Upon arrival to the Wattay International Airport be met by the Yampu representative and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, Head out for an adventurous dinner safari by Tuk Tuk, the three-wheeled taxis of Laos. Enjoy a meal at a bustling Vientiane evening food market where hordes of hungry locals pick up their takeaway dinners! Visit the market to explore the interesting, traditional Lao food on offer. Select some delicious dishes to try and enjoy your authentic feast while watching the busy market around you. After dinner take a short walk to downtown, past some local petanque courts, to visit the well-known intersection that becomes thriving roadside dessert and drink markets at night. You can try hot soy milk, fresh juices, and other unusual local beverages such as rosella or longan drinks. There are also carts selling delicious traditional Lao sweets, many made with coconut or sticky rice, and Lao-style roti with banana and coconut milk.
Return to your hotel with your guide and by Tuk Tuk in the late evening.
...read less

Spend a half day visiting some of Vientiane’s most significant landmarks. A world apart from other frantic Asian capitals, Vientiane retains a quiet and pleasant aura. Visit some of the city’s most notable temples or ‘wats’, including: Wat Sisaket, the only temple left intact after the Siamese invasion of 1828 and famous for its cloister wall housing thousands of tiny Buddha images; Wat Phra Keo, now a museum adorned with carved wooden features, a magnificent 16th century lacquered door with Hindu carvings, numerous Khmer stone carvings and a variety of Buddha statues; and the popular Wat Si Muang with its carved gold pillars, brightly colored ceiling friezes and painted scenes from the life of the Buddha. Also visit the Arc de Triomphe-like Patuxai Victory Monument, a war monument dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. Notice the typically Laotian elements including the half-woman half-bird mythological creatures which adorn the monument. End the tour with a visit to That Luang, a large gold-covered Buddhist stupa in the center of Vientiane, generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant.

Visit the weaving home-studio of Mrs. Carol Cassidy, an American expert in textiles who arrived in Vientiane in 1989 as part of a United Nations project to promote traditional weaving. Impressed by the quality and diversity of weaving throughout Laos, she set up the Lao Textiles Studio which now employs over 40 local weavers who create naturally dyed and woven silk pieces reflecting traditional Lao designs. Learn about Lao weaving techniques with an option to support the cause through purchases at the on-site gift shop. Return to your hotel. ...read less

Spend a relaxing half day exploring Vientiane’s Buddha Park located 25km (15mi) southeast of the city. Built in 1958, the park is a fanciful sculpture garden containing more than 200 Buddhist and Hindu statues including a quirky giant concrete pumpkin with a three-level interior representing Hell, Earth and Heaven. Enter through the mouth of a 3m (10ft) tall demon head and climb staircases from Hell to Heaven. View sculptures at each level with a panoramic viewpoint at the top level. Stroll around the park to observe the many concrete sculptures scattered throughout including characters from Hindu mythology, as well as animals, humans and demons. Most are larger than life and carved with intricate and often bizarre details. Before transfer to Vientiane, enjoy lunch at local restaurant. ...read less

Transfer from the Vientiane hotel to the airport for a domestic flight to Xieng Khouang.

One of the most well-known and mysterious sights in Laos is the Plain of Jars. There are believed to be up to 2,500 giant stone jars dating back to the Southeast Asian Iron Age (500 BC to 200 AD) scattered over hundreds of hilly square kilometers. Depart from your hotel and drive 10km (6mi) to visit three sites for a better view of this archaeological spectacle of giant carved jars thought to have been used as funeral urns as bones, teeth, charcoal and glass beads have been discovered inside some of them. After, visit the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) camp to learn more about MAG’s current projects to protect the local community from unexploited ordnance (UXO) which still plague the country. Return to your hotel in the afternoon. ...read less

