Laos Wildlife & Nature 14 Days / 13 Nights

Depart Huay Xai for an approximately 1-hour drive to Nam Kan National Park. Meet your local guide upon arrival and start your 3 hours jungle escapade walk through a series of very long ziplines, adventurers fly mountain to mountain the heart of the Nam Kan National Park and to the biggest tree in Lao PDR, the Tree King. You will reach your jungle Tree House in the early afternoon – explore some of the surrounding ziplines and the Big Tree before an early dinner. Evening at your disposal, perfect to observe the stars far the city lights and listen to the sounds of nature.

Wake up at a crack of dawn for a nice cup of coffee and some more zipline challenges before breakfast. Later, start your hike back, through the Nam Kan National Park and over the Nam Nga River.
Take a picnic-style lunch break by the river, where you can go for a swim, before being picked up by your driver.

Ride back to Huay Xay for a night at the local guesthouse.

In the morning we will pick you up the guesthouse to your Anouvong embarkation point.

Settle in your room as the boat starts the downstream journey. The first stop today is Huay Palang village, home to the Khmu minority. The locals’ lifestyle here depends fully on the Mekong as a means of transportation and a primary food source.

PM: As the sun sets over the Mekong River, we will hold a Baci Ceremony, traditionally performed by the village elders as a Laotian welcome. It’s a ceremony of spirit-calling practiced at special occasions in life. After dinner, there is a famous Laotian “comedy” movie scheduled in our nightly “on-board cinema”. The movie, called “Chang” (Laotian for“elephant”), was shot not far away our current location in 1927 and was made by the same producer as the first King Kong movie.

AM: Early birds are welcome to join the daily morning exercise on the terrace deck (Tai Chi or Yoga). As we cruise along in the morning, our local expert hosts a lecture about Asian elephants, particularly the Laotian species, their cultural importance in the past, and the current threats which have brought them to the brink of extinction.

PM: After lunchtime, we arrive in the small town of Pakbeng. We pass by the local market scene and visit a beautiful hilltop temple with amazing views of the gently flowing Mekong below. We then have the chance to expand on the knowledge our morning lecture when visiting an elephant preservation sanctuary. The elephants here used to work as logging elephants and can live in peace and safety here as they cannot now survive in the wild.

Back on board, the journey continues for a few more hours – lay back and enjoy the scenic views as the Anouvong proceeds towards her next destination. At a secluded sandbank, the local ethnic Lao, Khmu, and Hmong residents welcome us to the tiny village of Kop Aek. Dive centuries-old traditions and practices as you immerse yourself in a unique Laotian experience. As we remain at the sandbank early evening, kick back with an aperitif accompanied by a classical dance performance by the local people.

After the show, we have another highlight in store for our guests – a barbecue dinner on the terrace deck as we take in the sights and soothing sounds of nature.

AM: After breakfast, join the lecture about the Laotian culture of the diverse tribes living along the upper Mekong. Next up – the cooking class. The rest of the morning is at your disposal as Anouvong sails through lush vegetation and gently rolling verdant hills. PM: In the afternoon, we arrive at another little village named Muang Keo. Here you can observe the local weavers honoring their timeworn traditional crafts.  Muang Keo, we take a short and easy trek to the famous Pak Ou Caves on the Mekong’s rocky shore. There are two spacious grottoes with approximately 4,000 sacred Buddhist statues.  Back on board, you can the peaceful waters of this part of the Mekong. Get refreshed before the evening, where we get to meet Mr. Francis Engelmann, a writer and retired consultant to UNESCO on heritage preservation projects since 1994. He will share some insights the country’s rich cultural heritage, the turbulent history, and the day-to-day life of the Lao people. Our culinary team is pleased to spoil you on your last evening as our chefs have prepared some delectable dishes for dinner. Have a grand time together with your newly made friends and join our staff to celebrate this wonderful journey and dance the night away. The ship moors this evening near Pak Ou.

The last sunrise aboard paired with a morning activity is the perfect way to commence your final day. After breakfast buffet, we arrive in central Luang Prabang.

Disembark in the morning and meet your local guide at the pier.

Transfer to your hotel by private car and enjoy some free time to walk around this splendidly charming town.

Meet your guide in the early evening for a short ride to Luang Prabang’s famous night market. Explore the small side streets where vendors offer food buffets and different local snacks. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells while your guide explains the various ingredients and cooking methods used in Lao cuisine.

