Laos cycling holidays
| country: | Laos |
| trip type: | Adventurous cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 11 Jan, 12 Jul |
| price: | From US $1990 (12 days) excluding flights. Single supplement US $350. Bangkok early arrival package from US $180 (details below). |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
'Lao lao' is a rice wine distilled locally in villages and while we don't suggest you consume it while cycling it does give a good idea of this trip - local, fun and tasty with the potential for a little bit of pain the next day. We've taken the original Lao Lao tour and made it even better, with more great cycling and better accommodation this is now officially our favourite tour!
This is a great trip with wonderful variety, the cycling is spectacular. We ride along back roads and quiet highways and along side rivers before climbing up into spectacular limestone mountains and descending for a number of days through H'Mong villages to Vang Vieng, a travellers hangout town, then onto the (not so) bustling capital Vientiane.
Bangkok Early Arrival Package: If you are looking to spend a few days in Bangkok before the tour consider our pre-tour arrival package. The package costs US $180 per person for twin share and US $230 per person for single. Bookings can be made when you book the Lao Lao tour and the package comprises:2 nights in a deluxe room at the Viengtai Hotel with breakfast airport transfers Bangkok Night Bike Tour - enjoy a different side of the city!
This is a great trip with wonderful variety, the cycling is spectacular. We ride along back roads and quiet highways and along side rivers before climbing up into spectacular limestone mountains and descending for a number of days through H'Mong villages to Vang Vieng, a travellers hangout town, then onto the (not so) bustling capital Vientiane.
Bangkok Early Arrival Package: If you are looking to spend a few days in Bangkok before the tour consider our pre-tour arrival package. The package costs US $180 per person for twin share and US $230 per person for single. Bookings can be made when you book the Lao Lao tour and the package comprises:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Chiang Khong. Meeting at the Bangkok airport we take a short flight to Chiang Rai in the far north and drive out to our rustic wooden guesthouse that sits on the banks of the Mekong River, looking out onto Laos. |
| Day 2: | Mekong River. After crossing the border we spend the day cruising down the wonderful Mekong River, over nighting in Pak Beng. This is the perfect relaxing introduction to laid back Laos. |
| Day 3-5: | Cycling to Luang Prabang. Our first section of riding takes us along one of the quietest sealed roads in Asia, over a mountain pass, and crusing alongside a river on our way to Luang Prabang. |
| Day 6-7: | Luang Prabang. You won't want to leave this charming town. Our first day is yours to wander the temples, visit the King's Palace or just relax. The second day will be spent on a ride exploring the local region, wildlife and a waterfall that makes for a perfect place to swim. |
| Day 8-12: | Cycling to Vientiane. We depart Luang Prabang and take four days to cycle to the Lao capital Vientiane. The first day is the most challenging as we climb up into the mountains but the rewards are unforgettable, mountains all around with small villages clinging to their sides. In Vang Vieng we will have a free afternoon to explore the caves or tube on the river. Our final day of riding brings us to Vientiane, probably the quietest city in Asia to celebrate the end of the ride. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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On this cycling tour, apart from your tour leader, all the crew including drivers, guides and crew are locals from the region. Our mechanic used to be our truck driver until we trained him in bike mechanic skills - so now he has a new job and a new skill! Plastic usage is a big problem in Asia so we use large refillable water bottles to fill your drink bottle. On the Mekong River boat cruise we ask the boat crew to provide us with a local lunch so that we don't need to buy a plastic and foam packaged take-away. This also provides extra income to the hard working boat crew.
In Luang Prabang we support the Big Brother Mouse project which creates children's books in the Lao language, something very lacking in this country. They then encourage visitors to buy the books and distribute them to children. We ask our clients to donate to a group fund that we also donate to (about US $100 per tour). With this fund we buy as many books as we can and then while out cycling through villages we stop in a different village each tour to donate the books to the local school. In this way we act as a distribution outlet for Big Brother Mouse to villages all along the route that our tour follows and many children that would otherwise never get to read a fun children's book is given a great opportunity. The accommodation we use in Laos is all locally owned and operated, employing local staff and services. In the small towns and villages the accommodation is simple and often the only place to stay in town. Our visits inject a lot of business into these small towns that create employment for locals. On this tour we visit Kuang Sii Waterfall - a reserve where a tiger and bears which have been confiscated from poachers are kept safe from the animal trade. Our entrance fee (which we are sure to pay even though it is easy in groups to get a 'discount') goes to helping preserve the conservation efforts here. Our group size is kept to a maximum of 14 clients. This is both a reflection of the limits in the accommodation of the smaller towns that we stop in and our desire to not be too over powering in our impact on a destination. We only run this tour a few times a year and have no desire to be bringing weekly groups through these regions. Our small office is, apart from accounting requirements, paperless. We deal with customers electronically and do not print brochures to distribute. By remaining only as an online presence we reduce the wastage associated with producing annual brochures. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |