Essential Laos with Pandaw Cruise

Day 1 – Depart the UK

Depart the UK.

Day 2 – Chiang Rai

Meet your guide at Chiang Mai airport and transfer to your hotel. After checking in, you will have the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 3 – Chiang Rai

Spend the day with rescued elephants close to Chiang Rai, and visit local ethnic minority villages to see how the locals live. If desired, you can also take an easy trek to a waterfall where you can take a quick dip!

Day 4 – Pandaw Cruise

You will check-in to your cabin and receive a welcome brief. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to relax as the boat cruises up to the border with Burma and Laos.

Day 5 – The Golden Triangle

Today you will travel by coach to the Golden Triangle area with its Opium Museum and if security permits, you can cross into Tachilek - the notorious Burma border town with its fascinating black market where you can buy anything, quite literally! It is probably the world’s best duty-free area!

Day 6 – Pak Beng

Today as you cross into Laos, you will stop for a walk in the market town of Pak Beng, deep in the Laos jungle. You will then visit Pak Tha and take a trip up the Namtha River by traditional long-tail boat to visit a Khmu village.

Day 7 – Pak Ou

You will stop today to explore the incredible Buddhist sanctuaries that are the Pak Ou Caves. You will also enter the Nam Ou River today, with its spectacular cliff faces. Continue on the river all day through rapids and deep pools.

Day 8 – Luang Prabang

Today you will reach the magical Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage town. Moored in the heart of the temple city, you will visit the many Buddhist temples, libraries and the Royal Palace. There is a buzzing night market and many delightful cafes and some quite good restaurants ashore.

Day 9 – Luang Prabang

Observe the morning almsgiving as a thousand monks collect their daily meals from door to door. Then you go inland to explore the fascinating Hmong villages and swim in the deep jungle pools at the Khaung Si waterfall. Those interested will have the chance to do some gentle trekking along forest trails. The evening is at leisure to explore Luang Prabang by night, possibly visiting many of the craft studios, workshops and restaurants.

Day 10 – Tha Deua

Take a walk ashore at this vital crossing point and visit local villages to see how the locals live in the countryside. The boat will continue upstream into Sayabouri Province.

Day 11 – Pak Lai

Stroll around the charming French-colonial town of Pak Lai, with its many colonial buildings and a bustling local market. This town boasts the largest elephant festival in South East Asia, usually in February.

Day 12 – Ban Paklay

You will pass through a dramatic landscape of jungle and mountains today, where the river flows fast and wild. Unusual rock formations straddle the river banks, and the boat will moor here on the sandbanks for the night. You will visit Ban Sanakham, an important border crossing between Laos and Thailand. It is here that you will enter the cultivated plains of Vientiane province.

Day 13 – Vientiane

This morning you will arrive in Vientiane. You will have the chance to explore this charming French city and spend the evening in port to explore the many cafes and bistros in this charming little corner of L’Indochine.

Day 14 – Vientiane

Today you will disembark the RV Pandaw Laos and check into your hotel for your final night in Laos. You can explore the many cafes, bistros and handicraft stores on the bustling streets of Vientiane.

Day 15 – Fly Home

Transfer to the airport to catch your flight home.

Your bespoke proposal with Experience Travel Group will include:

• International Flights (we can omit if you prefer)
• Accommodation as described
• Privately guided tours and transfers
• Tips for guides and drivers
• Original Experience Travel Group "signature" experiences 
• Full financial protection (ABTA and ATOL bonding.) 
• 24-hour in-country backup while away
• Your dedicated travel expert in the UK