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Classic Laos holiday

country:Laos
location:Luang Prabang 
departures:This trip can be tailor made at a time to suit you
price:From US $568 (5 days) excluding flights
vouchers:Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Laos is an enchanting country still untouched by tourism.

This short tour provides a wonderful insight into the country. Starting in the sleepy capital of Vientiane, you can take in impressive monuments such as the scared stupa of That Luang.

The picturesque town of Luang Prabang is our final stop on this classic Laos holiday, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and with good reason, considered by many to be the most beautiful town in Southeast Asia. Luang Prabang offers you the chance to take in the mountainous scenery and experience life the rural way of life by visiting a village off the beaten track away from the main tourist trail.

Best time to go: October - March.
day-by-day itinerary
Day 1:On arrival at Vientiane Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2:Full day city tour today, including a visit to That Luang and Patuxay, better known as Vientiane’s very own Arc D’Triomphe. Lunch is taken at an award winning restaurant that supports and trains former street children for careers in hospitality. In the late afternoon, fly to Luang Prabang where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Day 3:Visit the ‘Big Brother Mouse’ shop specializing in children’s books and visit to a local village to meet the children and distribute the books. In the afternoon enjoy a boat trip to Pak Ou Cave, a sacred cave containing hundreds of Buddha images.
Day 4:Today we visit the local food market which contains a wide range of weird and wonderful produce. Visits are also made to a number of villages, all representing the different ethnic minorities in the area. We also visit the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfall and visit a Bear Rescue Centre.
Day 5:Transfer to the airport for your departure.
travellers' tales
The most memorable event of my journey is participating in the giving of alms to the monks at 6 am around the Phousi Temple area. (more)
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.
how this holiday makes a difference
We are a local Laos operator, and 99% of the staff we employ are Laos nationals. By booking through our company you can be rest assured that the profits are going directly to the country you are visiting and helping the people in that country.

We are committed to ecotourism and responsible tourism in Laos and actively seek to research and promote projects that will benefit the local community and environment, as well as being a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the client.

We also aim to encourage tourism throughout Laos, particularly in poor rural areas, and ensure that it is the local villagers that benefit every time. We have a strong desire to protect the local environment and therefore encourage tours around respected eco lodges with strong environmental policies as much as possible, and also educate our guides and staff on the importance of being environmentally friendly, both in the office and for the guides, on the ground. This particular tour is very much culture orientated, taking in temples and villages. Our guides we use are often former monks and from rural areas, so have a unique understanding of the local cultures, which they pass onto travelers to ensure the impact on local communities is a positive one. Within our offices in Laos we work to a ‘paperless desk’ policy where possible and only use recycled paper if required.

In Vientiane, you will dine at ‘Mak Phet Restaurant, which, as well as serving great Lao food, also helps to train former street or disadvantaged local children for careers in the hospitality industry. In Luang Prabang, this tour includes a visit to the ‘Big Brother Mouse’ shop, a Lao owned project that publishes books designed to make reading fun for Lao children. These books can be distributed at a number of villages we sponsor, in remote areas away from the main tourist trail. The children benefit from much needed books, but also for every visitor who visits the village we make a contribution that is used to improve the school.

The tour also includes a visit to a Bear Rescue Centre that supports and protects bears against poaching. All the bears here have been rescued from traffickers or poachers and visitors are welcome to make contributions to support the good work the centre does.

Accommodation throughout this tour uses locally owned properties, employing local staff, ensuring as much money goes back to the local community as possible.

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.

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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.

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