Laos Southern Highlights
Overview
- Culture & Heritage
- Off The Beaten Path
Day 1: Arrival in Pakse – Bolaven Plateau
Day 2: Pakse – Bolaven Plateau
Day 3: Bolaven Plateau – Champasak – Wat Phou
Day 4: Champasak – The 4000 Islands – Don Khong Island
Day 5: Don Khong – Si Phan Don – Waterfalls
Day 6: Don Khong – Khon Phapeng Falls – Paske – Departure
Customizable itinerary
The southern region of Laos sees fewer visitors compared to the north, but this area is actually a hidden gem with spectacular landscapes. This ‘Laos Southern Highlights’ is created to show you its splendors. Start from Champasak, discover the beautiful sight of Bolaven Plateau – a famous coffee plantation area in Laos. Visit the ruins of Wat Phou, a striking Hindu temple under the Khmer Empire. Next, trek to meet the people in Ban Khiet Ngong village to gain an insight into their lives and traditions. Wrap up your journey by exploring the wonderful Si Phan Don – or the ‘4000 islands. This archipelago is home to some of the most impressive landscapes in Laos with tiny remote islands, stunning waterfalls, and small tranquil villages.
Saibaidee! Welcome to Pakse, Laos.
Arriving at Pakse Airport or at the border gate of Chongmek, your private guide and driver are waiting to meet you, holding up a welcome signboard with your names on it and take you directly to your hotel in Pakse town. After checking into your hotel room, spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.
Overnight in Pakse
Meals: (_/_/_)
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/_/_)
Useful Information
This sample itinerary was created by our travel experts as inspiration for your next trip. Ready for your customization. You pick to suit your budget, desires, and cultural experiences. The price of this trip will vary, depending on the number of people in your party, dates of departure, and the availability of ground services. Please click on REQUEST A FREE QUOTE (above) and give us the necessary information to enable us to send you a FREE personalized quote within 48 hours if not sooner!
Sightseeing Highlights
- The scenic green mountainous area of Bolaven Plateau with various watefalls, and plantation
- Explore the ruin of mysterious temple of Wat Phou to learn about the history of southern Laos
- Stroll around exciting 4000-island area and admire the life of the local peaceful village
- The amazing Khone Phapheng waterfalls, one of the biggest waterfalls of the world
Dining Experience
- 5 hotel buffet breakfasts.
- 1 dinner and 3 lunches at well-selected restaurants
Travel Highlights
- Your own private guide and driver for in-depth cultural touring based on your interests
- Firsthand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our locally born travel specialists
- Itineraries that are customized according to your interests and preferences
- A seamless travel experience, including all logistics, hand-picked hotels and restaurants, private airport transfers, internal transportation, and entry visa assistance…etc
- Around-the-clock support from your travel designer and concierge before, during and after your trip
What’s Included?
Private English speaking guide, accommodation, private tours and transfer, A/C vehicles, some main meals, all entrance fees, tax, and service charge.
What’s Not Included?
Your international flights from and to Laos, the entry visa to Laos, personal expense, tips to guide and driver.
Free service. No credit card required
Reviews on Our Service
Vietnam Luxury Vacation Review: Sightseeing, Culture, 12-Day Travel
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Sightseeing, Rice Fields, Boat Rides, 18-Day Trip
We started searching for our tour for Vietnam / Cambodia back in October 2022 to start the tour in the first week of January 2023. We selected this travel agency, and contact name provided to us was Elly. She was extraordinary with her communication with us. Excellent English speaking language capability & excellent in communication on Whats app and email communication. We went back & forth few times to arrange the tour we wanted. She was very accommodating in arranging our schedule. We requested automobile tour for both countries, just for two of us.
We requested SUV FOR OUR COMFORT AND WE GOT IT!
We requested to get the high end hotel in each city and she gave us choices and not only that but send videos of each hotel for each City and then waited for us to decide which hotel we select. All the Hotels turned out to be one of the best we would expect to be. M/s Elly, personally came to visit with us on the evening of our first day tour. Very respectful and asked if she could do anything for us.I had requested before in our communication, if she would arrange for power converter for us, since my camera chargers are all in 110. So brought two power converters for us! Something, not everyone will do this kind of service. So all the kiddos to her!
as to the drivers in each city were very courteous, very professional and very careful in how and where they have to do driving.
our Guides in each city were so friendly, courteous and knowledgeable in where ever we visited. How ever wish two guides in Hue An and Ho Chi Minh City spoke English more clearly.
We only wish we had one extra day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, , however, there is so much to see in the world! Perhaps next time will visit Vietnam.
As to Cambodia, same thing to express about site seeing and our Guide and drivers. Guides and drivers really made our travel thro’ the countries where we do not speak that language, made it so comfortable and enjoyable.
Outstanding!
Hi Lam…hope you don’t mind me contacting you directly. My wife Barb & I (Paul) have just arrived home after completing a great tour of Vietnam which was organised through your company Asia Pioneer Travel.
We want to tell you personally how impressed were were with the level of service that we received…it was amazing and the best that we have experienced anywhere. After we made initial contact with you, you handed us over to Chloe to arrange the trip which she did in very quick time and the amount of detail that she went to was fantastic. From the moment that we walked out of Hanoi airport on arrival to see our guide waiting, we knew that we were in for a great trip. The drivers & guides were fantastic and Chloe was in contact by email constantly making sure that everything was going to plan & that we were happy. At one stage we need to vary the itinerary by extending accommodation & changing air tickets and Chloe did that without any fuss or bother.
We also met some wonderful Vietnamese people along the way and Ive got to say that they are our kind of people, very generous & friendly.
Enough of my ramblings, thanks for a great visit to Vietnam, and a special thank you to Chloe for looking after us in such a terrific manner…she is a very special caring lady.
Kind regards & I hope that we have the opportunity to use Asia Pioneer Travel again….Paul & Barb Little from Newcastle Australia
Superbly organised and very flexible
We travelled to Vietnam for two weeks, booking the whole trip through Lizzie at Asia Pioneer, including hotels, excursions, trips, guides and internal flights. Lizzie was so helpful and flexible, accommodating changes to our schedule until the last minute, especially as we missed our connecting flight in Dubai and arrived a day later than planned (our fault). Nothing was too much trouble, including getting my wallet back to me after I left it in the car taking us to the airport.
We started in Hanoi in the North and worked our way south to Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), taking in Ha Long with its amazing sea stacks and sleeping on a boat, then to Sa Pa on the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi, with its wonderful countryside and rice terraces. Afterwards, we went to Hoi An for three days of relaxation. Hoi An probably my favourite place and three days are enough to cover it. Then onto Hue, the original capital, my least favourite place and then finally on to HMC, which was a real contrast to the North.
The 3-star hotels that Lizzie picked were very good and comfortable, and the guides were very knowledgeable. I would definitely use Asia Pioneer again for future Asia trips.