grand tour of laos-print

8/3/2019 Grand Tour of Laos-print

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TAILOR MADE TOUR

This Grand Tour of Laos takes in some of the very best cultural and natural sights that this beautiful country has to

offer. From the charming city of Luang Prabang to the stunning limestone karst scenery of Vang Vieng to thebreathtaking natural beauty of the south, including a visit to Asias widest waterfall, this tour will captivate eventhe most worldly wise traveler.

Grand Tour of Laos


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Highlights

Stay in quality ecolodges in quiet villages in rural areas & learn about the tribes who live

in Laos

Bathe in the pools Kuang Si Waterfall and gaze out over the mountainous scenery all

around

Visit the Asiatic Bear Rehabilitation Centre

Stroll through the ancient city of Luang Prabang, once the former capital

Visit the many colourful local markets

Visit the Mines Action Group & learn about they work they do for the people of Laos

affected by land mines

Relax in the beautiful & idyllic town of Vang Vieng

Visit the ancient Khmer ruins of Wat Phu, a lasting legacy of the once powerful empire

which stretched throughout Asia

Take a boat trip down the Mekong and observe life little changed throughout the ages


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PRICE

Prices starting from 1875 Per Person Sharing

(standard category) & 100 payable to ground agent or

airline for internal flights in Laos

(based on 2 people traveling)

Subject to Change & Availability

Please note single supplement is available uponrequest.

SUITABLE FOR

ACTIVITY GRADING

Easy - suitable for all fitness levels & ages.

Couples, families.

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

Y ACTIVITY REGION

y 01 Depart LON for Chiang Rai via BKK

y 02 Arrive, transfer to hotel Chiang Rai

y 03 Transfer to Huay Xay - cross border, boat trip to Pak Beng, enroute stop to visit ethnic groups Pak Beng

y 04 Walk to Pakbeng Market - visit Hmong tribe - boat trip to Pak Ou caves, transfer to Luang Prabang Luang Prabang

y 05 half day walking tour of Luang Prabang Luang Prabang

y 06 visit Phousi market & Kuang Si Waterfalls & also Asiatic bear rehab centre Luang Prabang

y 07 Transfer to Phonsavan, visit "Plain of Jars enroute" Phonsavan

y 08 Visit "Mines Action Group" to learn about mine clearing work they do. Also visit Jar site no 2 Phonsavan

y 09 Visit market, transfer to Vang Vieng Vang Vieng

y 10 Tham Jang Cave - transfer to Vientiane - visit Don Makai market Vientiane

y 11 Half day city tour of Vientiane Vientiane

y 12 Fly to Pakse - transfer to Bolaven Plateau, visit coffee plantation & local villages & Tad Lo waterfall Tad Lo

y 13 Visit Paxuam waterfall & then Wat Phu later in the day. Afternoon transfer to Khong Island Khong Island

y 14 Tour of the 4000 Islands "Si Phan Don" & visit Khone Phapheng & spot freshwater dolphins. Transfer Don Daeng

y 15 At leisure Don Daeng

y 16 Transfer to Pakse, fly to Bangkok - transfer to hotel. Bangkok

y 17 transfer to airport for flight home


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Day1.! Depart for Chiang Rai via Bangkok.Day 2 - Arrive Chiang Rai transfer to hotel.

Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotelwhere you have the rest of the day at leisure to relax.

Overnight in Chiang Rai

Day 3. ! ! Huay Xay Pakbeng by Luang SayCruiseWe transfer early this morning to the border town of

Huay Xay. The Luang Say Cruise boat leaves Huay Xay

pier at 09:00 hrs for a cruise down the Mekong to

Pakbeng. En route one stop is made to observe rural life

along the Mekong and visit minority ethnic groups;

then, a buffet lunch on board.

Arrive Pakbeng before sunset and check-in at Luang

Say Lodge. You can then enjoy dinner on the terrace

overlooking the Mekong River.

Overnight in Pakbeng

Meals: (B/L/D)

Day 4.! ! Pakbeng Luang Prabang by LuangSay Cruise

Full breakfast at lodge, (Optional: walk to Pakbeng

market, where people from the surrounding minorityvillages exchange their goods). At 08:30 board the boat

for the second leg of the cruise. A short stop to discover

a Hmong village before having a buffet lunch on board.