Continue to a well-known local restaurant for traditional sindad BBQ where diners grill right at the table. Allow your guide to recommend some of the restaurant’s specialties and help with the ordering.

Spend a full day trekking in the Lao countryside to visit local villages and the stunning Kuang Si Waterfalls.

Morning 40-minute drive to the Hmong village of Ban Long Lao. Walk around the village for an insight the rural lowland Lao and Hmong community.

Begin an easy trek through the surrounding paddy fields and farms and the jungle. Follow a forest trail, stopping to explore a cave that served as a natural bomb shelter for the villagers during the Second Indochina War.

After another hour of trekking, reach the Kuang Si Waterfall. Enjoy a Lao-style set menu lunch served in a beautifully located restaurant.
Spend the afternoon relaxing by the pools and swimming. Also visit the nearby Bear Rescue Center, home to sun bears and Malayan black bears rescued bile farms or wildlife traffickers.

Return to Luang Prabang by private transfer.

Depart Luang Prabang on a 2.5hrs drive to the pier at Nam Tien Lake. Take a 15min boat ride to the Elephant Conservation Centre in Sayaboury Province. After settling your comfortable bungalow, enjoy a Lao-style lunch at the restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the only hospital dedicated to elephants in Laos and talk to a vet about their work here. Observe and learn more about elephants at the museum and the mahout school. Join the mahouts and learn three traditional ways to mount and dismount an elephant. See the interaction between mahout and elephant as they bathe together. In the late afternoon, accompany the mahouts for a walk in the forest to take the elephants back to their nightly resting place. Before dinner, enjoy a swim or simply relax on the lakeshore.

After breakfast and a safety briefing, join the elephants for an hour’s walk in the surrounding tropical forest. Your guide will teach you how Lao people use plants and trees collected the jungle. Spend some time with Mae Khamon, Mae Bounnam, Mae Dok, and Phu Thongkhoon, the four resident elephants, and help feed them. Also learn the traditional way to ride an elephant bareback, sitting on its neck with the help of the mahouts and guides. After lunch, visit the elephant nursery located deep in the forest where the baby elephants learn how to behave by closely watching their mothers. While watching them play, gain insight the reproduction program set up by the NGO ElefantAsia. After, observe as the elephants take their daily bath and accompany them through the forest back to their nightly resting place. In the late afternoon, take a boat trip on the lake to watch the sunset over the islands while enjoying a refreshing drink and snacks, followed by dinner in the restaurant.

After an early breakfast, join your guide on a half-day trek through the forest to discover a hidden sacred Buddha footprint. Along the way, learn about local customs and admire the beauty of the forest and natural landscapes.

After a final lunch, depart for Luang Prabang, arriving at your hotel at around 18:00.

After breakfast, we’ll pick you up for your transfer to the airport and a flight to Pakse. There meet your driver and take a ride to the lodge.

The remainder of the day at leisure.

Formed by an ancient volcano and famous for incredible falls and coffee and tea plantations, the Bolaven Plateau is home to many tribal villages, some of them still practicing Stone Age cultures, like primitive agricultural tools or animal sacrifices.

Your driver and a guide will meet you after breakfast for a ride to the Tad Lo Waterfall, a series of three falls named Tad Suong, Tad Lo, and Tad Hang.

Enjoy your lunch at the Tad Fane Waterfalls. Next, walk to the impressive 42m (138ft) Tad Yeung Waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation.

End the day with a visit to a tea and coffee plantation before returning to the lodge.

Jungle-clad Phou Asa Mountain has long been an enigma, even to seasoned archaeologists. Spend the day uncovering the secrets of this scenic mountain and its enigmatic ruins comprised of 108 stacked stone pillars, each topped by a large flat rock.

Join a village guide to learn more about these mysterious pillars which some think were part of a jungle fort or perhaps an ancient Buddhist monastery to go along with the “Buddha’s footprint” carved the rock face below. Summit the mountain for outstanding views of southern Laos. Along the way, walk along forest trails while learning how to spot signs of wildlife as well as indigenous medicinal plants. Lunch is included in this adventurous day trek.

Return to your lodge in the early evening.

This morning take a ride back to Pakse airport for your flight to Vientiane and back home.