Southern Laos Exploration

Once you have arrived at Pakse airport, our guide will collect you and take you straight to the Bolaven Plateau, famous countrywide for its cooler temperatures and abundant nature. We stop at one of the region’s many picturesque tea plantations on the way to the magnificent duel falls of Tad Fane Waterfall. After some time here we head to the Sinouk Coffee Resort, our stunning accommodation, for dinner and to spend the night in utter luxury while surrounded by the plateau’s amazing landscape.

After breakfast at the resort, we leave at around 09:00 to meet our Jeep expert, who will explain the itinerary for today over fresh coffee. Hop into the Jeep and sit back as we cut through the jungle surrounds to the Tad Moun Waterfall, where we can enjoy a swim in the refreshing water.

Later that morning, we arrive at the coffee farm of the friendly Mr. Khamsone, who gives us a demonstration on the various stages of coffee production and tells us what makes Bolaven coffee so special. Try many different types of coffee at the end of the demonstration before tucking into a picnic lunch.

A cave nearby belies the harrowing stories of the lives of nearby villagers, who sheltered here during the Laotian Civil War. Following this, we continue around the farm’s grounds to enjoy the view of Phou Sanark, the region’s volcanic mountain, and the perfect scene it creates in tandem with the sunset.

Returning to the farm, we delve into the world of Laotian food with Mr. Khamsone’s wife, whom we will assist in preparing dinner. Overnight will be spent in a comfortable tent underneath an uninhibited sky.

Leaving at 09:00, we take the 14km drive to the village of B Setkhord, home to the colourful Laven hill tribe. We will explore the village and learn much more about the Laven, as well as the other ethnic minorities that live around the Bolaven Plateau and Laos in general. We can talk to members of the tribe to hear of personal accounts of life in their humble village.

We drive to the magnificent Tad Say Waterfall for a very scenic picnic lunch surrounded by lush vegetation.

Following this, we take the drive to B Darisa, an enclave of the Suay ethnic minority, where we will be greeted by the sights of beautiful traditional houses made of wood, bamboo and thatched coconut leaves. We discover the Suay’s proud history of rice farming in Laos as well as the various customs that set them apart from the Laven and other hill tribes around the country. We will stay in a gorgeous home here tonight.

A leisurely breakfast will be followed by a trip to Tha Teng, the vibrant market where members of hill tribes do their business. We will explore more ethnic minority villages in Ban Bong Neua and Ban Kokphung, where the two different hill tribe cultures of the Alak and Katu people can be explored. The gushing Tad Phaxuam Waterfall will be our next stop; here we will admire the awesome power of nature before finishing the morning at Champassak town, where we eat lunch.

The glorious Wat Phou will be our destination for this afternoon. This is a 5th century marvel of Khmer architecture, originating even before Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This was constructed as a temple to honour the Hindu god, Shiva, containing many different pavilions and galleries full of ornate carvings. Wat Phou’s weatherworn façade still exhibits the incredible skill of Khmer architects as early as the 5th century, making it a widely revered temple throughout now-Buddhist Laos. Its beauty and pivotal role in the development of Khmer politics, economy and religion earned it UNESCO World Heritage recognition in 2001.

We finish in the town of Champasak where we can find many examples of the French colonial architecture so prominent here.

Following breakfast, we will take the drive to the Laos-Cambodia border and Khone Island, reachable by a long-tailed boat across the wide expanse of the Mekong River. We dock at the pretty village of Ban Khone, a remnant of French development, observable through its old railway and the balconies and shutter windows of its colonial-era buildings.

Via tuk-tuk, we discover more of the 4000 Islands, created by receding water in the dry season revealing a rocky and grassy landscape beneath the surface of the Mekong River. We head to Liphi Waterfall, named the ‘Corridor of the Devil’ for the intense flow of its tumbling water. Keep an eye out here for the Irrawaddy dolphin, a rare species that is occasionally seen launching itself out of the Mekong.

The rest of the afternoon here is spent in your free time. Perhaps you would like to take a walk or a cycle around the island and along the banks of the Mekong, which provides the perfect backdrop for a gorgeous sunset.

Enjoy your breakfast, meet the guide and take the drive to Khone Phapheng. Here we will find the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia, very close to the border with Cambodia. This area is full of natural wildlife and is a largely untarnished ecosystem, allowing for the flourishing of both animals and plants.

Following the Mekong River north, we arrive back in Pakse by mid-morning. Pakse was an important city of the French during their occupation of Laos. Its position on the confluence of its two great rivers has been a great source of trade for Pakse since its establishment in 1905.

After checking into the hotel and finding lunch, you will rendezvous with the guide and head out to see examples of impressive stone carving at Ban Khoh. After this, we visit Wat Chomphet, which houses the largest statue of the sitting Buddha in the country.

Before sunset, we climb to the peak of Wat Phou Salao and join the many golden Buddha statues watching over the town and its verdant green surroundings. The sun sets on your Southern Laos Exploration 7 Days tour before we return to the hotel.

Enjoy your final breakfast and the last few hours of your time before our driver conveys you to Pakse International Airport. Your Southern Laos Exploration 7 Days tour will end once we have seen you safely onto your onwards flight. Thank you for joining us for this week-long tour of beautiful Laos; it was a pleasure to have you on board and we very much hope to see you again in the future!