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Days
10
Price from
$4,360AUD
Map of Laos & Cambodia Impressions including Cambodia and Lao Pdr

Get up close and under the surface of Cambodia and Laos on this small group tour.

Laos and Cambodia are home to some of the most beautiful countryside, temples and architecture in the world. Let yourself slip into the relaxed way of life of these magnificent nations and soak up the atmosphere as you boat along the Mekong River and explore magnificent temples in Luang Prabang. Enjoy the whimsy of French colonial architecture meshed with Buddhist temples in Vientiane. Then travel to Cambodia to gain an insight into its dark history and marvel at the extravagant archaeological treasures of the Khmers, the iconic temples of Angkor. You’ll have plenty of time to explore, discover, taste and experience Laos and Cambodia on this illuminating voyage.

Start
Luang Prabang, Laos
Finish
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Destinations
Cambodia, Laos
Style
Peregrine
Code
PALCC
Physical rating
Trip rating
3 reviews
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 12

Why you'll love this trip

  • Enjoy a boat trip on the sun-kissed Mekong River, observing stunning scenery and riverside French villas along the way. Stop by the Pak Ou Caves, known for the hundreds of shrines and miniature Buddhist statues that line their walls.

  • Unwind in the laid-back jungle town of Luang Prabang. Watch as orange-clad monks gather offerings of rice, fruit and sweets from locals before sunrise in a daily alms giving ceremony

  • A full-day of sightseeing in Vientiane includes visits to the capital’s most dazzling attractions, including the golden Pha That Luang (or the Great Stupa), the most sacred monument in the Laos.

  • See the important sights of Phnom Penh on a full-day guided tour around the Cambodian capital. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) are sobering experiences you won't forget.

  • Enjoy two days of fully guided temple tours in Siem Reap, with in-depth insights into the history of these extraordinary structures and plenty of time at Angkor Wat.

  • Visit a working Buddhist Monastery and meet the resident Monks to learn more about this religion and its importance to the Cambodian people.

  • Included flight on this trip makes travelling easy and allows for maximum time in each destination.

Is this trip right for you?

  • Laos is a beautifully laid-back destination, but it's also less developed than most in South East Asia, so a little bit of patience goes a long way. Roads may be bumpy and journeys may take longer than expected.

  • You will visit a number of temples which requires a level of modesty. You will need to bring clothes that cover the arms and pants or skirts that go past the knees. A light scarf is also a good idea for covering shoulders and arms when it’s hot.

  • The bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge is a painful but important part of Cambodian history to confront. If you would rather not visit the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, just let your leader know.

  • It’s important to prepare for hot and sticky temperatures during the day and cooler climates in the evening. Layers are the best way to tackle this disparity in weather.

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Laos monk temple
Laos Luang Phra Bang
Laos Pak Ou Caves
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Itinerary
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Arrive in beautiful Luang Prabang, the jewel in Laos’ crown. Take your included transfer to the hotel. After settling into your room, your journey begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. Please look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask reception where it will take place. Following this important meeting, you will be welcomed to the country with a tradition Baci ceremony. The ceremony, which aims to bring the 32 souls (khouan) that look after you back to your body and attract beneficial influence, is traditionally performed at all important events in a person's life. Afterwards, enjoy a free evening to explore this charming, French-influenced riverside town.
Accommodation
  • Sada Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Luang Prabang - Baci welcome ceremony
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Wake early to participate in the alms giving ceremony, one of the most sacred Buddhist traditions in Laos, where locals offer food to monks in order to seek spiritual blessing. Alms giving takes place daily as the sun rises, beginning on the main street of Luang Prabang before spreading out to side streets. Follow the locals as they kneel down, ready to give offerings of rice, fruit and sweet snacks to the monks. Later that morning, spend time learning about Laos’ diverse ethnic groups at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre. Afterwards, enjoy an essential activity in Luang Prabang – a boat ride on the Mekong River. It's a great chance to see the riverside from a different angle, with all its stately French villas, trees, and slow-paced two-wheeled traffic. Further along the stream, outside of town, you visit the Pak Ou Caves, located at the confluence of the rivers Mekong and Ou. Enjoy lunch on the boat along the way.
Accommodation
  • Sada Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Luang Prabang - Alms giving ceremony
  • Luang Prabang - Mekong River cruise & Pak Ou Caves
  • Luang Prabang - Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

