Vientiane Stopover Tour

The capital of Laos- Vientiane sits on the northern bank of the Mekong River facing across to the even sleepier Thai town of Sri Chiang Mai. For many visitors, Vientiane is the first taste of Laos food, culture and hospitality and on all counts it does not disappoint. Actually, Vientiane is pronounced Wiang Jan and translated as City of Sandalwood. The modern name of Vientiane comes courtesy of a bastardised form of French transliteration. Wiang actually means "fort" (City of Sandalwood sounds better than Fort of Sandalwood) but by all accounts, it mustn't have been much of a fort as the original city was over-run on a number of occasions by the Burmese and Chinese and was absolutely flattened by the Siamese (Thais) in 1828, after which the city was abandoned back to the jungle. This is one of the reasons why many of the Wats in the city are of a relatively young age, and if the road layout strikes you as a pretty inspired affair, you can thank the French for it they laid the whole place when they oversaw the rebuilding of the city through the turn of the 19th to 20th century.

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Duration: 3 days/2 nights

Tour Code: MLVS04

Tour Valid: Until December 30th, 2013

Highlights: Vientiane- Nam Ngum Lake - Ban Phone - Vang Xang -Vientiane

• Day 1 - VienTiane Arrivale - City Tour

  Place Transport: Airplane->Car 
  Meals: Dinner

  Meet on arrival and you are welcome to Vientiane - the city of the moon – an ancient city, which is situated on the bend on the left bank of the Mekong as the largest city and the capital of Laos. Transfer to hotel for check-in. In the afternoon, we take a sightseeing tour of Vientiane, to visit religious museums of Wat Sisaket which is the oldest temple have been survived from the Siamese war of 1828 and its cloister contains more than 8000 Buddha statues.  Wat Ho Prakeo is the former home-temple of the Emerald Buddha statue or Pra Keo, but today it contains a collection of Buddha statues, antiques and all artifacts found in around Vientiane. That Luang Stupa is the single most important monument in Laos which was built to cover the original small stupa containing a piece of the chest bone of Buddha. Patouxay (Arch de Triumph) was built quite recently in commemoration of those who died during the wars in the past and today, it is considered as the land-mark of Vientiane.

  Day 2 - Vientiane- Morning Market - Nam Ngum Lake - Vang Xang

  Place Transport: Car->Boat 
  Meals: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

  Breakfast at hotel, we depart to visit the Morning Market which is the biggest shopping center in Vientiane and we take a full day trip by road No. 10 to Nam Ngum Lake (90 km N), with hundreds of small islands. We en route stop to visit a cottage-salt factory where natural salt are extracted at Ban Bor village. After arriving at Nam Ngum Lake at noon, we enjoy our Laos foods for lunch at a restaurant by the Nam Ngum Lake. In the afternoon, we relax by taking a boat ride about 1 hour for panoramic view around small islands. On the way of returning to Vientiane along the road No. 13, we make a few stops at Ban Phone which is a village where most people weaving bamboo-baskets. Besides, we will have chance to see how Laos traditional rice-whisky to be distilled, and we can have a taste and take a way. Before getting back to Vietniane, we also stop at Vang Xang- an archaeological site containing the 11th century stone carvings of Buddha sculptures hidden in the forest.

  Day 3 - Vientiane Departure

  Place Transport: Airplane 
  Meals: Breakfast

  Following breakfast, we will spend time to explore this charming city by own till we depart to Wattay airport or the Friendship Bridge for departure to next destination.

  The Tour Inclusion:

  - 02 Nights accommodation with breakfast.

  - Pick-ups and transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle as specified in the itinerary above.

  - The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary.

  - Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the program

  - Lunches and dinners (as specified in the itinerary) in the best local restaurants, or picnics where no suitable restaurant is available.

  The Tour Exclusion:

  - International flight tickets and airport tax.Visas.

  - Dinners, except as specified above.

  - Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

  - Surcharge for peak season (if any) & other not mentioned in the above detail program.

  Additional Information

  Importance note

  - The itinerary is just a sample of our tours; we'll be pleased to design similar programs with dates and itinerary customized to your personal preferences in Tailor Made Tours section. Rates may vary frequently. Please contact us to get the best possible price based upon your travel period and specific touring needs.

  What to bring?

  - Sun Block, Wide brim hat, Camera + Film, Comfortable shoes, Rain gear, Warm clothes, original Passport...

  How to start?

  - MinMax Travel is a fully escorted tour and best-available all year round; the only thing you need to prepare in advance is the international air-ticket from/to your country.

  - You can get Laos Visa on arrival easily (getting visa at the airport).