Luang Prabang: Temples, River and Rice Fields

Five days and four nights based in Luang Prabang, at the end of a peninsula close to the confluence of the Mekong and Khan rivers. The programme pairs the city’s temples and former Royal Palace with a cruise to the Pak Ou caves, a morning of hands-on rice farming and the pools of Kuang Si. It suits travellers who would rather settle in one place than move on every night, and is one of our Laos itineraries.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Arrival And The Morning Alms Giving

Your guide meets you at Luang Prabang international airport and transfers you to the hotel; check-in falls between 13:30 and 14:00, leaving the first day free to rest. Meals that day are on your own account. The second morning opens with an optional early start for the daily alms giving to saffron-clad monks, a tradition unique to Laos, the only Buddhist nation still preserving this procession. You stop at the fresh local markets, then return to the hotel for breakfast, the one meal the programme includes each day.

The Temples Of The Peninsula

The rest of the day belongs to the temples. You begin at Wat Visoun, site of the Thad Makmo stupa, whose rounded dome is stylistically more Sinhalese than Lao, continue to Wat Aham, then reach Wat Xiengthong, the most photographed temple, at the end of the peninsula. The afternoon takes in the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, and Wat Mai, renowned for its golden bas-relief; during Pimai, the Lao New Year, the Prabang normally housed in the Royal Palace Museum is brought here and put on public display. The same temples anchor our shorter 4-day Authentic Luang Prabang itinerary.

Across The Mekong To The Pak Ou Caves

Day three crosses the water: a ferry to the far side of the Mekong and Ban Xiemienne village, then a walk to Wat Long Khoun, a jungle temple with important ties to the royal family of Luang Prabang. It served as a retreat centre for spiritual revitalisation, where by traditional practice each new king-designate spent three days in ceremonial bathing and meditative retreat. You then board a traditional long boat and cruise upstream past mountain scenery to the Pak Ou caves, at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou. Two caves hold hundreds of sacred centuries-old Buddha images, the object of pilgrimages during the Lao New Year festivities around mid-April. Cruising back, you stop at Ban Xangkhong, a weaving village, to try a wooden loom with a local expert.

Rice Farming And Kuang Si Falls

The fourth morning goes to rice culture, with hands-on activities along the way. Farmers show you how rice is grown and harvested, you can plant in the paddy alongside them while the buffalos plough, and you see the products rice is turned into. The afternoon drives out through green paddies and farms to the Kuang Si waterfall, where a short walk on the trails reaches the bear rescue centre. Orchids grow inside the park, and the falls cascade over many calcified tiers into cool, turquoise pools before you return to Luang Prabang.

GOOD TO KNOW

Breakfast is the only meal included; all other meals and beverages are on your own account. Included are a local English-speaking guide, accommodation, air-conditioned minivan transfers sized to the group, entrance fees, the listed cruises and excursions, service charge and government tax. Flights, insurance, personal expenses, bank fees and visa fees with the administration fee are excluded — see our visa assistance page. Some hotels add festive supplements in late December and February, a two-night minimum over New Year and a compulsory gala dinner on 31 December. The final morning is free until your driver takes you to the airport; like our other holiday packages, it is quoted on request.