Epic Thailand to Laos Tour of Temples, Waterfalls, and Train Rides – 10 Days

Epic Thailand to Laos Tour of Temples, Waterfalls, and Train Rides – 10 Days | Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Bangkok – Arrival  (-/-)

Day 2: Bangkok city tour (B)

Day 3: Bangkok – Ayuthaya (B)

Day 4: Bangkok – Vientiane by train  (B) – Overnight on the train

Day 5: Arrival and Vientiane city (-/-)

Day 6: Vientiane – Vang Vieng by road trip (B)

Day 7: Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang by train (B)

Day 8: Luang Prabang city  (B)

Day 9: Luang Prabang – Kuangsi – Pak Ou  (B)

Day 10: Luang Prabang – Departure.

DAY 1 – BANGKOK – ARRIVAL. TRANSFER

Arrival at Bangkok Airport. After retrieving your luggage, proceed to GATE 4, where our English-speaking airport assistant awaits you. Transfer to the hotel with a driver. Please note that rooms are guaranteed from 14:00 onwards. Our Italian assistant will be waiting for you in the lobby or will contact you for an appointment. The rest of the day is free for individual activities.

DAY 2: BANGKOK. UNUSUAL TOUR AMONG PALACES, TEMPLES, AND KUDI CHEEN. (B.L.)

Breakfast at the hotel and meeting with the tour guide. The first stop of the day will be the “Reclining Buddha Temple.” Wat Pho is the oldest Buddhist monastery in the city and also houses the oldest Thai massage school. Subsequently, with a public boat, we will reach Wat Arun, or the “Temple of Dawn.” From here, it will be a short distance to reach the characteristic Kudi Cheen (Kudi Chin) district. We will continue on foot to reach the small village and get to know the local community, where time seems to have stopped! We will visit the ancient bakery (Thanusingha Bakery House), which still produces delicious sweets, the small Baan Kudi Chin museum, and the exotic Taoist temple of Kuan An Keng Shrine. End of the visits and continuation by car to the local restaurant to enjoy a delicious lunch.

In the afternoon, the last stop will be the majestic and astonishing Royal Grand Palace with Wat Phra Kaew, the “Emerald Buddha Temple.” The Royal Palace also includes the Chakri Palace (visitable only from the outside), the Dusit Palace, and the Montien Palace, the latter visitable only at certain times. Around 4:30 PM, end of the visits and return to the hotel.

IMPORTANT Please dress appropriately, covering shoulders and legs up to the knees. Please bring your passport, often required for entrance checks.

DAY 3 – BANGKOK – BANG PA IN, AYUTTHAYA, CRUISE WITH LUNCH – Full Day (B.L.)

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with the Italian guide and depart to discover the ancient capital of Thailand. The first visit is to Bang Pa In, reached by a short journey of about 60 kilometers north of Bangkok, along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Bang Pa In is one of the summer palaces of the Thai Royal Family, dating back to the seventeenth century, before the establishment of Bangkok as the capital. Subsequently falling into disuse for a long period, all the buildings you will visit date back to its rebirth, made possible by King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the nineteenth century.

Today, the palace is rarely used, mainly for state ceremonies, and not as a royal summer residence. We continue with the Ayutthaya Historical Park, the city founded around 1350, becoming the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It flourished from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, becoming one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and trade.

Ayutthaya was strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers connecting the city to the sea. This site was chosen because it was above the tide of the Gulf of Siam as it existed at that time, preventing the city from being attacked by maritime warships of other nations. The city was attacked and razed to the ground by the Burmese army in 1767, forcing the inhabitants to abandon it. It was never rebuilt in the same location and today is a vast archaeological site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

After the temple visits, a beautiful cruise awaits us with lunch served on board. With the vehicle, we return to Bangkok to the Wat Chong-Lom pier (Nonthaburi), where you will be welcomed on board the Grand Pearl Cruise Line. Here, a sumptuous buffet lunch with a variety of Eastern and Western cuisines will be served while you relax, enjoying the fascinating scenery along the river of kings.

The boat will then head towards Nonthaburi, passing the island of Koh Kred, where a dense Mon community lives, before reaching the city of Bangkok. Coffee will be served on board as you enjoy the lovely views along the riverbanks, such as the colorful Royal Barge House, Thammasart University, Sirirat Hospital, the Royal Grand Palace, and the graceful Temple of the Dawn, with its magnificent spire of 79 meters, next to Wat Kallayanamitr, one of the city’s most famous temples. Around 16:00, arrival and disembarkation at the River City commercial complex pier. Transfer to the hotel by air-conditioned vehicle.

DAY 4 – BANGKOK – One Way Transfer City Hotel – Train Station. Driver Only (B.)

Breakfast at the hotel. Three hours before the flight, meet with the driver in the hotel lobby. Transfer to the train station for overnight train

Day 5: Arrival by train no.133, ETA 09:05AM – Vientiane(-)

Meet at the train station Khamsavath (Lao side). After immigration checkpoint (Lao side).

