09 Days / 08 Nights Premium Tour of Laos

Arrive in Pakse, the third largest city in Laos, Laos Travel's guide and driver will transfer you to the town. Spend the rest of the day exploring Pakse before relaxing and enjoying dinner at your hotel or a local restaurant. 

In the evening, you may like to stroll along the Mekong or Sedona rivers. Pakse is well known for its relaxed atmosphere and leisurely pace.

Overnight in Pakse.

Get an early start and begin your adventure by driving approximately one hour to the village of Ban Nong Luang. Take a stroll through the town and talk with some of the villagers to get an idea of what their daily lives are like in this remote part of Laos. Get to know your local guides as they brief you on safety procedures and equipment before setting out on your treetop excursion. 

Embark on a hike through aromatic coffee fields, fresh vegetable gardens, and steep ravines. Enjoy a breathtaking tour of the canopy on a walkway strung high above the forest floor. After passing Tiger and Kamet waterfalls and stopping for a swim, you will begin your zip-lining adventure. After an incredible, if not long and tiring day, you will retire to your tree house, situated over 30 feet above the forest floor.

Overnight in the Tree-house at Jungle Hotel Paksong.

Wake up in the trees before enjoying breakfast and a short hike to the first zipline. Listen to the sounds and feeling of being deep in the forest. Your guide is an expert on the overhead canopy and will assist you as you navigate from line to line. Today's highlight will likely the the 400 meter flight between trees. After ziplining, enjoy a rest and refreshing swim in Red Rock Stream. Spend the night relaxing in your simple tree house accommodation.

Overnight in the Tree-house at Jungle Hotel Paksong.

Transition this morning from the forest canopy to the forest floor and enjoy a challenging hike uphill, passing massive trees and through rich forest. You will eventually reach a steep cliff face that would seem to be the end of the road for many. For you, it is merely another change of pace, as you will traverse the steep rock wall on a via ferrata, a series of iron bolts and rungs implanted into the rock. It is a very safe and supremely thrilling experience. After another trek back to town, you will drive to Paksong in the heart of the Bolaven Plateau, an area well-known for its coffee production and export. 

Overnight in Paksong.

After breakfast, spend an hour to drive northeast towards the Vietnam border to Sekong, visiting an Alak village along the way. The Alak are an ethnic group of southern Laos who practice a form of animism. Their living situation is unique in that there are many smaller houses situated in a circular pattern around a central communal home. Continue your journey to Sekong, where you'll spend the night.

Overnight in Sekong.

Begin the morning by taking a drive south to Attapeu Province, where you will visit the Brao ethnic group, certainly one of the highlights of the trip. This unique ethnic minority has a rare preserved culture that not many tourists are able to experience. Another group that follows animistic beliefs, the Brao women are also unique in how they wear very large ivory earrings and tattoo their faces. Spend time here to get a feel for remote life in this region of Laos, close to the border with Vietnam. 

Overnight in  Attapeu.

Rise early this morning to begin a 5-hour drive to Shaykhoun in southern Champasak, and the island of Don Khong is your destination today. Although the transfer is lengthy, it is not dull. You will have the opportunity to see dramatic landscapes and visit some villages along the way.

As soon as you arrive in Don Khong, tour the colonial holdovers today, visiting old French villas and the narrow gauge railway that was constructed during World War II. The remainder of the day, you are free at leisure.

Overnight in Don Khong.

Embark on a traditional long-tail boat and cruise amongst the Siphandon riverine archipelago. Explore this peaceful rural island where locals live out a simple life. Visit awesome Liphi Waterfalls, nicknamed the "Corridor of the Devil", a natural border between Laos and Cambodia and habitat of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (sadly, the last known river dolphin in the transboundary pool in the Mekong between Laos and Cambodia was found dead on 15 February 2022).

Continue to the 10km-long Khone Pha Pheng Falls, Southeast Asia's largest waterfall (by volume). Hear the thunderous roar and gaze at the awesome power created by millions of litres of water crashing over rocks.

After relaxing on the boat ride, enjoy a local-style lunch served in a nearby restaurant.

Return to the mainland by boat and then travel back to Pakse by car. En-route, visit the ancient ruins of Wat Phu in Champasak Town. Outdating Angkor Wat by almost 500 years, these ruins offer insight into the region's cultural heritage and still function today as a Buddhist worship site. This UNESCO World Heritage Site features intricate stone carvings bearing Hindu deities and moss-covered remains of shrines and courtyards.

Overnight in Pakse.

A transfer will take you to Pakse Airport for your onward travels.