Luang Prabang, Laos

Today, we travel to Siem Reap Airport for our flight to Luang Prabang in northern Laos. On arrival we will be met and transferred to our hotel, Le Palais Juliana, where we will spend the next three nights. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Our hotel is located just 10 minutes from the main town. This evening, perhaps take a walk around the night markets or enjoy one of the many restaurants serving delicious Laotian cuisine.

Tour Highlight

It’s an early start this morning to witness one of Luang Prabang’s most special daily rituals, the ‘giving of alms’. An important religious act, linked to monks begging for their daily food as a way to demonstrate humility, each morning a daily procession of around 300 young Buddhist monks walk silently through the streets whilst local residents present them with food. Whilst this is part of daily life in Luang Prabang, for those that wish, your guide will be more than happy to show you the best way to interact with the monks should you wish to partake.

We return to our hotel for breakfast before embarking on our morning of sightseeing. We begin with a visit to Wat Xieng Thong, one of the country’s oldest temples, before a visit to the former Royal Palace, which today houses the National Museum. We finish our morning with a climb to the top of Phousi Hill (328 steps). Meaning ‘sacred mountain’, we wander slowly, taking advantage of several resting places and enjoy the magnificent panoramic views across the city and surrounding landscape. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Relax and enjoy the hotel pool or take an optional tour to the nearby Kuang Si waterfall, followed by the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre.

Unknown to many, Laos was bombed on average every eight minutes for nine years, from 1964 to 1973. More bombs fell on Laos than used by all countries involved in World War II. Our morning begins with a visit to the small but moving UXO centre (Unexploded Ordnance Programme). The centre provides an insight into the problems faced by several provinces due to unexploded bombs from this period and the work being done to improve safety. We finish our morning with a visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, which celebrates the diverse ethnic cultures and people of Laos.

With an afternoon at leisure, maybe take an optional excursion. Take a cruise to Pak Ou Cave to view the hundreds of tiny buddha statues or visit Living Land Farm; where you can experience the life of a rice farmer. Alternatively, you may prefer to learn about bamboo weaving, or visit Heuan Chan Heritage House, where you can learn about family culture, tradition and Laos cuisine.

With our adventures drawing to a close we depart for the airport this morning for our flight to Bangkok, Thailand. Here we will connect with our return flight to the UK. Operating via Dubai, we will arrive at our chosen airport the following morning.