Laos family tour

Planet

The intention of this itinerary is to combine the well-known tourist sites with off-the-beaten-track ones thus diverting tourist revenue and contact into areas not usually benefiting, as well as providing a more authentic view of the region visited.

On a small, private, family tour we are able to use local cafes plus street and market stalls for drinks, meals and shopping. Hotels used are small and independently owned with proven responsible travel credentials and all - fully-licensed - guides and drivers are locally employed. Our Pakse Hotel is the recipient of the Asean Green Award.

We support local organisations on this tour including visits to the following projects: Free the Bears, Big Brother Mouse literacy project, Living Land Organic Farm, Ock Top Pop sustainable silk weaving organisation (all Luang Prabang), Mines Advisory Group (Phonsavan) and COPE (Vientiane).

Entrance fees and/or donations help the following aid projects: Free the Bears, Big Brother Mouse literacy project, Living Land Organic Farm (Luang Prabang), Mines Advisory Group (Phonsavan) and COPE (Vientiane). Ticket fees at: Wat Phu, Khone Phapaeng Falls, Luang Prabang Fine Arts Centre, Luang Prabang National Museum, Wat Saket and numerous others help with restoration, conservation and local development as sell as providing revenue and employment.

People

All hotels and several of the restaurants used on this tour participate in educational and training projects for underprivileged youths. We avoid any chain or international hotels and all accommodation used is independently owned by local residents

Meals are provided in either locally-run restaurants or local-style cafes, market and street stalls. All products are locally sourced and all staff are local residents.
The emphasis is very much on traditional Lao food which we hope increases an interest and pride in the region’s cuisine. Additional food products - for takeaway lunches, picnics etc – is deliberately purchased from local bakeries and /or fresh produce markets rather than chain supermarkets.

All transport is locally owned – whether minibuses or boats and tuk-tuks for shorter journeys.

As a small company our support projects are localised and targeted and we currently assist aid schemes in both northern Thailand and Myanmar’s Shan State. On a micro-level we support and assist the Free the Bears, Big Brother Mouse literacy project, Living Land Organic Farm (Luang Prabang), Mines Advisory Group (Phonsavan), COPE (Vientiane) and Ok Top Pop project, (Luang Prabang).

All guides and leaders are local and provide suitable, relevant information for our customers; to help them to gain a wider understanding of our style of tourism that focuses on learning; genuine interaction with the local communities, reciprocity and cultural exchange processes. To be aware of the potential impact of tourism on the local society, culture and environment, and to behave and dress appropriately with a respect and appreciation for local customs, mores and traditions and a respect for the ecology of areas visited. Our guides and leaders thus facilitate communication of our values to both travellers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices

By explaining our methods and the reasons behind them local agents, guides and hotels are encouraged by us to adopt further responsible tourism practices themselves and guides and drivers are provided with additional training in this respect.

A small family unit enables us to aim to reduce the impact on both local communities and the environment whilst allowing for greater genuine interaction with said communities. It also results in a higher guide/customer ratio thus offering a greater facility for supervision and individual assistance and allowing us to use smaller hotels and restaurants and employ the services of more genuinely ‘local’ operators on a personal and friendly basis rather than dealing with establishments primarily equipped for larger groups.