will pick you up at the hotel and dive straight into the local lifestyle. Prepare yourself for a true ‘taste’ of Laos with an evening exploring the best food in Vientiane. 

Start the evening the local way by heading to a beer shop for a sundowner. Sip on cold BeerLao as the sun sets over the Mekong River. Beer shops are popular post-work watering holes and the atmosphere is always enjoyable. 

After dark, the street stalls fire up their grills and start cooking. Take a walk through Sihom, an area of small stalls selling cheap but tasty snacks. This crowded street market is popular with locals, especially on the weekends. Wander from stall to stall stopping to taste items such Lao-style donuts, bowls of steaming noodles and pork meatball wraps. 

Continue to nearby Ban Anou night market, the city’s culinary hub. The market is a hive of activity in the evening with Vientiane’s residents who come to dine with friends and family. Walk through the endless rows of food stalls and rub-elbows with the locals. The market is a great place to sample exotic snacks such as fried insects or classic Laos favourites like grilled pork skewers. 

Having filled up on savoury treats, venture to a hidden sweet shop for dessert. The specialty here is ice cream with sticky rice, a perfectly delicious combination. 

With a full belly, it is time to return to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. 

Overnight in town

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

📍 Transfer from Vientiane to Phu Khao Kuay: 2 hours Trekking: Up to 5 hours Difficulty: Medium

We start our adventure early today and depart the hotel by 7.30am. Our first stop is at the village of Ban Hatkhay, around 9:30, for a short break and we then continue by vehicle to Pha Say along roads that lead to stunning views of rice fields. Our trek will start at Pha Say which holds views of an impressive gorge reaching 40m high and nestled in thick jungle. We venture on small trails and discover a variety of different forest type, semi-deciduous jungle and bamboo, accompanied by our guide(s), expert in flora and fauna. You’ll be amazed by the abundance of orchids in what is an extraordinary habitat. We will also have the opportunity to learn about medicinal plants and other plant families such as Gingers and Dipterocarpus. Along the way we’ll stop and enjoy a local picnic lunch. In the afternoon we’ll end our first day of trekking with a swim at Tad Say waterfall, the perfect way to cool down before heading to our village where we’ll stay overnight in a local homestay.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Transfer: 3 hours 30 min

Wake to the sounds of nature and then enjoy a simple but tasty breakfast of rice porridge or eggs and toast with the local family. It’s a truly wonderful experience to experience the daily morning rituals of our host family. It’s then time to say our goodbyes as we hit the road again for our drive to Kong lor. 

We’ll be having some rest stops along the way today to break up the journey and learn more about what this region has to offer. Stops include Wat Pra Bath Phoun Sun temple, well known by locals, and we can learn how to make charcoal and dry fish freshly caught that morning in the mighty Mekong river. About an hour before the end of our ride we’ll stop at a stunning viewpoint, the karst-stone mountains are becoming more visible as the road starts to climb.

After arrival and check-in to our resort it’s time to relax before we head out to explore the area and rich farmland. The surrounding area is famous for its many tobacco plantations. 

Tonight we head out for a delicious local dinner.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Kayaking: 3 up to 5 hours Difficulty: Easy / Medium

After a relaxing breakfast at the riverside restaurant, we head towards the famous Kong Lor caves. There’s the chance to take in your surroundings  before we  hop into a small boat and float through part of the cave system. After our initial exploration of these remarkable caves it’s time for some action. Close to the cave we’ll be hopping into the kayaks and we’ll paddle downstream to soak up the stunning nature and wildlife living along the banks of the river. We’ll also pass  local villages, don’t forget to wave! It’s about 3 hours of paddling before we reach a resort, and for the fitter ones we can do another 2 hours (depending on water level and fitness level) more to the next resort where we can have lunch while before being transported back to our resort. 

The remainder of the afternoon can be spent swimming in the river, relaxing at the resort, or you can kayak into the lagoon with which is only a short 15 minute paddle to a “private” jungle pool.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Kong Lor - Tha Lang: 3 hours Thalang Village - Camp site (by boat): 1.5 hours

Following another riverside breakfast we’ll depart the resort. We’ll be heading to our next Adventure location via a scenic drive to the beautiful Thalang lake. On route we’ll stop for coffee and visit Dragon caves, a great spot to break up the journey.

We’ll arrive at the lake just in time for lunch.  After our break we embark by long tail boat and venture inside Nakai - Nam Theun National Protected Area (NPA). It’s the second largest protected area in Laos covering approximately 3,445,000 hectares in the heart of the Greater Northern Annamites range in central Laos. Nakai is a very important area for biodiversity in Southeast Asia, and the world, home to many endemic species of the Annamites only recently discovered by science, including the Saola, a rare species of Antelope also known as the Asian Unicorn. 

