Multisport - Southern Laos Explorer

📍 Transfer from Pakse 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. 

Tonight our guide will meet you for dinner on the rooftop with great views over the town and surrounding area. 

Overnight in town.

Inclusions:

🍗 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 wit 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. 1 hour 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: 45 mins 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: 45 min 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