Laid Back Laos – 20 Days – Tour 25

Tonight, our clever Laos small group soft adventure tour package will stay in; BANGKOK – Our Laos group tour officially starts when we check into our Bangkok accommodation.

A welcoming dinner will be had in the evening.

D. If you arrive early enough your free time could be spent visiting the amazing Chatuchak Weekend Market and/or, Wat Phra Kaew & the Grand  Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Traimit, MBK, or Siam shopping centres or take a boat ride with the locals on the Chao Phraya express to some local shops in nearby Nonthaburi.

A few other options include Vimanmek Teak Mansion, Chinatown, Jim Thompson’s House, and Silom or Sukhumvit Road shops.
OR? Maybe lay back with a cold drink and/or have a traditional Thai  Massage. A month in the capital wouldn’t allow you enough time to see it all.

BANGKOK – A free day for our tour group to relax by the pool if any jetlag recovery is needed or explore the Thai capital with your tour coordinator on hand to offer advice on what to do.

Tonight our small group tour  will stay in; NONG KHAI- After breakfast, we will transfer to The airport for a short domestic flight to Udonthani. On arrival, we will take a van to Nong Khai approx 1 hour & 30 minutes away.  After checking in to our accommodation w will be taken a short distance out of town, by Tuk Tuk, to the unique sculpture temple of Sala Keow Su where you can stroll around the grounds and take it all in.

Tonight, our Laos tour will stay in VIENTIANE – At leisure, we will travel by Tuk Tuk to Thai immigration before a shuttle bus to Laos immigration and lastly a taxi of some kind into Vientiane. Anything between 1 to 3 hours depending on how busy the border is. Rest of the day at leisure. No meals.

Tonight, our Laos best small group adventure tour package will stay in; VANG VIENG – Today, after breakfast, we will travel by van for 2  hours on the new highway to the small scenic town of Vang Vieng beside the Nam Song River.

Vang Vieng is known as an adventure destination of sorts so for those interested there is rock climbing, caving, or tubing down the river.  Local operators can usually organise any of these things on arrival.

For the rest of us walking around and enjoying the scenery with a  coffee and cake in the bakery is enough excitement. 3*

VANG VIENG – A full day to do some adventurous stuff or just explore this beautiful small town at leisure.

With all the backpackers around a late-night party will probably be easy to find also. Poolside at the hotel even? Vang Vieng has something for everyone.

Tonight, our Laos adventure holiday will stay in; LUANG PRABANG – By the new China/Laos Railways, (LCR), fast train today will see our Laos group travel tour in the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang  Prabang. 1 hour rather than the 6 hours by van on terrible roads.

The best way to experience Luang Prabang is with a leisurely stroll.
WHERE TO START? Just about anywhere as Luang Prabang is one of the great travel destinations in Asia today.

First up, while you still have the energy, try walking up the hundred or more steps to Phu Si Temple with fantastic Mekong River views as the reward.

Then onto, in no particular order, The Royal Palace Museum, Wat Ho Pha  Bang, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Visoun, Wat That Luang, Wat Manolom, or  another dozen or so other Wat’s.

Cooking courses can be found at Tamarind or Tamnak Lao Three Elephants Cafe;

Massage and spas are another way to enjoy Luang Prabang for the not-so-energetic. Markets and other great eateries will see you get enough nourishment to complete the task at hand whatever you decide on.

Dinner by the Mekong with a Beerlao is but one place to finish the day.

LUANG PRABANG – A half-day tour with a local operator today will include the beautiful Kuang Si waterfall and a local village or two among other interesting places.

LUANG PRABANG – After visiting the harder-to-get-to-places you now have a totally free day to explore all the nearby attractions at leisure. A joy to behold.

Tonight, our Laos best tour package will stay in; UDOMXAI –Today we have another short one-hour train ride to a Baktrax destination to visit a northern Laos town as we leave the other tourists behind in  Luang Prabang.
Udomxai will give you a look at a real Laos town.

UDOMXAI – Today at leisure to check out the locals going about their daily chores. Laid back Laos style.  Nothing of touristic interest as such and in the area, we stay in only 2 or 3  very local  restaurants with limited choices we know of. Think Noodle soup or chicken/pork on rice. Stock up on some snacks in Luang Prabang maybe.  No meals.

Tonight, our Laos small group adventure tour package will stay in;  PAKBENG – An approximately 4-hour real Laos bus trip will see us in Pakbeng well before the tourist boats arrive late afternoon and after the previous lot has left. Rest of the day at leisure.
Pakbeng has grown considerably over the years on the back of the tourist arrivals and now has enough development to get a muffin and coffee from a French bakery.
A relaxing Beerlao overlooking the mighty Mekong will again be close at hand. No meals.

PAKBENG – A full free day to explore this once again scenic destination with hardly a tourist in sight after all the morning boats have departed.  No meals.

HUAY XAI – Tonight, our Laos small group tour will stay in; HUAY XAI – This morning we will board a usually less crowded slow boat, than those going down river, as we head up river for a fascinating day’s travel along the magical Mekong.

The scenery is stunning as we also watch the locals going about their  daily riverside lives
We will stay the night in the Laos border town of Huay Xai which has also grown up over the years and now has some good restaurants and bars but is still a much more charming and compact town than its Thai counterpart across the river. One last laid-back Laos experience. No meals.

HUAY XAI – Another relaxing day to stroll around and explore.  No meals.

Tonight, our Laos adventure holiday will stay in; CHIANG MAI – An early start by Taxi to the Laos border before a shuttle bus back to Thai immigration. After immigration duties we will take a   Songtaew, (shared taxi), to the bus office in Chiang Khong for the  6-hour trip to Chiang Mai, arriving late afternoon.
After Laos, the buffet breakfast and hotel pool may be your choice, but this wonderful city has so many other things to offer.  No meals.

CHIANG MAI – A totally full day to do as you please in the Rose of the North.

Just a few of the easy-to-visit sights by foot, Tuk Tuk or Songthaew,  (share taxi), include Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Jet Yot,  and Wat Phan Tao among dozens of others.

If you don’t temple out there is still the mountaintop temple of Phra  That Doi Suthep, approximately fifteen kilometres away in a national park.

For Shoppers, it doesn’t get much better than Chiang Mai. Firstly we can seek out bargains at Central  Festival, Worowat Market, Airport Plaza, and/or dozens of other specialty shops all over the place.

In the evening we can then barter hard at the famous Night Bazaar.  Arts and crafts, textiles, silver, and clothing are but a few of the great bargains to be had in Chiang Mai.
A budget trip to a dentist is another possibility as well.

CHIANG MAI – Another free day after a lazy buffet breakfast to continue on our merry way as we can now fully comprehend why this is indeed the clever Laos itinerary.
Relax, party, sightsee or shop. Chiang Mai can provide the lot. A Thai massage perhaps?
A farewell dinner will be had in the evening.

TOUR CONCLUDES.  Our clever laid back Laos small group soft adventure tour package is officially over when we check out of our Chiang Mai accommodation.
After breakfast, you will transfer to Chiang Mai Airport for your included flight back to Bangkok.  Own arrangments on arrival.