Laos Southern Highlights

Morning
After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel in Pakse and transferred (1 hour) to the beautiful Bolaven Plateau. Upon arrival, embark on an excursion to the agricultural village of Ban Katuu, home to the Katu ethnic minority. The village is within a coffee plantation surrounded by beautiful nature. Here, you will get a glimpse of local coffee production and sample fresh Lao coffee.

Afternoon
After enjoying lunch at the coffee plantation, continue to explore the Bolaven Plateau’s famous features: Tad Fane waterfall. Situated in dense rainforest, this waterfall has twin streams that plunge from an impressive height of 800 feet. Next, you will drive to Tad Yeung waterfall and the surrounding coffee plantation and enjoy a swim in its cool, clear waters.

Toward the end of the day, visit Talat Dao Heung Market near the Japanese Bridge, where you can bargain for coffee and browse colorful stalls of spices, dried fish, fresh fruits, and Lao sweets.

Finish your excursion and transfer to your resort in Bolaven Plateau. After checking into your room, spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Bolaven Plateau
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, depart Bolaven Plateau, you are driven  Champasak to visit Wat Phou, a UNESCO protected temple where you will commence your explorations of the remains of Khmer history in the region.

Upon arrival, you will set out to visit the ruins of Wat Phou, understood to be the most important Hindu sanctuary of the Khmer Empire. Set among the rice fields and waterways common to this part of the country, the spectacular three-level temple is particularly striking. The first temple on the site was built as early as the 5th century, though the current ruins are from the 11th to 13th centuries. Your thorough 2-3 hour visit of the ruins includes a steep climb to holy shrines of worship on the upper level where many sacred Hindu, Buddhist, and Animist elements can be found.

You also visit the Wat Phou Museum exhibition hall on the lower levels to study the rich heritage of Khmer artists and Buddhist sculptures.

Afternoon
After you’re done exploring, transfer to the charming town of Champasak where you will check into your riverside resort. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure. You can discover French colonial buildings, Buddhist temples, or simply enjoy an evening in the Shadow Puppet Theatre. 

Overnight in Champasak
Meals: (B/_/_)

Morning
After breakfast and check out of the hotel, you are picked up and driven to the little village of Ban Khiet Ngong. From there you will embark on a medium trek (4 hours) alongside your elephant through paddy fields and wetlands, you will be led inside the jungle that surrounds the area by your mahout and guide. This activity is now an important source of income for the villagers and it helps them to avoid selling the elephants and discourage wildlife hunting.

Today you will have a chance to eat with the village’s residents, enjoying a traditional local meal of papaya salad (som tum), sticky rice, and grilled fish.

Afternoon
After lunch, take a scenic drive to Don Khong, one of the larger permanent islands in the ‘Si Pan Don’. This area in the Mekong is an archipelago of over 4,000 islands where the pendulum of time swings slowly and postcard-worthy views are the rule rather than the exception. This unique cluster of islands is found in a section of the river that’s over eight miles wide (no, that’s not a typo) and is dotted with rapids and waterfalls.

Late afternoon you will arrive and check into the hotel on Don Khong Island. Here you will be able to get a rare glimpse of river life by visiting one of these communities, touring a local school, and meeting village elders.

Overnight on Don Khong Island
Meals: (B/L/_)

Morning
After breakfast, you will embark on a full-day tour to Siphandon. Here the Mekong River is at its widest, stretching up to 12 km during the rainy season. As the waters recede, many small islands emerge, giving the region its name.

On arrival, you will visit the village of Ban Nakasang and then hop on a boat to cruise across to the peaceful island of Done Khone, a small island in Si Phan Don home to rural villages and plantations and where you can spend some time cycling around.

After this, travel on to the impressive Lippi Waterfall, famous for the Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins that swim nearby. Ban Hang Khon is one of the few places on earth it’s possible to spot these endangered mammals. You also view the old locomotive, a railway, and a colonial bridge built by the French in order to avoid navigating the rapids and waterfalls in this section of the Mekong River.

Afternoon
After lunch at a local restaurant, continue with further explorations on the river. By late afternoon, head back to your hotel Don Khong Island in time to watch the sunset.

Overnight on Don Khong Island
Meals: (B/L/_)

After breakfast and check out, transfer to the famous cascade falls of Khon Phapeng, Southeast Asia’s largest waterfalls, and one of Laos’ most magnificent natural attractions. You can hear the thunderous roar and gaze at the awesome power created by millions of liters of water crashing over rocks.

After lunch in a nearby restaurant return to Paske airport to take a short flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, or taking an overland exit through Chongmek International checkpoint to Ubon Rathani in Thailand, two and a half hours away. From there, board your one-hour flight to Bangkok and connect on to your flight home or travel on to more adventures, we will help you with the planning.

Meals: (B/_/_)