Once the royal capital of the minor kingdom Xieng Khuang, Muang Khoun was almost totally obliterated by a decade of bombing during the Second Indochina War. Spend a full day exploring the ruins of this once opulent city beginning with Wat Phia, the only remaining of several Buddhist temples built between the 16th and 19th centuries. Walk around the brick columns built around a seated Buddha of impressive size and see the Lanna-style That Phuan stupa. Continue into town, inhabited mainly by the Phuan, Tai Dam and Tai Neua ethnic groups along with Lao and Vietnamese people. Observe the wooden rows of shophouses with metal roofs lining both sides of the unpaved main road and the ruined remains of fine Buddhist temples marked by crumbling foundations and columns. Visit the big seated Buddha at the newer Wat Siphoum located to the east of the town before returning to your hotel.
Head south east through mountain ranges along a windy road, with many sharp turns and very few straight sections. The views you will see from high in the mountains between the two cities make it an incredibly ride and capture the joy of what Laos is all about: uncrowded, beautiful and green wilderness. Arrive in Luang Prabang, the former capital of Laos, in the early afternoon. ...read less

The morning alms round (called “Tak Bat” in Lao) is a living Buddhist tradition for the people of Luang Prabang and dates back generations. Wake up before dawn to witness and participate in offering alms to a procession of hundreds of saffron-robed monks in the early morning light, truly a spiritual occasion! If you wish to make an offering, please inform your guide a day in advance so that a gift of alms can be prepared. After the alms giving, watch the town come to life during a visit to the bustling morning market before returning to your hotel in time for breakfast.
Explore the Luang Prabang countryside with a full-day boat tour visiting caves, villages and a museum. Depart from your hotel and transfer to the boat pier for a 2hr long-tail boat cruise upstream on the Mekong River. Observe the rugged limestone formations along its banks, as well as the abundance of green forest and fishing villages on the way. Explore the Tham Ting and Tham Phoum Caves, better known as the Pak Ou Caves, home to thousands of miniature Buddha images in different positions, including meditation, teaching, peace, rain, and reclining. Continue by boat to the small fishing village Ban Pak Ou where lunch is served before returning to Luang Prabang either by boat or by private vehicle along an unpaved road. On the way, stop at a minority village to learn about sticky rice production and other traditional customs. Back in town, pay a visit to the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the many ethnic groups existing in Laos both today and in the past. Observe valuable artifacts, traditional textiles and clothing, jewelry, handicraft tools, photography and household objects from the 20 ethnic minority groups which inhabit the Luang Prabang area. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon. ...read less

Spend a half day exploring one of Luang Prabang’s most picturesque sights, the cascading Kuang Si Waterfall with electric turquoise waters. Depart on a 1hr drive south of Luang Prabang, with stops at the vibrant Phousi Market and the nearby Ock Pop Tock Weaving Centre, a social enterprise working primarily in the field of textiles, handicrafts and design. Continue on to the waterfalls and take a leisurely hike through the natural park past the Asian Bear Rescue Center. Swimming in the refreshing waters is possible, although between November and January the water temperature is very cool. Enjoy your lunch before returning to the city for afternoon tour.

Located at the confluence of the Mekong River and the Nam Khan (Khan River), UNESCO-protected Luang Prabang is a beautiful mix of ancient gilded temples, saffron-clad monks, faded Indochinese villas and peaceful river scenery. Take a half-day walking tour exploring some of the highlights of this incredibly picturesque town. Start with a visit to the Royal Palace, which is now some National Museum housing precious artifacts that belonged to the Royal Family. Drive or enjoy a leisurely walk to explore some of Luang Prabang’s famed temples including: Wat Visoun, Luang Prabang’s oldest temple. Notice its unusually shaped stupa designed to look like a lotus flower but referred to by locals as “the watermelon stupa”; Wat That Luang, traditionally the cremation site for Lao royalty; the gorgeous Wat Mai with its detailed golden reliefs depicting scenes from village life; and Wat Xieng Thong, built in the 17th century. Notice the stunning “tree of life” mosaic set on its western exterior wall. End the tour by climbing up to the top of Mount Phousi to admire the panoramic views across the Mekong and Khan rivers as well as the mountain range. Return to your hotel. ...read less

Transfer to the airport for a flight home or continue with an optional Yampu Tours add-on.