Jewels of Mekong River 11 days

Upon arrival at the airport in Bangkok, take another flight to Chiang Rai, which locates in northern Thailand.

From there, our guide & driver will pick you up and transfer directly to Chiang Khong, the border district with Laos.

The transfer will take about 1.5 hour. Upon arrival, check in your hotel.

Free for the rest of the day for your own exploration. Overnight in Chiang Rai

Distance: 92KM | 1.5-hour transfer

Transfer to the border and meet with the representative of Gypsy Cruise, who will help you with taking the bus crossing the border to Laos side.

Upon finishing the border formality, transfer to the boat pier and aboard the charming boutique Gypsy Cruise.

Enjoy a welcome drink whilst the cruise team give you some safety brief before the boat leisurely floating downstream the Mekong river.

You have ample time to relax and admiring the rural life along the Mekong riverbanks.

The board will dock at ban Pak Tha at around 17:30PM. You can take as troll around the village before joining the cocktail party whilst the sun is setting.

Dinner on board with the authentic Lao dishes.

The bar remains open late if you want to chat with your guide and the cruise team.

Overnight onboard Gypsy Cruise.

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• Gypsy Cruise

Optional: wake up early to admire the sunrise, walk to the village and see the local people preparing for their day.

The boat starts at 07:30AM on the way to Ban Huay Palam, the Khmu village.

Arrive there at around 11:30AM, walk to visit the village before returning to the boat for the lunch.

At 16:00PM, we arrive at Ban Kok Eak, where the boat will dock for the night.

The cocktail party again starts at 17:30 during the sunset.

Dinner on board with the authentic Lao dishes.

The bar remains open late if you want to chat with your guide and the cruise team.

Overnight onboard Gypsy Cruise.

Optional: wake up early to admire the sunrise, walk to the village and see the local people preparing for their day.

The boat starts at 07:30AM on the way to Ban Baw, which is famous for its traditional hand weaving and rice whiskey distilling.

Arrive there at around 11:30AM, walk to visit the village before returning to the boat for the lunch.

The boat then continues downstream the Mekong river to Luang Prabang. Along the way, we will stop to visit Pak Ou cave, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by pilgrims. 
The next stop is at the remote island temple shrine of Wat Done Khoun Nelemith, 16 km to Luang Prabang.
We arrive in Luang Prabang at around 17:30PM, where our guide and driver will pick you up and transfer directly to your hotel in town.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

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• Mekong River

You have a free day in Luang Prabang to walk around for your own exploration. Some of the recommended excursion as below detail:

• Day walking around Pha Tad Ke Garden
• Trekking & ziplining at Nahm Dong Park
• Cooking Class @ Vanvisa & visit Kuang Si waterfall
• Elephant experience @ MandaLao Elephant Camp

During the evening, we recommend joining the Royal Ballet Theatre at the National Museum to watch the traditional show of Phralak Phralam and learn about the history and culture of Laos.

There is nothing better for the dinner with special bowl of Khaupoon, this is exactly the taste of Laos that you never want to miss.

Overnight in Luang Prabang

You are free to stroll around the town before taking the flight to Pakse, the biggest town of Southern Laos. QV513 LPQ PKZ 10:40 12:20

Upon arrival, pick-up and transfer to your hotel in town.

Founded by the French in 1905 as an administrative post, the capital of Champasak Province is a relatively new town at the confluence of the Mekong and Se Don rivers.
In the afternoon, we will first visit Ban Khoh, which specializes in stone carving, and walk to the nearby Wat Chomphet, which hosts the biggest sitting Buddha in Laos.
Late afternoon, we will ascend to the top of Wat Phou Salao to admire the panoramic view over the town of Pakse, and the nearby area, whilst the dark is falling over the city.
Overnight in Pakse

After meeting at the Sinouk Coffee House in central Pakse at 9:30am, we transfer you to a longtail riverboat for your 2.5 hour journey to Champassak.
Upon arrival at the Vat Phou boat, we help you to your cabins to unpack then serve lunch on deck.
The highlight of the afternoon is the Vat Phou ruins - the majestic pre-Angkorian 10th century temple complex and boat's namesake.
You have time to visit the museum at the ruins site, walk up to the highest temple and take as many photos as you would like.
As dusk falls, we transfer you back to the Vat Phou boat for a chance to enjoy the tropical sunset on the deck.
Dinner is served on board, while the boat docks for the night alongside a remote Laotian village. Overnight on boat.

Breakfast is on board as we set sail for the village of Huei Thamo. This is a small village a few minutes walk away from the mysterious hidden forest temple of Oum Muong.
Afterwards we rejoin the boat to continue our cruise southwards.
Lunch is on the deck, while leisurely sailing closer to the wild paradise of the "4,000 Islands"
Late afternoon we disembark from the boat to walk through Ban Deua Tia, a small Laotian Village where the traditional way of life has not changed in centuries.
Our day's cruise finishes at the most northern tip of Don Khong, the largest inhabited island in the river archipelego. After dinner, the evening is yours to relax and enjoy. Overnight on boat.

While you breakfast on the deck, the Vat Phou boat cruises the Mekong to the small village of Ban Veuthong, where you board a small boat to meander among the 4,000 Islands to Khone Island.
You will visit the old French railway and walk across the bridge that links Khone and Det Islands.
We continue on the boat back to the mainland for lunch at a local restaurant in a small fishing village, Xieng Di, on the banks of the Mekong.
A bus transfers you to the historically significant Pha Phaeng waterfall, "the Niagara of the East", close to the Cambodian border.
After your visit to Phapheng waterfall you will be transferred back to Champasak, where we will take the boat to the isolated island of Done Daeng, home to the charming La Folie Lodge, where we will overnight today.

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• Done Daeng

Full day free for your own exploration.

The lodge have free boat transfer to Champasak, free bicycle, and plenty of activities available to book on spot.

We recommend you join a traditional dance class within 1 hour and/or a cooking class at a villager home.

Overnight at La Folie Lodge

Free before driver take us transferring back to Pakse to take the departure flight to next destination. Tour end