Cycling Northern Laos

Begin the afternoon tour by cycling around the old quarter of Luang Prabang, starting at Heuan Chan Heritage House and after to Luang Prabang’s National Museum, formerly the Royal Palace. Displayed within is a collection of personal artifacts of the former Laotian Royal Family. Visit nearby Wat Mai – the five-tiered roof epitomizes the graceful Luang Prabang architectural style. Continue cycling along the Mekong River and stop at the hillside temple of Wat That Luang. Take a short walk and visit the ancient stupa called That Dam (the Black Stupa) before biking to Wat Visoun, the oldest living temple in Luang Prabang. Wat Visoun dates back to 1513 and contains a collection of antique wooden Buddha images. Continue along the Nam Khan River to Wat Xieng Thong – often considered to be Luang Prabang’s most elegant. The temple is characterized by tiered roofs sweeping low to the ground and the impressive “tree of life” mosaic. Before sunset, cycle back to your hotel on the town’s main street, stopping at Wat Sop and Wat Sen along the way.

Our main destination for the day is the hidden waterfall, Kuang Si. Tucked away between thick foli-age, the famous waterfall feels like a secret. The aqua marine waters are tempting, so do carry your swimwear along.

On our way to the waterfalls we make a stop at Great Project (called the Laos Buffalo Dairy), a project designed to educate the Rural communities in Animal Husbandry and basic animal health care. They rent the Cattle from the villagers to enable a secure income for the community and use the milk to create Cheese and Spectacular Ice Cream. Lunch is served Picnic style here and there is also an opportunity to get a unforgettable ‘Buffalo Selfie’.

On arrival at the falls, hike to the top before bracing Crystal clear waters. We spend until afternoon here and return to the town. Shopping for local delights can be great fun, so enjoy your shopping time for the day.

Today’s dinner is on your own. We suggest eating dinner at a street stall so you can dig into the local delicacies. street stall so you can dig into the local delicacies. Lao food can be very meat ori-ented. Chopped meat, chicken or duck are common, but there are plenty of options for vegetarians as well. Our personal recommendation is the light and tasty Tam Mak houng or papaya salad, which is made from sliced raw papaya, garlic, chilly, peanuts, sugar, fermented fish sauce and lime juice.

We transfer to pier and board a huge traditional Mekong riverboat for the upstream cruise to Pak Beng, departure at 08.00 hrs. This portion of the Mekong is very remote, which sometimes allows glimpses of wildlife in the extensive forests. There are occasional stops at local hill tribe villages to meet people and observe life on the riverside. Lunch will be serving on boat and you may have opportunity to stop and visit local villages. Enjoy the lovely scenery along both sides of the Mekong cruising to today’s destination.

Today it’s a long full day cycling to Oudomxay. This is one the most spectacular stretches of long mountain road. The road is dotted with small villages and this is a great way to get acquainted with local rural life. The dramatic limestone and green rolling hills formations make for great photographic opportunities. There will be plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the wonderful scenery. The journey passes through beautiful mountain ranges and H’mong hill tribe villages.

We continue riding to Muang Khua. This is one of the most unvisited parts of Laos and the experience is truly unique. To get to the Muang Khua, we ride along the Nam Pak River. Along the way, you will notice how the homes are made of wood and bamboo. We spend some time here talking to the locals, just walking around or just sitting at the edge of the river.

We ditch the cycles for an amazing boat ride in the Nam Pak River to Nong Khiaw. This is one the most stunning journeys by the river in this region. The edge of the river is dotted with small villages and this is a great way of getting acquainted with local life. There are also limestone formations that make for great photographic experiences. The jaw dropping landscape keeps you hooked to this for a long.

Start the day with a boat ride on the Nam Ou to a small village where you can learn about the way of life along this river. Then trek through small streams and rice paddies to reach the base of the 100 waterfalls. The next few hours you will see only water and jungle and hear the sound of clear waterfall cascades. The pools around you are very inviting for a refreshing splash.

Our guide lead us through the cascades and prepare a local style lunch on the falls in the middle of it all. Then take a small villagers’ trail from the top of the falls back down into the valley; along the way, you’ll take in views of the landscapes of the Nam Ou valley.

Hiking back to the village, we’ll have more time to observe the daily life here before heading back back by a small boat to Nong Khiaw.

Hop on a bike and ride along the undulating countryside skirting the Nam Pak River to Luang Prabang. Cycle out of the Nong Khiaw towards Pakmong. From here we transfer 40km then cycle to visit Pak Ou Buddha Caves before a van ride back to the city. These caves have been home to many thousands of Buddha images that were placed here by local people since 16th century, when King Setthathirat found the caves and declared them a holy spot. Today many people still pay respect to this tradition.

A transfer of about 2hrs brings us to Kiu Kacham, situated at an altitude of 1,350m. From here, the ride is largely undulating until Phou Khoun, followed by a long descend to the valley of Kasi. The magical landscape is dominated by some of the highest limestone mountains and H’mong villages.
 

Today enjoy gentle rolling hills to Vang Vieng past spectacular karst ranges, green fields and lumbering water buffalos. Vang Vieng has a magical setting on Nam Song river. It’s surrounded by dramatic karst cliffs, hundreds of caves. bucolic villages and blue lagoons.

In the afternoon, we do a side trip and visit the Tham Xang or Tham Hoi caves, set among the dramatic limestone scenery on the banks of the Nam Song River.

Today cycle the dirt road for 15km to the peaceful and secluded Blue lagoon 3 for a refreshing dip, the rest of the day is free to enjoy the vibe of the town
 

Laos is a landlocked country and today’s ride evokes some excitement of coastal life. We transfer to the ‘sea of Laos’, a 250 sq km, artificial Lake Nam Ngum. A 2hrs blissful boat ride brings us to the dam and we break for lunch here.

Our hotel for the evening overlooks the lake.

A short transfer to Ban Khene before our final ride to the Vientiane.

Today cycle past lush paddy fields with fine views of the Phou Khao Khouay mountain range before entering the capital city of Laos, Vientiane, set on the edge of Mekong river. We arrive in the capital at around 2pm leaving us with enough time to do some sightseeing before our farewell dinner.

Free for the last-minute shopping before taking the departure flight