Luang Prabang Family Holiday

Arrival in Luang Prabang and complete all necessary immigration requirements. Your guide and private car will meet you and transfer you to your hotel for check-in.

Your guide and private car will meet you at your hotel at 1630 for an evening during which you will see how the locals live.

First you will join the local petanque players. Try your skills at this sport, which is a favorite pastime of the Lao people. They will cheer you on and give you hints as you play a few games and enjoy snacks and drinks. This is great fun for all ages and a brilliant introduction to the charming Lao culture.

As the sun begins to set, climb the 328 steps to the top of Mount Phousi to enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding countryside. Descend to the Mekong side of the peninsula and find yourself in the evening hill tribe market. Here where you may find plenty of local souvenirs to buy such as handicrafts and textiles.
Enjoy dinner in Coconut Garden. This is a great introduction to Lao food which also caters for western tastes and children.

You will be transferred back to your hotel by 2100. If you prefer to stay out later then you can take a tuk-tuk.

You will be collected from your hotel at around 0800 this morning for a short transfer in to the countryside. 5km outside Luang Prabang, The Living Land Community Farm is an entirely organic farm in a beautiful rural setting, flanked by rice paddies. The stilted wooden farm buildings house an interactive museum to give an insight in to many aspects of rural life in Laos.

Enjoy a guided walk through the organic vegetable farm and learn all manner of trades, from thatched-roof making and basketry to noodle production and extracting the juice from sugarcane.

You will experience the life of a farmer and try your hand at various activities, including ploughing the rice fields with one of the resident buffalo. Please expect to get muddy and bring a change of clothes! Simple showers for your legs and feet and western toilets are available.

Rice is the most important crop throughout Laos and you will learn about the 13 steps of rice production today. The 14^th is eating and that comes at the end with a range of rice-based snacks!

Transfer back to your hotel. 

After some rest at the hotel, transfer for approximately 30 minutes to Kuang Si Waterfalls. Upon reaching Kuang Si Waterfall, relax and enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings. The water tumbles down a large drop and cascades gently in to several cool, clear pools where you can enjoy a refreshing swim (please dress modestly). Enjoy a delicious picnic lunch next to the falls.

For the adventurous, it is possible to walk to the top of the falls via a steep track where stunning views await you at the top.

You might also like to visit the bear sanctuary which is next to the falls, run by Free The Bears Fund Inc. There are currently 23 Asiatic Black Bears living in the sanctuary, which has saved them from poaching. The main threat to these bears is poaching due to the use of their bile in Chinese medicine. You can read about their habits and observe their playful nature, whilst learning about the difficulties they are facing.

Return to Luang Prabang this afternoon. Stop en-route to visit a small village which is home to one of the area’s many ethnic minorities. You will have an opportunity to learn about their traditions and culture, much of which has remained unchanged for centuries.

Enjoy an evening at leisure.

After breakfast at your hotel, visit Luang Prabang’s the most photographed temple, Wat Xieng Thong. Located at the end of the peninsula, close to the Mekong River, this temple was built in 1560 by King Setthathirat, the library was added in 1828.

A short walk will then take you to Wat Xieng pier where you will embark on a cruise up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang to the Kamu Lodge.

Along the way stop at the Pak Ou Caves. Locally referred to as Tam Ting, these two caves are carved out of towering limestone cliffs and contain thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues. The Buddhas range in size from a few centimeters to the size of a human. The caves are as well a destination for local pilgrimages.

Continue upriver for another hour to reach the Kamu Lodge for lunch.

The Kamu Lodge features 20 private canvas tents, each one of which is protected from the elements by a thatch roof. The tents are also decorated with bamboo and wooden furniture allowing the Lodges’ grounds to harmoniously blend with surrounding nature. They each feature private attached bathroom and toilet with solar powered hot water and electricity.

This afternoon, you may choose to participate in a variety of different activities. You will be rewarded with a very original Lao experience:

-          Rice planting and harvesting in surrounding rice fields

-          Gold panning (January to June) in the Mekong. Anything you find is yours!

-          Traditional fishing techniques in the Mekong. 

-          Local village visit and encounters

Enjoy breakfast in the cool morning air and spend your morning as you wish. You might like to relax or visit the nearby local village with your guide. (check-out time: 10:30)

After lunch at the Lodge, the boat will depart around 1400 for the cruise down to Luang Prabang, arriving around 1700.

Upon reaching Luang Prabang, the rest of the day is free for last minute shopping or sightseeing before transferring to the airport for your onward flight.