The scenic boat trip is 1.5 hours through the reservoir, then into the NPA. With some luck we’ll spot macaques, many bird species and hear the gibbons calling. 

The campsite is on a beach by the river. Upon arrival, the local guides will set up tents and light a fire. Enjoy swimming in the river before tucking in to a barbecue dinner by campfire.

Overnight in tents

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Trekking: 2,5 hours Difficulty: Easy Trekking: 2 hours Difficulty: Medium Transfer Tha Lang – Nakai: 30 min

Wake up to the morning song of birds in a truly magical place. After breakfast, we begin a short trek through the jungle to a waterfall. The round trip trek takes about 2.5 hours. Once back at the camp site we get back on the boat and return to Thalang village.

We’ll be passing by the Nam Theun reservoir visitor center. Whilst large cement dams are an eyesore and controversial, the companies offered compensation to the locals, helped out building schools and made other efforts in helping the local communities. It’s impressive to study this project in pictures and via informational sheets and gain a closer understanding of how dams can also be beneficial to the environment. 

As a last stop of the day, we’ll head to the Laos “stairway to heaven”. Small, steep, steel stairs reaching over the top of karst-stone mountains and offering some of the best views in the country. A perfect place to soak up the views and get some great photos.

We then to Nakai town and the opportunity to relax before dinner.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 1 hour 30 min Climbing: 4 hours (incl. briefings) Difficulty: Medium

A hearty breakfast is a necessity this morning as we prepare for an exhilarating activity. We’ll be driving for about an hour to the Green Climbers Home. A climber’s mecca in Laos. No worries if you don’t have any experience, the expert teachers will ensure a fun and safe experience for everyone.  

We’ll be covering some knots, the gear and how to use it along with some climbing techniques before we put our hands on the rocks and set of in a vertical direction.

After this half day experience, we head to Thakhek, a trendy colonial town, for an afternoon at leisure. Take a walk around, stroll along the riverside and have a coffee while watching life go by. We meet up for at the riverside tonight and enjoy a tasty dinner.  

Overnight in Thakhek

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Transfer from Thakhek to Pakse: approximately 6 hours

Today is a big travel day but the schedule can be reasonably flexible. We’re driving from central Laos to the southern town of Pakse but there is a number of nice stops and photo opportunities along the way. Lunch will be served in a small local restaurant on route.

After checking-in at our hotel there’s time to relax before we dine tonight at the rooftop restaurant with great panoramic views over the surrounding area. 

Overnight in town.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Transfers: approx. 3 hours Hiking: up to 2 hours Difficulty: Easy

It’s time to experience some nature! After breakfast we explore the amazing Bolaven Plateau and it’s many highlights. It’s a bit hop on hop off today as there are many interesting sights along the way. We’ll start off with a stop at Mr. Vieng for a cup of Lao organic coffee followed by lunch, picnic style, at the top of the Tad Soung waterfall which offers stunning views and is a great place for a cooling swim. We’ll then hike around 800 meters to another smaller waterfall adjacent to the thick jungle. 

And our final waterfall for the day will see us visit Tad lo where we’ll also do another short hike through a local village.

Mid to late afternoon we’ll arrive at Sinouk coffee resort, a great place for relaxation with its natural water pool and great food. This beautiful resort has gorgeous gardens and the resort team will lead you for a wander through the coffee plantations. Coffee is big in this region and if you are a coffee drinker, it’s coffee heaven but if not it’s still very interesting to learn more about the process involved from growing the beans to the final brewing product.

In the evening you can enjoy the slightly cooler weather of the highlands and some downtime.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: We’ll spend the whole day on the go but in a relaxed pace Hiking: about 3 hours

This morning, after a delicious breakfast, we’ll transfer for about half an hour to meet up with our 4X4 trucks. These old trucks were left behind during various conflicts and originate from America, Russia and China. The Villagers kept them operational and well maintained and are now using some of them to offer tours for adventure seekers looking to explore areas where no other tourists tread. This unique and cool experience brings you through dense land with amazing views, far away from the real world. We’ll explore some stunning off the beaten track waterfalls and walk through vegetable fields whilst being educated about the different crops and plantations they have in this region. Following our 4X4 experience we arrive at our homestay for the night and enjoy a tasty local lunch. In the afternoon we take a stroll through the owners coffee plantation which is the biggest in the area and situated on the mountainside offering 360 degree views of the Bolaven plateau. We’ll hike to a local village and explore what the friendly locals are up to before heading back to the farm where we’ll help our hosts with cooking preparations for our dinner. In the evening we enjoy some story telling with our hosts before retiring to bed.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Transfers: approx. 1 hour Trekking: up to 5 hours Difficulty: Medium

