CYCLING VIETNAM

After breakfast, take a scenic seven hour drive through Laos countryside, stopping for lunch and to stretch your legs before arriving at your hotel in Luang Namtha. In the evening, walk around this small town to visit the night market.

  

After breakfast, visit the UXO office and continue to visit a Golden Stupa on the small hilltop near the town. You will enjoy your lunch in this small town before heading onwards to Muang Sing, through a national protection area to Muang Sing, a charming city of Thai Lu people who originally came from China. Check into your guesthouse and the rest of the day is just to relax.

        

Today is spent exploring little villages in the northern Laos countryside by foot, learning about minority groups and their traditions and customs. First, set off from your guesthouse by tuk-tuk on a short journey to the start of the trek in the village of Ban Don Chai. Wander through the dirt streets before heading off on foot towards Ban Pha Kha, 40 minutes’ walk away. After speaking to the locals to gain a deeper insight into their lives, walk on through lush vegetation passing tropical plants and flowers, to other small villages along the route and glimpse further into the lives of these minorities as they go about their daily routine, weaving on traditional looms or farming in the fields. A vehicle will pick you up and take you back to your guesthouse by late afternoon.

     

After a visit to the morning market and back to your guesthouse for breakfast, you will then head to Nong Khiaw, a rustic town nestled on the banks of the Ou River between impressive limestone mountains. Stop in a fascinating Hmong village along the way to learn about the highland way of life and enjoy a scenic lunch before arriving in time to visit the local school, wander the sleepy streets and relax on the banks of the river for sunset.

     

After breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Ou River, embark on a cruise upstream to visit the lowland people of Ban Sopjam who make silk and cotton. Learn how to use a loom and weave with a local family before heading off to Moung Ngoi for lunch and gentle trek to Kang Cave, once a refuge for locals during the war. After exploring and swimming through the cave, cruise back to Nong Khiaw where you will spend the night.

     

Transfer to Vieng Thong this morning, approximately six hours drive through thick Laos countryside stopping along the way to explore more local life in the village of Ban Kamu. Vieng Thong is a bustling little village with vibrant market where you can watch locals haggling for different farm produce before heading to your hotel to relax after your journey.

     

After breakfast head to Muang Kham, another scenic seven hour journey through a beautiful part of Laos, stopping to stretch and take in the panoramic views along the way.

        

First stop today is the Tham Piew, a cave with a tragic history. Venture inside to pay respect for those killed during the war, before driving on to Xieng Khoang province, home of the Plain of Jars, and your hotel in Phonsavanh, the capital of the province.

     

This morning you will head to the famous archaeological site of the Plain of Jars. These giant vessels, some as big as 14 tons, are scattered over rice paddies and forest, and are thought to date back over thousands of years. The impressive stones are a mystery, with no known purpose or exact period or place from which they have derived. After exploring the site, head off to Muang Khoun, the old capital of Xieng Khoang which was destroyed during the war. This once beautiful Royal Kingdom is now reduced to just a few temple ruins, but traces of the colonial past can still be seen as you wander around. Head back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

  

Check out after breakfast and a private vehicle will take you back to Luang Prabang, stopping when you need to stretch your legs, and for a scenic lunch in the Laos countryside.