Take the Air with Your Family in Laos

We land at Luang Prabang airport according to our flight reservation. We settle the details of our arrival: VISA and other entry formalities for the country, then collect our baggage. Welcome by our English-speaking local guide and transfer to our hotel for check-in.

We will have the opportunity to end the day with an outing to Mont Phou Si. This place is highly prized for its spectacular panoramic views over the entire city, especially at dusk.

On the way down, we can make a short stop at its night market to discover some samples of Lao craftsmanship (visit possible another day depending on our wishes)

Return to the hotel, and it will be time to get ready for the evening: You will attend, in your honor, a traditional Baci ceremony. A lovely evening ahead, filled with sincere encounters.

The Baci will offer you an authentic approach to local customs. This will be an opportunity to share dinner with your hosts. The Baci pays tribute to happy life events (meetings, weddings…) or is simply celebrated in honor of a person, a family, to bring security, happiness and prosperity.

Breakfast at the hotel, then you will start your bicycle tour of the main monuments of the city of Luang Prabang, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995

We begin with the Royal Palace which has become the National Museum and the Vat Mai.

Within the Vat Xieng Mouane, we will have the opportunity to discover crafts dedicated to Buddhist art at its training center. We then walk along the facade of the French Institute of Luang Prabang, former residence of comedian Pierre Desproges.

We take a short detour to the Heritage House to better understand the policies for the protection and promotion of the city. We find a small manual workshop there.

During our visit, we will pass in front of the French Institute of Luang Prabang which was once the home of comedian Pierre Desproges.

Lunch at the Pha Khao Lao restaurant, a table with local flavors particularly featuring culinary specialties from Luang Prabang.

This afternoon, you will visit the ethnology museum which allows for a better understanding of the ethnic diversity of Laos and its cultural wealth. Ideal for an excellent educational approach (closed on Mondays).

Continuing with a visit to Ock Pop Tok: this center is dedicated to promoting products from traditional textile crafts of Laos.

Late afternoon, we enjoy the last rays of sunlight with a visit to the Vat Prabat Tai to admire the twilight sunset reflected on the Mekong.

Optionally, we can enjoy a game of petanque with experienced locals. It's ideal for immersing yourself in the laid-back atmosphere of the region.

Dinner on your own.

Recommendation: The Dyen Sabai, on the opposite bank of the Nam Khan river and accessible by a small bamboo bridge that crosses it from the peninsula. This charming place is ideal for an evening of sindad, the Lao barbecue where you grill your own meat on a hot plate and boil your vegetables. A dish very popular with locals, accompanied by a good Beerlao!

Breakfast at your hotel then we head to the Nahm Dong Park to spend an authentic moment to the sound of waterfalls with magnificent views overlooking the Luang Prabang valley.

Your day will begin with a hike that will take up your morning between jungle and suspension bridges, and will end with lunch followed by some well-deserved rest.

You will then be ready for a few hours of tree-top adventure activities in the heart of the park. English-speaking supervision.

Return to Luang Prabang and the rest of the day at your leisure.

Dinner on your own. We recommend the restaurant: Calao, notably for its 19th century building on the riverbanks, where you will have a wide choice of Asian dishes and in particular their ethnic menu which allows you to discover new gastronomy full of local flavours.

Breakfast at the hotel, then we will head towards the Living Land community farm. Curious to learn more about the thirteen stages of the rice cycle? This farm is the ideal place to understand local agricultural development around a rice field and organic garden. Ready for learning and practice? Your lunch will be served on site.

This afternoon, you will not miss the visit to the "Luang Prabang Deaf & Mute Community" center, which is a craft and training center for deaf and mute people in Luang Prabang. Students at the center learn various techniques in crafts such as weaving, sewing, carpentry, mechanics as well as restoration. This professional training offers them the opportunity to become independent in their adult lives.

Discover a place centered on sustainable development and experience sustainable tourism while supporting the deaf and mute community!

Once there, visit their farm which houses vegetables and some animals, their craft shop and finally, their weaving workshop.

At the end of the day, weather permitting, we propose a final visit to the « Children Cultural Centre of Luang Prabang » to better understand the daily life of children in Luang Prabang through activities offered on site such as: traditional dance, storytelling, games, etc. (activities to be paid on site).

Dinner on your own, we recommend the restaurant Un Petit Nids Biblio Resto, in the heart of the peninsula, on the main street in a renovated old house in a contemporary style, the restaurant Un Petit Nid Biblio Resto, which offers fresh and authentic cuisine. Possibility to dine on the terrace.

Hotel breakfast and then we will head to the organic farm Phou Dindaeng located 3 km from Vang Vieng. The objective of this farm is to promote responsible, organic agriculture and to perpetuate various traditional vegetable growing techniques as well as goat farming.