Continue to Pak-Ou village at the mouth of the Nam

Ou River, and then visit Pak Ou Caves "Cave of a

thousand Buddha's". On the way to Luang Prabang a

brief stop is made to observe the traditional process of

manufacturing local rice alcohol. Arrive at Luang

Prabang before sunset.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

Meals: (B/L/)

Day 5! Luang Prabang half day city walking tourAfter breakfast we visit the quaint Royal Palace

Museum, which gives a good overview of the local

history and features a guided audio tour. We then

begin our walking tour, taking in some of Luang

Prabangs hidden secrets, walking down the quiet back

lanes. This area contains a mix of beautiful old French

Colonial buildings, and traditional old Lao houses,which you will have time to admire, along with a stop

at the small but charming Wat Phapai.

Overnight in Luang Prabang .Meals: (B/_/_)


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Day 8.! Phonsavan Plain of JarsThis morning we visit the Mines Action Group (or

MAG) office to learn about the important work they do

in clearing land mines and unexploded ordnance in the

area. We then drive out to the picturesque Jar Site 2,

and begin a 1 hour trek along the ridge to Jar Site 3,

consisting over around 150 jars located on top of a hill,offering great views. In the afternoon we visit Jar Site

1, the largest site, containing over 300 jars, before

returning to your hotel by late afternoon.

Overnight in Phonsavan

Meals: (B/_/_)

Day 9.! Phonsavan Muang Khoun Vang Vieng

We start early this morning, visiting the interestingCentral Market, then (time permitting) driving out to

the ancient town of Muang Khoun, the former

provincial capital, where you can explore the ruins of a

number of ancient pagodas in the Lanna style and Wat

Phiawat, a ruined temple containing a huge sitting

Buddha. We then travel by road to Vang Vieng,

stopping for a late lunch in Phou Khoun. Following

lunch we stop at Ban Hin Ngon, a picturesque Hmong

village. We also have an optional stop at Koe Kuang,

which boasts a local forest market, offering ediblesnakes, rats and assorted reptiles! Our final stop of the

day is a short photo stop of the stunning limestone

karst scenery at Phatang Mountain view point. We

then arrive in Vang Vieng by early evening where you

have the rest of the day at leisure.

Duration: 9 hours

Drive time: 7 hours

Overnight in Vang Vieng

Meals: (B/_/_)

Day 10.!! Vang Vieng VientianeThis morning we visit Tham Jang cave, that offers great

views over the Nam Song River and surrounding karst

scenery. We then set out on the road towards Vientiane.

En route we stop at Tha Heua, a small village that

specializes in dried fish, which you will see hanging in

front of the houses. We then continue to Nam Ngum, a

picturesque popular location with local day trippers

from Vientiane. Following lunch overlooking the lake,

we stop over at Ban Keun, which is famous for its salt

mine. Here you can learn about the daily working life

of the local people.


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Day 10 Contd

Just outside of Vientiane we make a final stop at

the interesting Don Makai Market, an insect

market, where, the more adventurous can try

some of the tasty snacks on offer! We arrive in

Vientiane by early evening.

Drive time: 4 hours

Overnight in Vientiane

Meals: (B/_/_)

Day 11.! Vientiane half day citytourYour half day city tour, begins with the oldestwat in Vientiane, Wat Sisaket with thousands ofminiature Buddha statues, and the former royaltemple of Wat Prakeo, which now serves as amuseum of arts and antiques.

We then travel up Lanexang Avenue you willhave the opportunity to take some pictures of theimposing Patuxai Monument, which resemblesits Parisian inspiration, the Arc de Triomphe.The climb to the top offers great views overVientiane. We continue onwards down RueSingha 23 to Laos National icon, and mostimportant religious building, the golden stupa ofThat Luang. The final visit of the day will be theexcellent COPE exhibition centre, highlighting a

much overlooked aspect of Laos and a majorproblem many of the local people face on a dayto day basis in the form of unexploded ordnanceas a result of heavy bombing campaigns duringthe Vietnam War area. We then return to yourhotel.Duration: 4 hoursOvernight in VientianeMeals: (B/_/_)Day 12.! Vientian - Pakse Tadlo,overnight Tadlo

Flight: Vientiane to Pakse QV...

