Itinerary
- Day 1
Luang Prabang
You'll arrive in Luang Prabang and get taken to your hotel to settle in and get your bearings in this quiet spiritual capital of Laos. The evening is when you'll have your first taste of Laotian food at a local restaurant, which is a nice way to start things off.
- Meals
- Dinner (Authentic welcome dinner)
Included Activities
- Welcome dinner - authentic Laotian meal
- Day 2
Luang Prabang
Head to the local market to pick out ingredients, then join a cooking class where you'll prepare and eat a typical Laotian lunch. After that, you'll bike around to see Wat Mai temple and the former royal palace (now the national museum). From there, you'll stop at Wat Visoun and the Ock Pop Tock weaving community to check out traditional textile techniques. By evening, you'll head to the Mekong banks to watch the sunset.
- Meals
- Lunch (Typical Laotian lunch prepared during cooking class)
Included Activities
- Market visit for cooking class ingredients
- Cooking class with typical Laotian lunch
- Bicycle tour of temples and cultural sites
- Visit to Wat Mai temple
- Visit to former royal palace (national museum)
- Visit to Wat Visoun temple
- Visit to Ock Pop Tock weaving center - traditional weaving and dyeing demonstration
- Sunset view on Mekong banks
Landmarks Wat Mai Royal Palace (National Museum) Wat Visoun Ock Pop Tock Mekong River 
- Day 3
Luang Prabang
If you're an early riser, you can see the monks' morning procession at sunrise with their orange robes collecting donations. Later, you'll drive to Mount Phousi and climb about 330 steps for views across the city. Next comes Wat Xieng Thong, one of the city's most beautiful monasteries. You have options for the rest of the day: either explore the Pak Ou caves (which hold thousands of Buddha statues) or go to a traditional Baci blessing ceremony in a Lao Loum village in the evening.
Included Activities
- Monks' morning procession viewing
- Mount Phousi visit and climb (approximately 330 steps)
- Visit to Wat Xieng Thong temple
Optional Activities
- Visit to Pak Ou caves - thousands of Buddha statues in large caves with river views
- Attend traditional Baci ceremony in Lao Loum village - blessing prayer ceremony by Buddhist monks
Landmarks Mount Phousi Wat Xieng Thong Pak Ou Caves - Day 4
Luang Prabang
This day is left open for you to wander the city, try street food at local markets, and look at temple architecture on your own terms. If you want something more structured, you can book a visit to MandaLao Camp where you'll bathe elephants and take a jungle walk (no elephant riding involved).
Optional Activities
- MandaLao Camp excursion - elephant interaction without riding, bathing with elephants, jungle walk
- Day 5
Luang Prabang to Vientiane
You'll have the morning free to explore however you like. Then you'll head to the train station and board the train to Vientiane, Laos' somewhat sleepy capital city. Once you arrive, you'll check into your hotel for the night.
Included Activities
- Train journey Luang Prabang to Vientiane
- Day 6
Vientiane
You'll start at Wat Sisaket, which is the only temple that survived the 1828 Siamese invasion, followed by Wat Phra Keo (now operating as a museum). Next on the list is Wat That Luang, Laos' holiest site, and then the Patuxay monument, which is basically Laos' version of the Arc de Triomphe.
Included Activities
- Visit to Wat Sisaket temple
- Visit to Wat Phra Keo museum
- Visit to Wat That Luang - holiest site in Laos
- Visit to Patuxay monument
Landmarks Wat Sisaket Wat Phra Keo Wat That Luang Patuxay - Day 7
Vientiane to Phnom Penh
You'll fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital sitting where the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers meet. The city has colonial charm with original architecture, tree-lined streets, and old period buildings despite its turbulent recent history. The rest of your day is free to relax and see what you like, or you can join an optional street food tour if you're interested in trying local dishes.
Included Activities
- Flight Vientiane to Phnom Penh
Optional Activities
- Street food tour in evening
Landmarks Mekong River Tonle Sap River - Day 8
Phnom Penh
You'll travel by cyclo to the Royal Palace with its silver pagoda, then visit the National Museum to see the world's top collection of Angkor artifacts from the 4th to 13th centuries. After that, you'll stop at La Plantation pepper farm for about an hour to learn about the farm, its social work, check out the owner's pepper mill collection, and do some pepper and spice tasting. The afternoon takes you to Tuol Sleng S21, the former Khmer Rouge prison that's an important but difficult part of Cambodian history. If time allows, you can browse the Russian market before heading back.
- Meals
- Snack (Pepper and spice tasting with small snacks at La Plantation)
Included Activities
- Bicycle rickshaw (cyclo) tour through Phnom Penh
- Visit to Royal Palace with silver pagoda
- Visit to National Museum - Angkor archaeological artifacts collection
- Visit to La Plantation pepper farm (approximately one hour) - history, pepper mill collection, pepper and spice tasting with small snacks
- Visit to Tuol Sleng S21 prison
Optional Activities
- Browse Russian market
Landmarks Royal Palace Silver Pagoda National Museum La Plantation Tuol Sleng S21 Russian Market - Day 9
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
After breakfast, you'll fly to Siem Reap. Then you'll take a boat trip on Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest lake, where you'll pass floating houses and forests to see what life on the water looks like. If there's time, you can visit the old market and a handicraft center before getting to your hotel and settling in.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Flight Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
- Boat trip on Tonle Sap lake - floating houses and forests
Optional Activities
- Visit to old market (if time permits)
- Visit to handicraft center (if time permits)
Landmarks Tonle Sap Lake - Day 10
Siem Reap
You'll take a tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom and explore this city within a city. You'll walk through the Bayon temple mountain with its corridors, see the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, and the former royal palace. During lunch, you'll eat with hotel management school students (this happens Monday through Friday). Then comes the highlight: Angkor Wat, one of the world's largest sacred buildings with the longest continuous bas-reliefs. You'll finish up at Ta Prohm, the jungle temple that was left largely untouched from how it was found.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch with hotel management school students (Monday-Friday))
Included Activities
- Tuk-tuk ride through Angkor Thom
- Visit to Bayon temple mountain - winding corridors
- Visit to Elephant Terrace
- Visit to Terrace of the Leper King
- Visit to former royal palace
- Lunch with hotel management school students (Monday-Friday)
- Visit to Angkor Wat - largest and most perfect sacred building with longest continuous bas-reliefs
- Visit to Ta Prohm jungle temple
Landmarks Angkor Thom Bayon Elephant Terrace Terrace of the Leper King Angkor Wat Ta Prohm 
- Day 11
Siem Reap
You have the day to yourself to walk around Siem Reap's charming city center however you like. If you want, you can book an optional trip to lesser-known Angkor temples like Beng Mealea, where you'll explore the completely overgrown jungle temple, or head to the red sandstone Banteay Srei temple with its detailed stone carvings (one of Cambodia's best-preserved temples).
Optional Activities
- Excursion to lesser-known Angkor temples - Beng Mealea and Banteay Srei
- Beng Mealea temple - short jungle hike through overgrown temple site
- Banteay Srei temple - red sandstone with fine stone reliefs, best-preserved temple in Cambodia
Landmarks Beng Mealea Banteay Srei - Day 12
Siem Reap
This day is yours until you need to head to the airport. You'll check out by noon and arrange your trip home or onward travel. If you're interested, optional beach extensions in Cambodia or on Thailand's beaches can be set up. Your transfer to the airport takes about 1 hour 50 minutes and covers about 50 km.
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
Optional Activities
- Beach extension in Cambodia
- Beach extension in Thailand