Then, it will be time to join an immersion in Laotian gastronomy with a cooking class (in group) using products from the farm… a true "farm to table".

Once the practice is finished and the dishes prepared, it will then be time to sit down at the table to eat your own preparations (drinks not included).

In the afternoon, return to your hotel and free time. Your guide will help you organize your activities according to your wishes (fees to be paid on site).

NOTE: Subject to availability, weather conditions, and time constraints, we recommend that you coordinate with your guide on site the day before for some suggestions to arrange your day at your complete discretion, with the choice of:

• A hot air balloon ride to fly over the karst region of Vang Vieng.

• A motorized canoe trip on the Nam Song river before sunset with the jagged mountains of Vang Vieng in the background.

• A cycling or scooter trip in the countryside and explore at your own pace the bucolic charm of the surroundings of Vang Vieng.

• An escape in a buggy or quad bike, to add some spice to your time on site.

• A kayaking trip to descend the Nam Song river.
  

You acknowledge being aware of any potential risks associated with these activities and will assume any possible consequences. Any fees and additional charges are to be paid directly on site to the service providers.

You acknowledge being aware of any potential risks associated with these activities and will assume any possible consequences (essentially during the rainy season). Any fees and additional charges are to be paid directly on site to the service providers.

Option: Head to the equestrian center "Ponies of Vang Vieng". All activities offered by the latter are adapted for all ages ranging from pony rides for children to a variety of carriage tours. Nothing like it to discover the beauty of Vang Vieng in sweet animal companionship. Activity(ies) of your choice and at your discretion, for a pony ride ranging from 20 minutes to an hour or more, along the Nam Song river or through forests and rice fields… (to be paid on site)

Breakfast at the hotel, then at 8:30 AM you will begin discovering the main monuments that have made Vientiane, our small peaceful and charming capital, famous.

We will not miss the discovery of the That Luang, the most revered stupa in the country, the Patuxay (our Arc de Triomphe), before heading towards Vat Sisaket, a magnificent monastery, then Ho Phra Keo which once housed the Emerald Buddha, now based in Bangkok.

One last visit for the morning to the COPE exhibition center will help you better understand the effects of the second Vietnam War and the devastation it still causes to local populations through UXO.

Lunch at Doi Ka Noi restaurant, following a sustainable development approach. It is located slightly away from the city center and follows the "slow food" movement. It is the first of its kind in Laos; it offers authentic and tasty Lao cuisine. No fixed menu, but an offer that evolves each day depending on market products, the season and the mood and desires of chef "Noy".

This afternoon, meet a flagship activity of Lao culture: Muay Lao, the little sister of Thai boxing, which is practiced with feet, fists and knees. You will learn a bit more about this unavoidable sport in Laos. Rigor and concentration will be the watchwords during this (gentle!) training which will also promise plenty of good humor to savor with family!

At the end of the day, head to a local sauna. In Southeast Asia, and particularly in Laos, there is a simple and convivial way to relax: The traditional sauna with medicinal herbs. A real institution! A true place of life, it is an opportunity to meet up with your friends or spend a few hours with family, or even alone, between steam baths and a "patio" where it is pleasant to chat over a herbal infusion, before a good cold shower offering you a boost of energy! Take time to relax, to observe the locals taking care of their bodies, their skin, covering themselves with creams and other tamarind-based products. A real ceremonial of scents and colors, for a unique warm experience!

Dinner free. We recommend the Pha Khao Lao restaurant, in a picturesque alley in the city center. This Lao-Thai restaurant offers good cuisine in a real intimate setting, without being crowded with tourists.

Breakfast at the hotel, then we will leave the city and take the road to the Buddha Park located about thirty kilometers from the city center. Magnificent sculptures dating from 1958 are scattered throughout. This place is located on the banks of the Mekong River. It is a park known for its originality and its mix of Asian religions (Hinduism and Buddhism).

Then we will head to the "Lao Disabled Women Development Center" which aims to reintegrate disabled women into working life, particularly through handicraft workshops. After a presentation of their project, feel free to ask questions, observe their productions or even participate in a manual newspaper recycling workshop! Lunch on site.

On the way back, if time permits, we will stop at Lao ITECC Mall, at the Trick Art Museum where the whole family can enjoy optical illusions for all ages. Plenty of selfies and souvenir photos to brighten hearts as you depart Laos. (Entrance fees to be paid on site).

Then return to the hotel to pick up your belongings and transfer to Wattay International Airport for your departure flight to Bangkok (Flight and schedule to be reconfirmed. Flight booked by you).

Please note: Your room must be vacated by noon. However, it is possible to pay a supplement on site for the room to be available until 6 pm (subject to room availability).