We transfer out to see the Buddha Park, an enchanting collection of Buddhist and Hindu sculptures on the Mekong Riverside meadow, near the Friendship Bridge. There are approximately 200 religious images dating back over 500 years, which were created by a mysterious monk spreading his philosophy on life and to reveal his ideas about the universe. A spectacular view of over the Mekong River, then transfer to hotel.

PM: We start visiting the major sights; including the oldest Wat Sisaket, the temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues and the former royal temple of Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image.
Enroute to Lao’s national precious heritage, the famous and sacred structure of That Luang Stupa, you will have the opportunity to take some pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, which is well known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph.

Overnight in Vientiane.

Day 6: Vientiane to Vang Vieng by car (B)

After Breakfast, we leave the capital early for our journey northbound; we will see some breathtaking scenery enroute as we pass through spectacular countryside towards the mountainous region. Along the way we visit the busy and colorful market of the village where various hill tribes come to trade goods and buy provisions.

A next stop of our trip is Vang Xang, famous for the archeological site dating back 11th century. We reach our final destination Vang Vieng, which is nestled on a bend of the Nam Song River. Its stunning scenery with limestone outcrops remains unspoiled, despite recent developments with the advent of tourism. After checking into your hotel, we drive through paddy field areas heading to Tham Phoukham caves, where your breath will be taken away seeing the most beautiful and famous limestone cavern, surrounded by natural forests. Along the way, you have chance to explore the local cultures by greeting the local villagers and learning about their daily lifestyle. There is a small natural pool in front of the caves where you can take a swim to refresh yourself from the hot climate or you could explore the nearby area.

Overnight in Vang Vieng.

Day 7: Vang Vieng – Train to Luang Prabang (B)

After breakfast, you will explore the famous cave of Tham Jang, which was used in the early 19th century as a hideout from the Chinese invaders. Afternoon, Transfer to train station for Express train EMU C82 leaving at 14:27, arriving at 15:30.

Upon arrival at the train station in Luang Prabang, you’ll be welcome by our tour guide then accompanied to your hotel. After check in at hotel, Free & Easy.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 8: Luang Prabang – City Tour (B)

Luang Prabang, which is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. After checking into your hotel, It is worth a visit to the National Museum at the former Royal Palace, which displays a lovely collection of artefacts reflecting the richness of Lao culture dating from the days of the early kings right through the last sovereign, including the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun, the shrine of Wat Aham, the city’s oldest temple of Wat Sene and Wat Mai. We visit these sights as well as the magnificent Wat Xiengthong, its exterior architecture is remarkable with decorated guilded stuccoes and doorways, a “tree of life” mosaic pattern set in coloured glass on the back wall and its three tiered roofs sweeping low to the ground representing classical Laotian architecture. We then climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred, gilded stupa as well as have a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. From there, we explore the Night Market, where you can browse a lovely selection of handmade textiles made by the local people and hill tribes surrounding Luang Prabang.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 9: Luang Prabang to Pak Ou Caves and Kuangsi fall (B)

We then embark on a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a breathtaking view of the tranquil countryside as well as exploring the mysterious Pak Ou Caves, two linked caves crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by devoted pilgrims.

Along the way, we will stop at the village of Ban Xanghai, where the local rice wine is produced. On return, we take a short drive to
We then visit the morning Phousi Market, where you will see such diverse offerings as dried buffalo skin, local tea and saltpeter among the chickens, vegetables and hill-tribe weavings and Ban Thapene, a Khmu village.

This then takes us to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can cool off with a refreshing swim in the pools or walk along the forest trails.

Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day 10: Luang Prabang – Departure (B)

Breakfast at hotel,
Transfer to Luang Prabang airport for your onward departure flight.

End of the trip!

Notice:

+ Train Schedule & Fare is subject to be changed by Lao-China Train from time to time without prior notice

+ All tour prices exclude all surcharges for Christmas and New Year period: TBA

+ Peak Season surcharge:

1. Villa Maydou (Heritage Deluxe) on 21 Dec – 5 Jan: US$16/room/night
2. Satri house (Deluxe) on 23 Dec – 3 Jan: US$30/room/night

TRAIN TICKET : US$45/ticket CLASS SLEEPER CLASS, INCLUDES TICKET ISSUE FEE. Please note that Thailand Railways allows ticket reservations 30 days prior the trip date, so we are unable to guarantee the seat, as the ticket going our very fast

21:25 Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station, Bangkok – 11h 40m ride in train #133 with Thai Railway.

09:05 Khamsavath Railway station, Vientiane.

Including services:

• Hotel accommodation by twin share basis with daily breakfast
• Ground transportation by private, air-cond vehicle
• Train ticket on 2^nd Class EMU, Vang Vieng-Luang Prabang
• Regional ENGLISH speaking guides
• Sightseeing with admission fees
• Boat trips as programmed
• Mineral water and cold tissues on tours

Excluding services:

• International air tickets arrival to and departure from Laos
• Train ticket from Bangkok to Vientiane
• Visa stamping on arrival to Laos (US$ 30 per person)
• All other meals & beverages are NOT mentioned in the program
• Personal expenses and Tips