Temples & Waterfall

Fancy chasing some waterfalls? Even though TLC told us not to, this is an exception because we’re going to the infamous Kuang Si Waterfalls! Firstly though, we will be visiting the Royal Palace Museum, where you’ll learn all about Laos’ royals and history *que Royals by Lorde*! We’ll then head over to the temples, Wat Mai and Wat Xieng Thong and after a cultural morning, it’s waterfall o’clock, the best time of day! Once you’ve had a dip in the waterfall and taken your photo for the gram (you know want to), we will head back for the evening to see the town’s night market, and put your bartering skills to the test! Of course, the most important thing, you’ll get to try lots of delicious local foods, no empty stomachs on this trip!

Living Land & Mt. Phousi

You know what they say, early birds catch the worm! If you’re one to wake up early you’ll get to see the long-standing tradition of Sai Bat, which translates to morning alms, this is where the locals will offer food to a procession of monks, what a way to start the morning! Once you’ve had your breakfast, most important meal of the day (not to sound like a mum or anything), we head to a local rice farm where we’ll learn about the day to day life of a rice farmer, Asia’s greatest food staple. Rice rice baby! We hope you’re ready for an incredible sunset & view because we’ll be walking up Mt Phousi’s Pagoda this afternoon. Warning: you may become sunset obsessed by It’s your final night in Luang Prabang to enjoy with your TruFam, cheers!

Vang Vieng & Blue Lagoon

To the south, we go! Today we’re off to Vang Vieng, which is a small town in the south of Laos and fun fact, is surrounded by limestone mountains and caves! Sick right? Once we have arrived and settled, we’ll take an incredibly scenic drive through the rice fields to the areas ICONIC blue lagoons *que Paradise by Coldplay*. So pack those swimmers, because you will most definitely want to have a dip in the lagoon, I repeat, most definitely. After seeing dreamy lagoon paradise, it’s time to check out what the nightlife is all about in Vang Vieng, hope you’ve practised your dance moves!

Caves & Tubing

Remember earlier when we mentioned the limestone mountains and caves? Well, don’t worry if not because you won’t forget exploring a few of the caves, even an underwater one! How? Oh, by tubing of course, what else! It’s time to start your tubing adventure, TruFam assemble! You’ll spend the rest of the afternoon floating down the Nam Song River, retracing the original tubing route that put Laos on the backpacker map! You’ll see that history & adventure go well together!

Explore Vientiane

This morning is yours to enjoy before we hit the road and make our way to Laos’ capital Vientiane. Here’s another fun fact for ya, Vientiane is the largest city of Laos and is on the banks of the Mekong River, next to the borders of Thailand! Make sure you don’t fall in because you might be getting out in the wrong country! Get to know Vientiane before exploring one of the local beer shops. You’ll get to experience the local nightlife as well as make some unforgettable memories, have a few beveraginos and enjoy your night in the capital! That sounds like a 10/10 night if you ask us!

Buddha Park & Temples

Did someone say city tour? You bet we did! Today’s all about Vientiane’s landmarks. You might not believe us but Vientiane has it’s very own Arc De Triomph, although it is called the Patuxai Monument and it is a memorial for those who fought for independence from France. If you want some brownie points from your TruFam, tell them that Patuxai translates to victory gate, your welcome! Next up is the buddha park, which contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues, bet you’ve never seen that many statues in one place (If you have then you’re the MVP)! We then head to one of Laos’ most famous Buddhist temples, Pha That Luang, you can marvel at this gold masterpiece for as long as you want, honestly, you can. Well, until it’s time for us to leave!

For the TruTravellers on our 7 Day Laos Explorer this is where we say goodbye! All good things come to an end, but don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened! For all you 11 Day Laos Explorers, we’re off to catch the night bus to Pakse! If you haven’t got a funky eye mask, now is the time to invest!

Waterfalls & Zip Lining

Rise and shine! We arrive in Pakse for 8 am, it’s an early one! Of course, first things first, breakfast! After we’ve had our fill at breakfast, it’s time to head out and explore some waterfalls before zip lining! You’ll have a chance to swim in, not just one but SEVERAL waterfalls! All that swimming got you an appetite? Don’t fret, we got you, it’s time for lunch with a view! Enjoy the stunning view of Tad Yuang Falls! Calling all adventurers, if you’ve ever fancied zip lining over a waterfall then today is that day, where you can indeed zip line over a waterfall (at an extra cost). A once in a lifetime experience for real! On the way back we stop off at mountain-top Buddha for an unforgettable view of the sunset. Cameras at the ready!

4000 Islands

So we are rounding off our trip in Laos somewhere with not just 1,000 islands or 2,000, BUT with 4,000 islands! Sounds unreal (almost literally)! On the way to the 4,000 islands we stop at Vat Phou, which is an impressive temple that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Angkor style vibes, ya feel? Once we’ve finished pretending to be Indiana Jones, exploring the temple, we continue south and make a pit stop at Khone Phapheng! The largest waterfall in Southeast Asia. From there, only a short ferry ride to the island of Don Det, where the one and only 4,000 islands are!

Kayaking & Dolphins

It’s time to explore the 4,000 islands and the mode of transport will be, kayak! No better way we’d say. During our kayak adventure, we jump onto some bikes and cycle across Don Det and through rice fields to Liphi Falls, a pretty amazing sight! Once done gazing (probably quite dreamily) at the falls, we head back to our kayaks to go make some Irrawaddy dolphin friends! They are a unique Beluga-like dolphin that call Laos their home! Once we are back at the hotel, it’s time for our farewell dinner (sad reacts only) which means we have one night only to dance the night away and finish off the trip in TRU style!

chilled checkout

Ah, I know, we are sad too. It is time to say goodbye to your TruFam and to Laos! As sad as it is, the memories you’ll be taking home are ones to cherish forever! And hey, you can always just come back.. *wink wink*! On a serious note, if your adventure is continuing, our TruNinjas will be there to help you with your onward travel! Until next time, TruFam and remember don’t quit your daydream!