Laos and Cambodia Combination

13 days visiting

• Luang Prabang
• Vientiane
• Pakse
• Don Khone
• Siem Reap
• Phnom Penh

From $3110 AUD pp (2 pax)

Day 1 Luang Prabang
Arrival in Luang Prabang
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
– Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 2 Luang Prabang (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Luang Prabang (half day)
Make sure your cameras and phones are fully charged for today’s tour of the charming UNESCO-protected town of Luang Prabang. Golden Buddha images adorn gilded temples with sweeping roofs, while saffron-clad monks drift silently by. One of the most photographed sights is the unique pink mosaic of the tree of life at Wat Xieng Thong. We will, of course, visit this temple, along with many others that line the streets of the tiny town. Today’s Highlights: Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Xieng Thong, (Wat Sibounheuang, Wat Si Moungkhoun, Wat Sop, Wat Sene
if time permits)
Excursion to Kuang Si Waterfalls
Pack your swimsuit for a unique swimming experience at the spectacular Kuang Si Falls. Water tumbles over limestone rocks into numerous turquoise pools that are used as natural swimming holes. It’s refreshingly chilly and impossible to resist! On the way back to Luang Prabang stop for a walk around a local village. Today’s highlights: Kuang Si Waterfall, local village (Ban Ou or Ban Na Ouane – Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 3 Luang Prabang (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Luang Prabang
How about grilled insects for breakfast today? Only kidding, but these are just some of the exotic produce that we will see at the morning market. It’s a great place to get a flavour of local culture
and if you do have a craving for fried crickets, you can get them here too! We’ll then go to see the rich treasures in the National Museum, formerly the Royal Palace. Check out the royal family’s private quarters. They have been preserved just as they were when the royal family were forced to leave. Nearby is Hor Phra Bang, an ornate temple housing a sacred Buddha shrouded in legends. At New Year, the Buddha is carried to Wat Mai. So we’ll go there too! Today’s Highlights: local market, National Museum (Royal Palace), Hor Phra Bang, Wat Mai
Excursion by boat to Tham Pak Ou Caves
Let’s get spiritual as we follow in the footsteps of the pilgrims to the Pak Ou Caves. These ancient limestone caves are crammed full of thousands of Buddha statues, many broken and crumbling, covered in dust and cobwebs. But first, relax on a cruise down the Mekong River observing life on the sleepy riverbanks. If there’s time, we’ll stop at a village where the eye-watering Lao Lao whisky is made. Be warned, it’s potent! Today’s Highlights: River cruise to Tham Pak Ou Caves, Ban Xang Hai Village
Visit the weaving village of Ban Xang Khong
Visit Ban Xang Khong, a village near Luang Prabang well known for its traditional handwoven cotton and silk, as well as production of the local sa (mulberry) paper – Overnight in Luang Prabang

Day 4 Luang Prabang – Vientiane (Breakfast: Hotel )
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Flight from Luang Prabang to Vientiane
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Excursion to Buddha Park (Wat Xieng Khuan)
Bizarre and slightly surreal is how we would describe Buddha Park. It’s home to huge statues of Buddha and Hindu gods – as you’ve never seen them before! It’s quirky, fun and very instagrammable! Today’s Highlights: Wat Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park – Overnight in Vientiane

Day 5 Vientiane (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Vientiane
Vientiane confuses us! Is it Asian or French? There are beautiful Buddhist sites such as Wat Sisaket and the gleaming golden stupa of Pha That Luang. Yet turn a corner and you come face to face with Patuxai, a monumental arch resembling the Arc de Triomphe. You decide after visiting these sights plus more. Did you know that Laos was the most bombed country during the Vietnam War? We’ll visit COPE, an inspiring NGO that provides survivors of unexploded ordnance (UXO) with care and prosthetics. And of course we’ll find time to practice our bartering skills at the local market! Today’s Highlights: Pha That Luang, Ho Pha Keo (former royal temple), Wat Si Saket, Wat Si Muang, Patuxai, Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), Talaat Sao Marke – Overnight in Vientiane

Day 6 Vientiane – Pakse (Breakfast: Hotel )
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Flight from Vientiane to Pakse
Transfer
Excursion to the Bolaven Plateau, Tad Fane, Tad Yuang and Tad E-Tu waterfalls
Today we venture across the beautiful Bolaven Plateau, formed from an ancient volcano. This fertile area is famous for coffee and tea plantations and for being the home of the Laven ethnic group. We’re going to check out some of its dramatic waterfalls! Today’s Highlights: Bolaven Plateau, Tad Fane Waterfall, Tad Yuang Waterfall, Tad E-Tu Waterfal – Overnight in Pakse

Day 7 Pakse – Don Khone (Breakfast: Hotel )
Excursion to Champasak and Vat Phou Champasak
It’s incredible to think that the ancient Khmer temple of Vat Phou is even older than Angkor Wat, yet so few tourists visit it! Today we will visit the well-preserved temples and shrines located on a hillside on the bank of the Mekong. The ruins are really impressive, but so are the stunning views over the surrounding land and river. After taking in the atmosphere of these ancient temples, continue by vehicle to Pakse. Todays’ Highlights: Vat Phou Champasak, Vat Phou Museum
By boat and vehicle from Pakse to Don Khone
From Pakse, travel by vehicle along the east bank of the Mekong River, and then continue by boat to Don Khone, stopping at the pier at Tha Ban Nakasang – Overnight in Don Khone