Wake to the sounds of nature and then enjoy a simple but tasty breakfast with your host before heading out on a trekking Adventure. We’ll be traversing some hills today and will also have the opportunity to some bomb craters, remnants of previous wars. First point is Phou Sanak, also know as the sleeping volcano, before trekking to Phou Kat. Phou in Lao means ‘mountain’. We’ll rest and have a picnic lunch just before we reach Souy, a local ethnic minority village. Then it’s back on the 4x4’s from yesterday who will transfer us to our waiting minivan and back to Pakse for the night.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfers: approx. 1hr 30 mins Trekking: up to 3 hours Difficulty: Easy

Ever heard of Angkor Wat in Cambodia? It’s very likely you have. Ever heard of Vat Phou? Possibly not. Vat Phou was built by the Khmer empire just before they started to create the city of Angkor. The decorations and building styles are strikingly similar and this is what you will explore today. We start with a one hour transfer before arriving at Hong Nang Sida, a local temple with an impressive story. After this introduction we explore the monkey stairs and the stone quarry by hiking up the mountain. It’s impressive to think how they managed to cut and transport these giant stones in order to build these immense structures. Back in the age of the khmer empire there was a road that led in a straight line from where you are standing all the way to the Angkor Wat complex. This was also the main trading route between the two structures. We then take a hike through the beautiful rice paddies leading to the Thao Tao ruins. These sites are visited very little and it’s likely you have the place to yourself. From here we’ll hop in the minivan and drive to the entrance of the official Vat Phou temples and have lunch. After our lunch we’ll explore the impressive complex, gardens and adjacent museum with no particular rush as we have no other activities planned for the day. 

Once we’ve explored and absorbed it’s time to head to Don Daeng Island. To reach our hotel we need to cross the mighty Mekong on a local ferry. Tonight we’re staying at a stunning resort, the best of our trip, an ideal place to kick back, chill by the pool and sip on a refreshing cocktail or sit on your bungalow balcony reading a book while overlooking the Mekong. 

Time permitting, and if you still have some energy left, we suggest you hop on a bicycle, free for guests, to explore this serene island. It takes roughly 2 hours to circle the island and will be a genuine and unforgettable local experience.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 2 hours Boat trip 1: 45mins Cycling: 2 hours Difficulty: Easy

Today we explore Si Phan Don, the Mekong River’s 4,000 Island region. Starting with a drive to Ban Nakasang village followed by a boat trip among the islands to visit Lippi Waterfalls. Close to the Cambodian border, the local people believe these falls trap bad spirits. There is a short stretch of railway track, built during the French colonial era to help transport goods through this non-navigable stretch of river, which makes for a perfect viewing platform. It’s also interesting to see the remains of the old railway and learning about it’s history.

We then head to a local restaurant for lunch, soaking in the tranquil surroundings while dining on freshly prepared Lao dishes. 

Later in the afternoon we make our way to Don Khon, one of the largest inhabited islands. We have the opportunity to cycle around the island, passing fading colonial buildings, rice paddies and various villages and farms. Cycling is a great way to see the traditional lifestyle of Southern Lao people. There are plenty of chances to stop for photos or to talk with the friendly residents.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 45min Kayaking: 5 hours Difficulty: Medium

After a filling breakfast, we have a short transfer to the start of our kayaking experience. Before setting off your expert guide will give some basic paddling instructions. It’s then time to paddle to the western side of Don Det and then float by some smaller islands to the north of Don Khone. This takes about 40 minutes and after mastering some minor rapids you will enjoy some more exciting rapids (grade 2-3). We then stop at a pier and walk to Khon pa soi waterfall, here you will have time to look around and enjoy the nice view. Heading back to our kayaks we paddle for about another 30 minutes with the hope to view the endangered Irrawaddy Mekong Dolphins, close with Cambodian border. Next up we stop at a beach to enjoy a tasty BBQ picnic lunch. This is also a safe area for a refreshing swim, a spot only frequented by friendly local fishermen. 

After lunch we continue paddling downstream for about 40 minutes to Veun Kham village where a car will be waiting to take you to the amazing and impressive Khone Phapeng waterfall, considered to be the biggest and wildest in Southeast Asia. You'll then be driven to Nakasang where we re-board our kayaks and paddle back to Don Det. 

Tonight you’ll have a farewell dinner with your guide and chat about all the fun experiences you’ve had during this amazing once in a lifetime adventure!

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

Enjoy a late breakfast and chill until check-out. The trip has come to an end and no services are booked for today. If you would like additional services please let us know in advance. Optional extensions could be: 

• Transfer back to Pakse
• Extra extension days
• Transfer into Cambodia
• Transfer into Thailand

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast