LAO - T 02: HIGHLIGHT OF LAOS, 4 days (L)                                                                             

Luang Prabang - Vientiane

 

Day 1     Luang Prabang

 

Arrival in Luang Prabang, meet with your guide and transfer to the hotel. Sightseeing in Luang Prabang - the ancient capital city of the Lan Xang Kingdom, is famous for its historic temples and beautiful setting surrounded by mountains.

Visit: Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Wisunalat, Wat Mai, Wat That Lang, Wat Saen, National Museum (Royal Palace) and Mount Phu Si for sunset

Overnight in Luang Prabang

 

 

LUANG PRABANG is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in South East Asia. It is as sleepy town, which has preserved its long–standing reputation as a stronghold of Lao cultures with its splendid natural scenery and sense of timelessness. Magical and charming of Luang Prabang is the estimation that travelers have to see once in their lifetime. In 1995 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

WAT XIENG THONG: built in 1560 and situated on the banks of the Mekong River, it is the most beautiful monastery in Luang Prabang and shows the typical Lao art style with old religious artifacts and some ancient masterpieces of Lao art.

 

WAT WISUNALAT (Vat Visoun): built in 1513 during the reign of Chao Wisunalat, it is the oldest operating temple in Luang Prabang with a collection of gilded wooden Buddhas from the 15th and 16th centuries.

 

WAT MAI: constructed in 1821 during the reign of King Manthatourath, it was once the residence of Phra Sangkharaj (the Patriarch of the Buddhist clergy).

 

WAT THAT LUANG: the ashes of King Sisavang Vong are interred inside the large central stupa, which was erected in 1910. The inside of the huge sim dating back to 1820 contains a few Luang Prabang Buddhas and other artifacts.

 

WAT SAEN: Thai style wat built in 1718 and restored in 1957. The abbot Ajan Khamjan who was ordained here in 1940 is one of the most revered monks in Luang Prabang and perhaps in all of Laos. 

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM (the former king palace) located on the banks of the Mekong River with may exhibits reflecting religious beliefs and life in historical Lang Prabang when it was the capital city of present day Laos. A the temple built in the grounds houses the “Pha Bang” statue, made of gilded bronze and standing 83m high. The statue depicts the calming of family quarrels.

 

MOUNT PHU SI: the temples on the upper slopes of the 100m-high. Phu Si was constructed recently, but it is likely that previously there were other temples on this important hill. From the top there is an excellent view of the town. 

 

Day 2     Luang Prabang

 

After breakfast at the hotel, excursion by boat from Luang Prabang to the Pak Ou Caves.

Afternoon: visits Ban Xang Hai and Ban Phanom.

Evening: free time at leisure

Overnight in Luang Prabang

 

PAK OU CAVES: these are two caves (Tham Thing – lower cave and Tham Phum) located in the steep rock cliff at the confluence of the Mekong River and Ou River. They are full of Buddha images of varying styles, ages and sizes.

 

PAK OU BOATS: The Pak Ou boats are the perfect slow boat for leisurely river travel with an open-air view. A stop at Pak Ou village at the month of the Nam Ou River to visit the Tham Ting Cave of a Thousand Buddha’s

 

BAN XANG HAI: located near the Pak Ou Caves, this village was once a 'Jar-Maker Village' and nowadays the communities fill the jars (which come from elsewhere) with láo-láo, the local rice whisky. 

 

BAN PHANOM: Thai Lü village east of Luang Prabang, well known for hand weaving cotton and silk. 

 

Day 3     Luang Prabang – Vientiane

 

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel, after a short relaxation, carry on sightseeing in Vientiane - the capital city and seat of government sits in a bend of the Mekong River amidst fertile alluvial plains. Visit: Pha That Luang, Patuxai, Ho Pha Keo, Wat Si Saket and Wat Si Muang

Overnight in Vientiane

 

PHA THAT LUANG: (Great Sacred Reliquary or Great Stupa): built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD, it is the most important national monument in Laos, functioning as a dual symbol of the Buddhist religion and the Lao nation.

 

PATUXAI (Victory Gate): a large monument in the style of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, this huge arch at the end of Thanon Lan Xang has a stairway that leads to the top levels of the monument, providing a good view of the city.

 

 

 

HO PHA KEO: the former royal temple of the Lao monarchy built in 1565 by King Setthathirat. It has been used as a museum since 1970 and the main structure, which originally housed Prakeo, the Emerald Buddha, and now containing some of the best examples of Buddhist sculptures found in Laos.

 

WAT SI SAKET: constructed in 1818 by King Anouvong in the early Bangkok style. Wat Si Saket is the oldest original temple in Vientiane, the only to survive from foreign invasion in 1828. Small niches carved in its interior walls contain more than 2,000 silver and ceramic Buddha images.

 

WAT SI MUANG: this temple is one of the most popularly used temple grounds in the city, as it contains the city pillar and acts as the home of Vientiane's guardian spirits.

 

Day 4     Vientiane

 

After breakfast, visit the Morning Market (Talaat Sao) before transfer to the airport for departure.

 

TALAAT SAO: the Morning Market - actually open all day – sells a wide range of fabrics, jewelry, and electronic goods. 

 

End of Services    **Note: Itinerary subject to change due to flight schedules. 

 

 

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