10 DAY CLASSIC LAOS & MYANMAR TOUR

Upon arrival in Vientiane, you will be transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have a tour of Vientiane which, although the capital city, still has the feel of a small provincial town. The wide boulevards are almost devoid of traffic, and with its many temples, the city retains the feel of another age. Your tour will include visits to the major temples of Vat Sisaket, Vat Phrakeo and the impressive That Luang Stupa (the country’s most important monument). You will also see the Arc de Triomphe, the National Museum and the main market. In the evening, following a welcome dinner, you can enjoy an evening stroll along the banks of the Mekong River before an overnight stay in Vientiane.

After breakfast, you will visit the Morning Market before leaving Vientiane to Vang Vieng, which takes around 3 hours to reach by car. Vang Vieng was once a key military airfield during the Indochina wars and its central feature is the long abandoned runway along the eastern side of town. On the west side, a small river separates the town from the nearby caves & mountains, which can easily be visited from town. En route, you will enjoy the included lunch at a local restaurant. Then you will have free time before and overnight stay in Vang Vieng.

The drive from Vang Vieng to Xieng Khoang is stunning and you will reach your destination at lunch time. After you have checked into your hotel, there will be a tour to the mysterious Plain of Jars. The Plain of Jars is an extensive area around Phonsavan, surrounded by mountains, and where massive stone urns of mysterious origin are scattered about in a least a dozen major groupings. Site , Thoung Hai Hin (or “Stone Jar Plain) is 15 km southwest of Phonsavan, and the largest of the sites, featuring 250 jars, mostl weighing from 600kg to one ton each (but, the biggest of them weighing as much as six tons!). You will continue to visit some nearby hill tribe villages to experience their fascinating culture and colorful history before heading back to the hotel. You will stay overnight in Xieng Khoang.

You will leave Xieng Khoang and drive to Luang Prabang, which is the old capital of the Lane Xang Kingdom and which is home to more than 30 gilded Buddhist temples, which results in a town rich in atmosphere and history.

In the afternoon, there will be a tour to discover the World Heritage Site, with visits to Wat Visoun (the 16th Century temple which served as a small museum for religious artifacts), Wat Aham (the early 19th Century temple, whose two guardian figures at the foot of the steps represent two characters from the Ramayana – Hanuman, the Monkey God and the fierce Yaksa), Wat Xiengthong (the 16th Century temple which, more than any temples in Luang Prabang, epitomizes all the elegance and grace of its architecture) and Phousi Hill (whose 328 steps lead to the summit of Phousi Hill, which dominates the sky-line of Luang Prabang).

Today you will take a drive 30 km south to visit Kuangsi Waterfall which, though not very high, is spectacular and beautiful with its green surroundings in a preserved national park. En route, you will stop to visit a fresh produce market, Talad Phosy, and also visit Ban Na Oune, a small village of the Hmong hill tribe, the best known minority group in Laos. Just before arriving at Kuangsi Waterfall, you will visit a village of the Khmu minority group, Ban Tha Pane, followed by a picnic lunch at the shady park near the waterfall. There will be plenty of time for relaxing and a swim in the cool water, before you head back to Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The rest of the day will be spent visiting various crafts shops, silver smiths and the Hmong market, where the embroidery works of Hmong women are on display. You will stay overnight in Luang Prabang

The temple is also home to an annual festival, usually held during the month of October, and it is the biggest event held at the lake.The next must see stop is Nag Phi Chaung Monastery, an attractive wooden monastery built on stilts over the lake at the end of the 1850s and where you can see the popular jumping cats leap through hoops .You also have an option to see “Padaung” or the “Long-neck Karen hill tribe”. Your tour would be completed with a visit to a local silverware workshop, silk and lotus workshops and a place of traditional iron work. If time allows, ask your guide to go and see the Shan paper making process. Overnight in Inle Lake

Free day until our driver transfer you to the airport for a flight to Yangon, arrive and check in, rest of the day on your own plan. Overnight in Yangon.

NEXY DAY: Pick up and visit Sule Pagoda, Mahabandoola park, The Grand City Hall and old colonial buildings around city centre, In the afternoon, visit the Bogyoke Market used to be called Scott Market, the largest market in Yangon with time to browse among the hundreds of stalls for souvenir bargains, arts & crafts souvenir shopping center. Proceed to Shwedagon Pagoda – described by Somerset Maugham: “The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which the mystics write, glistening against the fog and smoke of the thriving city.” This massive bell-shaped stupa rises nearly 100 meters above its hill-top surroundings. Wander through this magnificent structure and its courtyards, stupas, bells, temples, and Buddha images, and see religious and secular visitors from all parts of the globe. Shwedagon has become the symbol of Myanmar. Overnight in Yangon

In the morning, transfer to Yangon airport for flight to Bagan. Upon arrival, visit Nyaung U morning Market to see people ways of life. Then visit the most significant pagodas and temples of Bagan including Shwezigon Pagoda built by King Anawrahta in the early 11 th as a religious shrine. Continue visit Annada Temple: a whitewashed masterpiece of Mon architecture with four standing Buddhas, and the adjacent brick monastery with the beautiful, well –preserved 18 th century murals. Visit to Thatbinnyu Temple know as “temples of omniscience” and dating from 1144 and the Sulamani temple.

In the afternoon, visit one of Myanmar’s most treasured handicrafts, a lacquer ware home Industry, the Sulamani temple and Dhammayangyi Temple (the massive temple in Bagan). Experience local Horse–cart way to Pyitthagyi Temple (15 mins). Overnight in Bagan

In the morning, fly to Heho. Arrive Heho and drive to Nyaung Shwe. Nyaung Shwe on the edge of the Inle Lake which is famous for its unique leg rower. Proceed to Inle lake by local boat, heading to the middle of Inle lake including Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the holiest religious site in Southern Shan State. Floating Market Villages & Gardens where fruit and vegetables are grown. See traditional handicrafts – silk weaving on wooden hand-looms and a blacksmith shop. Stop at Nga Phe Chaung Monastery which is famous for its (Jumping – Cats Show). Overnight in Inle.

In the morning, transfer to the Heho airport for flight to Yangon. On the way to Hotel, visit Mahapasana Cave (if open) where Sixth Buddhist Synod was held, Kaba Aye Pagoda (World Peace Pagoda). Check in to your hotel. Visit Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda to see a huge reclining Buddha image, the Shwedagon Pagoda – one of the world’s most spectacular monuments. Enjoy sunset at Pagoda. End of the 10 day classic Laos and Myanmar tour