Laid Back Laos Extended – 20 Days- ONE DEPARTURE ONLY: 14.4.23

Tonight, our 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 Thompsons 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. 3* hotel. D

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. 3* hotel. B.

Tonight you will stay in; NONG KHAI- After breakfast, we will transfer to The airport for Nok Airlines flight DD304 at 10.35 to Udonthani arriving at 11.30. On arrival, we will take a van to Nong Khai approx 1 hour & 30 minutes away. When you are ready you will be taken the short distance out of town, by Tuk Tuk, to the very unique temple of Sala Keow Su where you can stroll around the grounds and take it all in. 2* guest house. B.

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. 2* hotel. No meals.

VIENTIANE full day to explore the laid-back Laos capital. Sightseeing may begin with a short Jumbo ride to the most important temple in Laos of Wat That Luang.

After that most sights can be seen on foot and include Wat Si Saket, Wat Si Muang and wat Mixai among others.

Then the Arc De Triomphe look-alike of Patuxai, Lao National Museum or enjoy a coffee and cake at the central Fountain Circle.
Don’t miss the Morning Market either, (open all day), which today resembles a shopping mall rather than the wet market of yesteryear. iPhone anyone? 2* hotel. B.

Tonight, our 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* hotel. B.

LUANG PRABANG – A half-day tour with a local operator today will include a boat trip on the Mekong to visit the spiritual caves of Pak Ou, before the beautiful Kuang Si waterfall and a local village or two among other interesting places. B

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.

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 Elephant 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 the perfect way to finish the day. 3* hotel. B.

LUANG PRABANG – A half-day tour with a local operator today will include a boat trip on the Mekong to visit the spiritual caves of Pak Ou, before the beautiful Kuang Si waterfall and a local village or two among other interesting places. 3* hotel. B

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. 3* hotel. B.

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. 2* hotel. B.

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 only 2 very local half-decent restaurants with limited choices we know of. Think Noodle soup or chicken/pork on rice. Stock up on snacks in Luang Prabang maybe. 2* hotel. No meals.

Tonight, our Laos small group adventure tour package will stay in; PAKBENG – A very 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 up 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 along with possibly the biggest croissants on earth.
A relaxing Beerlao overlooking the mighty Mekong will again be close at hand. 2* guest house. 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. 2* guest house. No meals.

Tonight, our Laos small group tour will stay in; HUAY XAI – This morning we will board a usually far less crowded slow boat than those going down river as we head upriver for a fascinating day’s travel along the magical Mekong. Approximately 8/9 hours.

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 meaning a much more charming and compact town than its Thai counterpart across the river. One last laid-back Laos experience. 2* guest house. No meals.

HUAY XAI – Another relaxing day to stroll around and explore. 2* guest house. No meals.

Tonight, our Laos adventure holiday will stay in; CHIANG MAI – An early start by Tuk Tulk to the Laos border before a shuttle bus back to Thai immigration. After immigration duties we will take a Songtaew, (share taxi), to the bus office in Chiang Khong for the 6 hour trip to Chiang Mai, arriving late afternoon.
After some long Laos travel days, the buffet breakfast and hotel pool will be a good choice but this wonderful city has so many other things to offer also. 3* hotel. 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, there is still the mountaintop temple of Phra That Doi Suthep, approx 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 Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Centre, 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. 3* hotel. B.

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. 3* hotel. B. D.

Our laid back Laos small group soft adventure tour package is officially over when we check out of our Chiang Mai accommodation. B.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Chiang Mai airport for your Bangkok Airways flight PG216 at 10.10 arriving at Bangkok Suvarnapoom airport, (BKK), at 11.35. Own arrangements on arrival.