Thailand, Laos with Mekong River Boat Tour

Itinerary

• Day 1: International Arrival, Bangkok

  Welcome to Thailand! Upon arrival, your guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Free at your leisure for the rest of the day.

  • Bangkok

• Day 2: Bangkok Sightseeing

  In the early morning, go to the flower and vegetable market to feel the bustle of an authentic working market. Next, explore the beautiful Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew inside it. Any trip to Bangkok will never be complete without a visit here.

  After lunch, seeing Thai houses and rural life by long-tail boat cruising along the canal. Finally, move on to Wat Arun, also called the Temple of the Dawn, for a nice photo opportunity.

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  • Bangkok

• Day 3: Bangkok

  After breakfast, you will drive outside Bangkok to visit The Train Market, selling enormous shrimp, bright red lobsters, tons of squid and big fish. Then you will enjoy the special atmosphere of the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Drive back to Bangkok for a tour to Jim Thompson House.

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  • Bangkok

• Day 4: Bangkok - Chiang Mai

  Check out and depart for Chiang Mai by air. After arrival, check in to the hotel and take a short rest. Later, drive to the quaint and picturesque Meo Hill Tribe Village, where you can dress up in tribal costumes or shoot the crossbow. Continue to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a highly revered temple that sits on the top of Mount Doi Suthep overlooking Chiang Mai.

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  • Chiang Mai

• Day 5: Chiang Mai Elephant Park Tour

  This morning, visit Baan Chang Elephant Park to enjoy an Elephant's Day Care activity. Leaving the hotel at around 8:30 to 9:00 by shuttle bus you will reach the park in around 50 minutes. In this ethical and sustainable park, you will learn about the elephants and can touch, bathe and play with them as well as preparing their lunch after enjoying your own. Before returning to Chang Mai you will meet some baby elephants in their own nursery area.

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  • Chiang Mai

• Day 6: Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai

  Today after breakfast, you will go to Chiang Rai and stop off at the hot spring for relaxation. Later, have a break at the Golden Triangle in Chiang Sean, where the three borders of Myanmar - Laos - Thailand meet.

  After lunch, drive to the Mae Sai Border. The last site you will visit today is Akha and Yao hill tribe villages, where you'll have a good time with the indigenous tribal people wearing dazzling ethnic clothing.

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  • Chiang Rai

• Day 7: Chiang Rai - Chiang Khong - Houayxay - Pakbeng

  After Breakfast, check out and drive to Chiang Khong, a district in the northeastern part of Chiang Rai. Then cross Khong River by boat to Houayxay checkpoint.

  On arrival at Houayxay in Laos, your Laos guide will help you apply for Laos visa. When the visa is ready, you'll board the cruiser leaving Houayxay Pier for a cruise down the Mekong River to Pakbeng.

  En route, a pullover is made to observe the rural lifestyle of Ban Gon Durn, the weaving village along the Mekong River. A buffet lunch is served on board. The boat arrives at Luang Say Lodge before sunset for the overnight stay. Dinner is served on the terrace overlooking the Mekong River.

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  • Pakbeng

• Day 8: Pakbeng - Luang Prabang

  If you like, explore Pakbeng Market in the early morning before breakfast, where people from the surrounding village of minorities have exotic goods on sale. The boat departs for the second part of the trip. With a stopover at Ban Baw Village, you can observe the process of making traditional rice alcohol. A buffet lunch is served on board.

  The boat stops again opposite the mouth of the Nam Ou River to visit Pak Ou Caves, a sacred Buddha shrine. Arrive in Luang Prabang before sunset. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will meet you at the pier and then transfer to the hotel for check-in.

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  • Luang Prabang

• Day 9: Luang Prabang Sightseeing

  If you wish, observe the alms-giving procession in the early morning at 5:40. Later, visiting the Morning Market or Phousi Market is also a good choice to make. After breakfast, you will enjoy a short tour seeing the city's oldest temple Wat Sene and Wat Xieng Thong, a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art. Later, visit the impressive Wat Visoun, the oldest temple that houses many Buddha images. Next is Wat Aham, the 'Monastery of the Blossomed Heart' exudes serenity, and Wat Mai, the largest and most richly decorated of the temples in this city. Tour the Royal Palace Museum.

  After that, you may climb up to the top of Mount Phousi to explore the sacred stupa as well as capture a beautiful view of the city and the Mekong River at sunset. By evening, it's your chance to venture the night market on your own and observe local life there.

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  • Luang Prabang

• Day 10: Luang Prabang - Vientiane

  Continue your excursion toward Kuang Si Waterfall. En route, visit villages of Lao ethnic minority groups at Ban Ouay to have some knowledge of their life. Have a blast at Kuang Si Falls! It's a paradise where to fill your lungs with fresh air and splash in the water like a child.

  After the play time, you'll be transferred to Luang Prabang airport and travel to the capital city - Vientiane. Upon arrival, your guide will meet you and escort you to the hotel for check-in. 

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  • Vientiane

• Day 11: Vientiane Tour

  After breakfast, you will start visiting the major sights of the capital, including Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple with thousands of miniature Buddha statues, and the former royal temple Wat Prakeo, which previously housed the famous Emerald Buddha Image. En route to Lao's national precious heritage That Luang Stupa, you will have a chance to take pictures of the imposing Patuxay Monument, well known as Vientiane's Arc de Triumph.

  In the afternoon, you'll hit the road again to see the Buddha Park, where there are hundreds of Buddha and Hindu statues brought from India, most of which are as old as 500 years or even more. A spectacular view over the Mekong River at sunset is a perfect way to finish the day.

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  • Vientiane

• Day 12: Vientiane, Departure

  Enjoy your free time before your guide meets you and escorts you to the airport for your international flight back home.

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