In the morning, visit Ock Pop Tok, an inspiring fair trade social enterprise that provides a sustainable source of income for female artisans in Luang Prabang. Their dedicated team shows women how to make a better living from their skills. The organisation then employs women to design, make and sell beautiful textiles and handicrafts at three shops across the city. Later take a short ride out of town to visit Kuang Si Waterfall. Its glorious blue-green cascades make for one of Laos' most photogenic attractions, and the pool at its base is great for swimming in. There is time to visit the nearby Bear Rescue Centre as well. In the evening, sit down to dinner at Khaiphaen, a Friends-International enterprise dedicated to improving the welfare of disadvantaged youth through skills-training.
Accommodation
  • Sada Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Luang Prabang - Kuang Si Waterfalls
  • Luang Prabang - Ock Pop Tok visit
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Fly to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, in the early morning. Though not as visually impressive as Luang Prabang, this city is renowned for its food and has some must see sights. Its main streets are awash with a variety of high-calibre restaurants that serve a remarkably diverse span of cuisines from across the globe. Embark on a guided sightseeing tour of the city, stopping in at Wat Si Saket, Hor Prakeo, Patuxai (Victory Gate) and That Luang along the way. You’ll also visit the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), a remarkable not-for-profit organisation that makes rehabilitative devices and medical equipment accessible to people with physical disabilities in Laos.
Accommodation
  • Sabaidee @ Lao Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Vientiane - Wat Si Saket
  • Vientiane - Haw Pra Kaew
  • Vientiane - That Luang
  • Vientiane - Pratu Xai
  • Vientiane - COPE visit
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Another flight today takes you to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Please note that as this is a combination trip, your group composition as well as your leader will change today. The flight will be unescorted, but transfers to and from the airports are included. There will be a meeting with your new group at 6pm. If you have free time in the afternoon, perhaps stroll the streets of Phnom Penh and explore the city, taking in the interesting French colonial architecture. The National Museum, with its collection of classic Khmer craftsmanship, is well worth a visit. Dinner tonight will be at the restaurant run by Friends International. You might decide to go for a drink at the Foreign Correspondents' Club afterwards. 

Notes: The restaurant run by Friends International is closed on public and school holidays. Alternative dinner arrangements will be made during these times.
Accommodation
  • Aquarius Hotel or similiar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Today a full city tour introduces you to the sights of Phnom Penh, a city that lies near the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The private quarters of the Royal Palace are home to King Sihamoni and are closed to the public. You will, however, be able to visit the Silver Pagoda that lies in the palace complex, which is the most sacred temple in the country. Phnom Penh remains a living relic of the country’s past struggles and successes. Your included visits to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek tell the story of the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge. There is an optional visit to Wat Phnom, the temple that gave rise to the foundation of the city in the 15th century. Later you head out of town to a working monastery to learn more about the life of a monk and Theravada Buddhism. Buddhism in Cambodia is a way of life that most people incorporate into their daily life. You will get to meet the monks, enjoy a sacred water blessing for good luck and prosperity, have a red band tied around your wrist to keep you safe in your travels and see the temple’s fascinating Pagoda art.