Day 8 Don Khone – Pakse (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Don Khone by Tuk Tuk (half day)
There are a staggering 4,000 islands in Si Phan Don. Don’t worry, we won’t take you to them all, in fact we’ll just visit one: Don Khone, one of the most authentic. This is rural Laos with a sprinkling of crumbling French villas, an old railway and the impressive Tad Li Phi Waterfalls, a raging set of rapids. Today’s Highlights: Ban Khone Village, Wat Mahanthanaram Temple and Tad Li Phi Waterfalls on Don Khone
By boat and vehicle from Don Khone to Pakse with sightseeing at Khone Phapeng Waterfall
We’ll say goodbye to Don Khone and travel by boat and road to Khone Phapheng Waterfall. Here, the entire Mekong with all its force cascades down stone outcrops tinting the massive stones with rainbows. It’s the perfect place for a rest before continuing to Pakse. Today’s Highlights: Boat to Tha Ban Nakasang pier, Khone Phapheng Waterfal – Overnight in Pakse

Day 9 Pakse – Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel )
Transfer
Flight from Pakse to Siem Reap
Arrival in Siem Reap
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Sightseeing in Angkor
Imagine walking through a mysterious temple containing over 200 enormous smiling stone faces. Facing every angle, the eerie eyes follow you everywhere you go. Welcome to Bayon, located right in the heart of the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom. This incredible city is accessed by causeways leading to 23-metre-high entry gates crowned with faces. Today we will discover Bayon along with all the incredible sights within Angkor Thom. To end a perfect day, we’ll climb to the upper terraces of one of the ancient temples to view the sun setting over the temples. Today’s Highlights: Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper Kings, Baphuon, Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, sunset view from an ancient templ – Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 10 Siem Reap (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Angkor
Be prepared to be overwhelmed as today is all about Angkor. No doubt you’ve seen photos of the epic Angkor Wat, the largest and most important of the Angkor Temples, full of courtyards and carvings. Then there’s the ethereal Ta Phrom – left to the clutches of the jungle, bound by the roots of massive trees. And let’s not forget the haunting beauty of Banteay Srei, built from pink sandstone and covered in exquisitely preserved carvings of beautiful women. But nothing can prepare you for the sheer scale and the spiritual atmosphere that you will experience when seeing these ancient monuments in real life. We will of course, visit all the above. Today’s Highlights: Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, Banteay Sre – Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 11 Siem Reap – Phnom Penh (Breakfast: Hotel / Dinner: Sovanna BBQ I )
Excursion by boat to Chong Kneas floating village and visit Phsar Chah (Old Market)
Cambodia isn’t all about temple-gazing (although the gazing is pretty good). Today we get a glimpse into local life. First, on a boat trip along the Tonle Sap to see the communities living on the river. Next we visit the old market where the locals come to shop. It sells all sorts, from souvenirs to snacks. Check out the wet market
it’s teeming with creatures great and small! Today’s Highlights: Chong Kneas village, Psah Chah Market
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle
Evening Foodie Safari By Remork “Tuk Tuk”
It’s time to satisfy our foodie side with an evening visit to the markets. We’ll go there in local style – in a tuk-tuk. It’s the food section in the art-deco Central Market that we’ll be heading to, enticed by the aromas of freshly cooked snacks. We can try exotic fruits such as dragon fruit and mango – but beware the stinky durian! In the Old Market we’ll see all the different spices as well as more bizarre ingredients. By now, the sun will be starting to set so we’ll make our way up to a rooftop bar for cocktails overlooking the Mekong. Dinner will be in a local restaurant, followed by dessert from a stall that whips up fresh fruit shakes and fruits with sweet condensed milk. Happy eating! Today’s Highlights: Cyclo ride to Central Market, Old market (Phsar Chas), cocktails in rooftop bar, dinner – Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 12 Phnom Penh (Breakfast: Hotel )
Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Let’s see what Cambodia’s capital city has to offer! The riverfront promenade that lines the mighty Mekong is a hive of activity, from the chaotic traffic to busy pavements full of street-side vendors and pedestrians. We’ll visit the National Museum and the Silver Pagoda, and then rub shoulders with the royals in the Royal Palace, where King Norodom Sihamoi still lives today. And of course, there’s time for shopping for exotic souvenirs in one of the city’s fabulous markets. We’ll either visit the art-deco Central Market or the sprawling Russian Market to barter for locally made silk, crafts, jewellery and lots more. Let us know if you have a preference! Today’s Highlights: Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Central Market or the Russian Market
Visit Tuol Sleng (S-21)
Learn about a chapter from Cambodia’s more recent, tragic, past at the Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide). Formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School, in 1975, this became the interrogation and torture facility for the Khmer Rouge regime
at that time known as Security Prison 21, or simply S-21. Kept largely unchanged, this prison now showcases photographs and exhibits about the thousands of victims that passed through these doors
only seven of whom came out alive.
Excursion to the Killing Fields
The country still bears the scars left by the Khmer Rouge. Just outside the city, in a peaceful rural setting, we find the Killing Fields. Thousands of people were killed here between the years of 1975 and 1978 and buried in mass graves. It is a distressing place to visit, but it’s necessary to get a clearer idea of how Cambodians have suffered and ultimately survived. Today’s Highlights: Killing Fields – Overnight in Phnom Penh

Day 13 Phnom Penh (Breakfast: Hotel )
Transfer by air conditioned vehicle