Early this morning you will be transferred to the

airport for your early flight to Pakse. Upon

arrival you will be taken by road east into the

Bolaven Plateau. The Bolaven Plateau is known

for its cooler temperature being located high

above the Mekong Valley. Our first stop is to visit

Houey Ten, a village specializing in knifemaking.

We then stop tea plantation, followed by a stop at

Tad Fan Waterfall, a picturesque twin chute

waterfall.


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Day 12 Contd.

We then make a stop at a coffee plantation, en

route to Tha Teng Market, a colourful ethnic

minority food market. Next we explore a couple

of fascinating minority villages, Ban Bong Neua,

an Alak village that boasts a sacrificial altar, and

Ban Kokphung, a Katu village where they keepcoffins under their houses. We arrive at the

beautiful Tadlo Waterfall in the afternoon, where

you have the rest of the day at leisure.

Drive time: 3 hours

Overnight in Tadlo

Meals: (B/_/_)

Day 13. ! ! Tadlo Wat Phou KhongIsland

After breakfast, we head out of the plateau,stopping first at the attractive Paxuam Waterfall.We then drive to Champassak and onto WatPhou, an ancient Khmer religious complexdating back to the 5th Century. This dramaticallysited temple is one of the highlights of any tripto Laos. In the afternoon you will take the boatacross the Mekong and drive south to KhongIsland, the largest of the 4000 Islands where youwill overnight.

Overnight on Khong IslandMeals: (B/_/_)

Day 14. ! ! Khong Island KhoneIsland Don Daeng

Following breakfast we board a local private

boat for a boat tour of the 4000 Islands. We reach

the picturesque island of Don Khone and explore

the island by bicycle, tracing the route of an old

abandoned railway and admiring some of the

old French Colonial buildings, and the beautifulLiphi Waterfall. We then return to our boat and

head back to the mainland, visiting the

spectacular Khone Phapheng Falls, one of the

largest and most powerful waterfalls in

Southeast Asia. From here we take a boat onto

the Mekong to one of the few places in the world

where it is possible to see freshwater dolphins.

They reside in deep pools near the Cambodia

border, and if you are lucky you may catch a

glimpse of them. We then drive towards Ban

Muang by car, then take the boat to Don Daeng,

arriving there early evening.Meals: (B/_/_)


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Day 15. ! ! Don Daeng free dayA free day at leisure today, to relax by the pool or

hire bicycles to explore the island and its

enchanting little villages.

Overnight on Don Daeng

Meals: (B)

Day 16.! ! Don Daeng Pakse Departure

Depending on your departure flight, you may

have free time at leisure, before crossing back to

the mainland by boat, then onto Pakse by car to

the airport for your flight to Bangkok. On arrival

transfer to your hotel.

Meals: (B)

Day17. ! ! Fly homeMeals (B)

Transfer to airport for return flight home.


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Tour Includes: All transfers as per itinerary

All sightseeing as per itinerarywith an English speakingguide.

Excursions as mentioned Transportation in private

vehicle Meals as mentioned

(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinnerwhere specified - excludesdrinks)

Public liability insurance All government taxes Accommodation on a bed &

breakfast basis throughout thetour.

Tour Excludes: All International flights & Visa

fees Domestic flights - WE CAN

HELP ARRANGE THESEAND THESE ARE PAYABLEDIRECTLY TO OURGROUND AGENT.

International airport tax(Included in Airline Ticket)

Meals, unless mentioned Optional tours & activities

mentioned in the itinerary. Beverages and personal

expenses

Other excursions and entrance

GREIG SMITH TRAVELS LTD. REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER 7786310. TRAVEL TRUST MEMBERSHIP NUMBER U9657.

32 DRAKE ROAD. CHAFFORD HUNDRED. ESSEX. RM16 6PS. TEL. 07414 00 66 03. EMAIL: [email protected]

WEB: WWW.GREIGSMITHTRAVELS.COM

Accommodation - See Below
http://www.greigsmithtravels.co/http://www.greigsmithtravels.co/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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