8 days 7 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
An eight-day private overland tour from Vientiane by fast train through Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang to Oudomxay. It includes caves, the Pak Ou Caves, Kuang Si Falls and a Khamu village trek, and ends at the Sop Hun border for Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam.
From US$1,350 per person for the whole tour, based on 4 travellers sharing double rooms in 4★ hotels as listed (couples travelling alone pay a little more). It changes with hotel level, season and group size, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Vientiane, temples and welcome dinner | Vientiane |
| 2 | Fast train to Vang Vieng and its caves | Vang Vieng |
| 3 | Train to Luang Prabang, palace and Mount Phousi | Luang Prabang |
| 4 | Pak Ou Caves and craft villages | Luang Prabang |
| 5 | Ban Long Lao villages and Kuang Si Falls | Luang Prabang |
| 6 | Train to Oudomxay and the Namkat waterfall | Oudomxay |
| 7 | Trek to the Khamu village of Ban Phavie | Oudomxay |
| 8 | Mountain road to the Vietnam border | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 8 days / 7 nights · Vientiane – Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang – Pak Ou Caves – Kuang Si Falls – Oudomxay – Ban Phavie – Sop Hun border (Dien Bien Phu)
This Laos overland tour links the capital with the far north and ends at the Vietnamese border, so you can continue your trip without flying back. You start in Vientiane with its golden stupa and riverside temples, then take the fast train to Vang Vieng for caves and countryside, and on again to Luang Prabang, the old royal town on the Mekong.
Two full days in Luang Prabang cover the Royal Palace Museum, Mount Phousi at sunset, a boat to the Pak Ou Caves, the weaving and paper villages and an afternoon swim at Kuang Si Falls. You also visit the Khmu and Hmong villages of Ban Long Lao and a small buffalo dairy farm on the way.
Another train ride takes you to a jungle resort near Oudomxay, base for a waterfall walk and a trek to the Khamu hilltop village of Ban Phavie. On the last morning you drive through remote mountain country, stop at a village market that follows an old ten-day calendar, and cross at the Sop Hun border for Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam.
Easy to moderate. Train rides of about one hour each replace long drives. Most days include one to three hours of walking, and the trek to Ban Phavie is about one and a half hours each way on a mountain trail. The final drive to the Sop Hun border is long and winding through remote hills. Suits active couples and families with children over 10.
Comfortable 4-star level where available: Mintra Hotel Vientiane (Deluxe room) or similar, Saksiri Riverside Boutique (Deluxe room) or similar in Vang Vieng, Le Bel Air Resort (Garnier room) or similar in Luang Prabang, and Namkat Yorlapa (Superior room) or similar, a jungle resort near Oudomxay and the best stay in the area.
November to February is the best time, with dry roads, clear mountain views and cool evenings in the north. March and April are hot and hazy from field burning. During the rains from June to October the countryside is lush, but trails get muddy and the mountain road to the border can be slow after heavy storms.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All private tours in Laos · Luang Prabang and Southern Laos in 8 Days: Temples, Coffee Hills and River Islands · Luang Prabang Family Vacation in 8 Days: Crafts, Waterfalls and an Ecolodge · Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi: Nam Ou Valley in 7 Days
Photos: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Dominik Landwehr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Luisah, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Your guide meets you on arrival in the capital and takes you to your hotel. After a short rest, set out to see the main sights: Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple still standing in the city, with thousands of small Buddha images in its cloister walls, and the former royal temple of Haw Phra Kaew. Visit Pha That Luang, the golden stupa that is the most important monument in Laos, and stop for photos at Patuxai, Vientiane's own triumphal arch. In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner at a good local restaurant.
Overnight: Vientiane · Meals: D
After an early breakfast, board the express train to Vang Vieng, a small town on a bend of the Nam Song River surrounded by limestone peaks. After checking in, visit Tham Jang, a cave once used by local people as a hiding place. Then drive through rice paddies to Tham Phoukham, a large limestone cave set in the forest, meeting villagers along the way. A clear natural pool in front of the cave is perfect for a swim on a hot afternoon.
Overnight: Vang Vieng · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, take the express train to Luang Prabang, the best-kept old town in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After checking in, visit the National Museum in the former Royal Palace, with its rich collection of Lao art and royal belongings. Climb Mount Phousi to the gilded stupa for a sunset view over the town and the Mekong, then browse the night market, where hill-tribe families sell handmade textiles.
Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, take a short guided walk through the town to see the places you missed yesterday, then board a boat upstream on the Mekong through quiet countryside. Stop at the Pak Ou Caves, two caverns in the cliffs filled with thousands of Buddha images. On the way back, visit Ban Phanom, a village known for hand-woven cloth, then Ban Xang Khong and Ban Xieng Lek, small villages where families weave silk and make saa paper by hand.
Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B, L
Drive into the hills to Ban Long Lao, visiting the Khmu village of Ban Long Lao Nung and the Hmong village of Ban Long Lao Song next door. You see how two very different communities live side by side, even sharing a school. On the way to Kuang Si, stop for a 40-minute visit to a small buffalo dairy farm. Then swim in the turquoise pools of Kuang Si Falls or walk the forest paths, with an optional stop at the Bear Rescue Centre. Back in town, watch sunset at Wat Phabath by the Mekong.
Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, take the express train north to Oudomxay, a province home to more than 20 ethnic groups along the Nam Beng River. You are met and taken to Namkat Yorlapa, a resort in the forest. After checking in, enjoy a short jungle walk to the Namkat waterfall and take your time by the water before returning to the resort for the night.
Overnight: Oudomxay · Meals: B, L
Drive out past the Nam Pak River, terraced rice fields and riverside villages to the start of a mountain trail. Follow a stream through lush vegetation, meeting farmers in their fields and learning how they grow rice and fish in the stream. After about an hour and a half you reach Ban Phavie, a Khamu village on a hilltop, for lunch with the community. After lunch, relax at nearby waterfalls before returning to the resort in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Oudomxay · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, drive into the remote mountains of northern Laos to the Sop Hun border. On the way, stop at Pak Nam Noi, where a village market is held every ten days according to an old local calendar and people come from all around to trade. Take a short walk through a Khmu village and its temple, then continue to the border, where your Lao tour ends and you cross into Vietnam for Dien Bien Phu.
Meals: B
Your Lao guide and driver take you to the Sop Hun checkpoint and help with exit formalities. You walk across to the Vietnamese side at Tay Trang, where we can arrange a driver to take you on to Dien Bien Phu. Check your Vietnam visa or e-visa allows entry at this land border.
The road from Oudomxay to the border winds through remote mountains and takes most of the morning with stops. Bring snacks and motion-sickness tablets if you need them.
Yes. Many travelers go on from Dien Bien Phu to the northwest mountains, Sapa or Hanoi. We can plan the Vietnam part of the trip so it connects smoothly with this tour.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the December to April high season.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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