5-Day Luang Prabang Sightseeing Tour with Mekong Cruise and Pak Ou

• Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

• Depart for lunch at a local restaurant at your own expense.

• Visit the former royal palace and the National Museum for its lovely collection of artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture, dating from the days of the early kings through to the last sovereign.

• Climb to the top of Mount Phousi for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred gilded stupa, as well as panoramic sunset views over the city and the Mekong River.

• Continue to the Night Market, where you can find a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by locals and the hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang.

• Participate in the daily morning ritual of saffron-clad monks collecting offerings of alms, usually sticky rice, from faithful residents. This tradition is unique in Laos, the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession tradition.

• Visit the fresh market, where you will see diverse offerings such as dried buffalo skin, local tea, and saltpetre among chickens, vegetables, and hill-tribe weavings.

• Return to your hotel for breakfast.

• After breakfast, enjoy a short guided tour of the city's oldest temple, Wat Sene, and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong, with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, representing classical Laotian architecture.

• See some of the heritage houses around Luang Prabang that are well preserved.

• Spend the afternoon at your own leisure.

• Embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River for breathtaking views of the tranquil countryside.

• Explore the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold-lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims.

• Stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where local rice wine is made.

• Visit Ban Xienglek and Ban Xangkong, where handmade jute paper is produced, then continue with a short drive to Ban Phanom, a village well known for hand weaving.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

• Have breakfast at your hotel.

• Visit the Traditional Art and Ethnology Centre with your Laotian tour guide.

• Journey by van to Kouangsi Waterfall, about 30 km south of Luang Prabang.

• Stop at Ban Ou Meuangkhai village for a picture opportunity of the terraced rice paddy fields and to observe the local lifestyle.

• Arrive at the waterfall and enjoy the beautiful scenery, swim, or relax near the clear pools alongside terraced limestone formations.

• Walk through the forest and get the chance to say hello to the rescued black bears playing with their toys in their sanctuary.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

• After breakfast, enjoy free time at leisure to soak up the atmosphere of the city.

• Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

End of the tour.