Note: The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are major parts of the experience here, but if you don't wish to visit them, please inform your tour leader.
Accommodation
  • Aquarius Hotel or similiar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Prison Museum (S21)
  • Phnom Penh - Choeung Ek (Killing Fields)
  • Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
  • Phnom Penh - Buddhist monastery visit
Optional Activities
  • Phnom Penh - Wat Phnom - USD2
  • Phnom Penh - National Museum - USD10
  • Phnom Penh - Cyclo tour - USD4
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Fly north to Siem Reap (approximately 40 minutes) where the great temples of Angkor await. After a relaxing morning at your hotel, travel into the countryside to a local farming community, walk through rice fields and learn about Cambodian stilt homes and life in a typical farming village. Hear about the myriad ways a non-government organisation called Husk Cambodia works directly with this community to improve the lives of Cambodian families. End the day with a stop for a sunset drink at a scenic point overlooking the countryside.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Countryside village walking tour
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Spend a full day visiting the amazing temples of Angkor on a guided exploration. Angkor Wat is the largest and most complete structure, and the only one of Angkor's temples that has its entrance facing west – the others face east. Then there is Angkor Thom, the 'Great Royal City', a temple famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone. Of all the temples visited today, Bayon temple is the centrepiece, with over 200 smiling carved faces and more than 50 gothic towers. For lunch you'll visit the Sala Bai Hotel School where underprivileged local youths learn skills that enable them to find gainful employment in the hospitality industry. Here you can enjoy a meal prepared by students at the school. After lunch it’s off to the Ta Prohm temple, which has large trees embedded in the stone foundations of the structure – powerful symbols of nature.

Note: The Sala Bai Hotel School is closed on public and school holidays, so on these days an alternative restaurant will be used.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
  • Siem Reap - Three Day Angkor Pass
  • Siem Reap - Lunch at Sala Bai
Optional Activities
  • Siem Reap - Phare, the Cambodian Circus ticket - USD18
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

Embrace a very early start today if you wish to experience a sunrise visit to the Angkor complex (this is optional). From here, continue onto Banteay Srei. You'll see it's not a huge temple, but thanks to its intricate stone carvings it is sometimes referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art’. At this point you can either head back to your hotel or carry on exploring more temples, such as Preah Khan. This temple contains a maze of vaulted corridors and is another complex that has been largely reclaimed by the jungle. Your ticket for the Angkor ruins also lets you spend more time exploring this site. Otherwise you might like to take a free afternoon to explore the town. If you have time, perhaps indulge in a traditional Khmer massage. Tonight you will enjoy a final dinner at a great restaurant in town serving local cuisine.
Accommodation
  • Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat or similar (feature stay) (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Banteay Srei temple
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
Optional Activities
  • Siem Reap - Khmer Traditional Massage - USD17
  • Siem Reap - Landmine museum - USD5
  • Siem Reap - Tonle Sap Lake Boat Trip - USD15
  • Siem Reap - Remork transport to Tonle Sap Lake - USD10
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

Your trip comes to an end after breakfast this morning.
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Meals

9 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners

Transport

Private vehicle, Plane, Tuk-Tuk, Boat

Accommodation

Feature stay in Luang Prabang (3 nts), Feature Stay in Siem Reap (3 nights), Hotel (3 nts)

Included Activities

  • Luang Prabang - Baci welcome ceremony
  • Luang Prabang - Alms giving ceremony
  • Luang Prabang - Mekong River cruise & Pak Ou Caves
  • Luang Prabang - Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre
  • Luang Prabang - Kuang Si Waterfalls
  • Luang Prabang - Ock Pop Tok visit
  • Vientiane - Wat Si Saket
  • Vientiane - Haw Pra Kaew
  • Vientiane - That Luang
  • Vientiane - Pratu Xai
  • Vientiane - COPE visit
  • Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
  • Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Prison Museum (S21)
  • Phnom Penh - Choeung Ek (Killing Fields)
  • Phnom Penh - Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
  • Phnom Penh - Buddhist monastery visit
  • Siem Reap - Countryside village walking tour
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Temples Guided Tour
  • Siem Reap - Three Day Angkor Pass
  • Siem Reap - Lunch at Sala Bai
  • Siem Reap - Angkor Banteay Srei temple

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available on this trip, please ask your booking agent for more information.
2. A complimentary arrival transfer is included please advise your flight details at time of booking.
3. As this is a combination trip, the composition of your group as well as your leader will change between countries.
4. Please note the flight between Vientiane and Phnom Penh will be unescorted.

Essential trip information

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