Classic Laos and Beyond: Mekong, Nong Khiaw and the Far South in 18 Days

After breakfast, visit the Royal Palace Museum and Wat Xieng Thong, the finest example of classic Luang Prabang temple design, with roofs that sweep almost to the ground. Then drive into the hills to Kuang Si Falls, where water tumbles over limestone tiers into blue pools. Swim, or follow the forest paths. On the way back, stop at Ock Pop Tock, a weaving center beside the Mekong. End the day climbing the 329 steps of Phousi Hill for sunset, then stroll through the night market.

Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B

Rise at dawn to watch monks walk the streets collecting alms, then see the morning market come to life. After breakfast, drive out of town to Green Jungle Park, a forest park on the road towards Kuang Si. Fly over the canopy on its zipline, then walk the forest trails and rope bridges; anyone who prefers can simply walk. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax back in town.

Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B, L

Board your boat at 7 am and head upstream on the Mekong, with breakfast served on board. Mid-morning, stop at the Pak Ou Caves, two caves in a limestone cliff filled with thousands of Buddha images, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Laos. Back on deck, your guide gives a short talk on the many ethnic groups of Laos. A Lao lunch is served as forested hills and small villages slide past. You reach the riverside town of Pakbeng before dark.

Overnight: Pakbeng · Meals: B, L, D

After two busy days, enjoy a slower pace. In the morning, walk with your guide through Pakbeng's market, where families from the surrounding hills bring vegetables, herbs and river fish. Climb the lanes to the village temple for a view along the Mekong, then visit a nearby village to see daily life away from the river traffic. The afternoon is yours to relax on the terrace of your lodge, watching boats pass on the river below.

Overnight: Pakbeng · Meals: B

Drive north from Pakbeng to Oudomxay, a province home to more than twenty ethnic groups, with stops along the way in hill villages. Continue to Namkat Yorla Pa, a forest resort about 30 km from town. After checking in, set off on a 1-hour walk through thick jungle, over hanging bridges and along narrow trails, with only the sounds of the forest around you. Cool off at the Namkat waterfalls before returning by a different path.

Overnight: Namkat (Oudomxay) · Meals: B

Leave the forest after breakfast and drive to Nong Khiaw, a small town on the Nam Ou ringed by limestone cliffs. The road is rough in places, but the views of hillside villages make up for it. After a free lunch in town, take a 30-minute walk through rice fields to the Phathok caves, where villagers sheltered from bombing in the 1960s and 70s. Your guide tells the story, and from the cave mouth you look out over the paddies. Walk back for sunset over the river.

Overnight: Nong Khiaw · Meals: B

Board a long-tail boat and travel upstream through spectacular scenery. Stop at a riverside village and, on weekdays, visit the local school. Then walk about an hour through the forest near the Khmu village of Ban Sop Kong to Tad Mork waterfall, where you can swim before a picnic lunch. Back on the river, continue to Muang Ngoi, a peaceful village reached only by boat, for a drink by the water. Return downstream through a narrow gorge, arriving at Nong Khiaw around sunset.

Overnight: Nong Khiaw · Meals: B, L

Walk from your hotel across the bridge and begin the climb up Phou Pha Daeng. The trail takes about two hours and the reward is huge: a panorama of the Nam Ou winding between jagged peaks, often with morning mist below you. Rest at the top, then descend to town. In the afternoon, drive back to Luang Prabang and enjoy a relaxed evening in the old town.

Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B

Take the morning express train south; the ride to Vang Vieng takes about an hour. On arrival, visit Tham Nang Fa, the Angel Cave, with its tall chambers of stalactites and pale limestone. Thrill seekers can add an optional zipline nearby. Then head to Blue Lagoon 3, a clear green pool surrounded by trees, for a swim and a lazy afternoon. Watch the light fade over the karst peaks from your riverside hotel.

Overnight: Vang Vieng · Meals: B

Ride north in a local songthaew to Tham Xang, a cave shrine on the banks of the Nam Song, then explore Tham Hoi, the Snail Cave, whose long passages wind deep into the mountain. Visit the Loop Cave, then Tham Nam, the Water Cave, where you float inside on an inner tube, guided by a rope. Afterwards, walk 2 km through rice fields to the Hmong village of Phathao. In the afternoon, continue to Vientiane.

Overnight: Vientiane · Meals: B

Start at Wat Si Muang, where locals come for blessings, then drive about 45 minutes to Buddha Park, a riverside garden of more than 200 Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. Back in town, visit COPE to learn about the legacy of unexploded ordnance in rural Laos and the work to help those affected. In the afternoon see That Luang, the golden national stupa, climb Patuxai for a city view, and visit Wat Sisaket and Haw Phra Kaew. Finish with a stroll along the Mekong as the sun goes down.

Overnight: Vientiane · Meals: B

Drive to Ban Kaolieu on the outskirts of Vientiane and cross by local boat to Don Xing Xu, a quiet island in the Mekong. Walk to a temple where locals come to pray for lucky numbers, and try your own luck if you like. Explore the small village, home to around 200 people who raise goats and pigs, then tour the island by tuk tuk or farm tractor. Lunch is at a local restaurant. Take your time before the boat back to the mainland and your hotel.

Overnight: Vientiane · Meals: B, L

Fly south to Pakse and drive up onto the Bolaven Plateau, where the climate is cooler and coffee and tea grow on the hills. See Tad Fane, twin waterfalls dropping into a deep gorge, and if time allows swim at the foot of Tad Yuang. Visit Ban Lak 17, a village of blacksmiths, and Ban Lak 30, known for bamboo baskets. End the day at a coffee plantation to see how the beans are grown and processed, with a fresh cup to taste.

Overnight: Bolaven Plateau · Meals: B

Browse the Tha Teng market, where minority families trade produce, then visit Ban Bong Neua, an Alak village with a carved ceremonial post, and Ban Kokphung, a Katu village. In the afternoon, explore Wat Phou, a UNESCO-listed Khmer temple complex begun in the 5th century, centuries before Angkor Wat. Climb the stone stairway to the sanctuary for a wide view over the rice plain. Then drive on to Don Khong, the largest island in this stretch of the Mekong.

Overnight: Don Khong · Meals: B

Spend 1.5 hours on a long-tail boat weaving through Si Phan Don, where the Mekong spreads wide around countless islets. Land on Don Khone and walk past French colonial houses and the remains of the first railway in Laos, with its old locomotive. Ride a tuk tuk to Li Phi Falls, also called Tad Somphamit, near the Cambodian border, and stop at a village temple on the way back. Later, stroll through the village or rent a bicycle for a sunset ride.

Overnight: Don Khone · Meals: B

Return to the mainland at Ban Nakasang and visit Khone Phapheng, a thundering series of cascades and the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia. Drive north to Pakse, founded by the French in 1905 where the Se Don joins the Mekong. In the afternoon, visit the stone-carving village of Ban Khoh and walk to Wat Chomphet with its large seated Buddha. At dusk, go up to Wat Phou Salao for a view over the town and river.

Overnight: Pakse · Meals: B

After breakfast, your driver takes you across the Chongmek border to Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand for your flight to Bangkok and your journey home. Allow about three hours including the border crossing. Alternatively, you can fly out of Pakse to Vientiane, Bangkok, Siem Reap or Ho Chi Minh City. On the way to the border, look out for the rice fields and roadside markets of the lowlands, a last glimpse of rural Laos before you say goodbye.

Meals: B