Southern Laos Extension

Highlights

• World Heritage listed Wat Phou
• The beautiful 4000 Islands
• Rural Laos
• Waterfalls
• Famous Lao coffee
  

Day 1 - Arrive Pakse
Arrive Pakse where you are met and transferred to the hotel for check-in. Enjoy a short tour of Pakse town. On the confluence of the Mekong and the Sedone River, Pakse is the most important town in Southern Laos. Interesting but small it has some colonial and Chinese buildings and a huge local market selling fresh food. Its importance lies in its proximity to most of the main attractions in the region including the prestigious pre-Angkorian temples of Wat Phou, the Bolaven Plateau and its coffee plantations and waterfalls as well as the quiet and relaxing 4000 islands.
Your tour is followed by a drive to the Boloven Plateau and the important series of impressive waterfalls. While you are in the area visit a tea and/or coffee plantation. Coffee in Laos is cultivated almost exclusively in the Boloven Plateau by around 20,000 families who live in 250 villages. The plateau is also home to hill tribes such as Lavens. Return to Pakse in the late afternoon.
Pakse Hotel (Panorama Room)

Day 2 - Pakse - Wat Phou - Khong Island
After breakfast, transfer by road to Wat Phou. Recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Wat Phou is a spectacular pre-Angkorian temple that sits amidst the rice fields and waterways of southern Laos. The temple was constructed in three levels by the rulers of the Khmer empire before the construction of Angkor Wat. The temple served as the most important economic and political centre of the region and still is one of the Lao people's most revered temples.
Return to Champasak, driving through streets lined with French colonial buildings, and continue on to Ban Kiet Ngong. Stop en route at Ban Nong Bune, a wood carving village for lunch with the villagers. The small Lao village of Ban Kiet Ngong is the starting point for a 90 minute elephant ride through the forest and up to Mount Asa. This tour is part of a community-based tourism project developed to help the local villagers and provide conservation awareness. Along the way, you will have stunning views of the Xe Pian National Park which is settled between Champasak and Attapeu provinces. Stretching along the Mekong with many wetlands and unspoiled forest areas, this park offers a huge biodiversity with 29 recorded ecosystems with bird species such as egrets, sarus crane, hornbill plus mammals like wild elephant and gibbons.
After the elephant ride continue on to Khong Island, the biggest island in southern Laos and the start of the 4000 Islands Region. Called Siphandon in the Lao language, this area is where the Mekong stretches over 14km wide and is characterised by thousands of islands, cascades and rapids (B).
Senesothxeune Hotel (Superior Mekong View)

Day 3 - Khong Island - Pakse
This morning visit Don Det and Don Khone, two very laidback islands near the border of Strung Treng Province in Cambodia. These islands have no cars and electricity is only provided in the evening. The southern part of Don Det and Don Khone island are very traditional with the locals reliant on coconut, kapok and bamboo farming.
The islands played an important role during French Colonial rule as they linked
Laos to Cambodia and Southern Vietnam. To pass the waterfalls, a railway and bridge were built, the perfect place to take your time and soak in the view.
Continue to the impressive Lippi Falls which are wedged between Don Khone Island and the Cambodian border. Their original name, Tad Somphamit, means "trap spirit" and they are most revered by the locals who believe they act as a trap for bad spirits.
After a stroll through the palm-fringed villages near Lippi, continue to the southernmost part of Laos and the imposing Khone Papheng waterfalls, close to the Cambodian border. In the afternoon return to Pakse. (B)
Pakse Hotel (Panorama Room)

Day 4 - Depart Pakse   
After breakfast transfer either to the Thai border or to the airport for your onward flight (B).

A&K Special Inclusions
A&K meet and greet - Transfers and touring by private air-conditioned chauffeur drive - Breakfast dail.

Pricing
As a guide, this 4 day suggested journey in Laos will cost from $925 per person based on two adults sharing and is subject to availability.