Drive to Ban Fay / Kayak to Nam Ou Riverside Resort and overnight /
Trek to Ban Kok / Boat Ride to Luang Prabang

Day 1

At 8am, we will pick you from our office (or from your hotel or guesthouse, if going in a private group) and we’ll take an hour drive to Ban Fay, a Lao Loum village, the dominant ethnic group in Laos. Here, we will get into our kayaks, and begin our journey down the Nam Ou River.

While we paddle downstream, we will pass many different minority villages. We’ll see beautiful landscapes, and farms of different varieties built into the river’s banks.

We will stop in Ban Hat Khaw for a leisurely picnic lunch. You’ll have some time to rest and relax after eating. Then, we will walk to the small pier on the Nam Ou River. Here, we will jump in our kayaks, and set off down the river. After two hours of paddling, we’ll arrive in Ban Hat Kham. After crossing the river, we will spend the night in Nam Ou Riverside Resort.

Your guide will cook you a traditional Lao meal, and some villagers will gather together to bless you with a Baci ceremony, where strings are tied on your wrists to call your spirits back to your body. This is an ancient Lao practice, in the Animist tradition. With full bellies, you will surely sleep very well.

Day 2

After breakfast the next morning, we will set off on a challenging 5 hour trek. A local guide will lead the way through farms, forests, and mountains. A large part of this trek is through forests without clear paths. Never fear, you can trust that the local guide knows these woods like the back of his hand.

Along the way, you will stop to climb a steep cliff to visit a large open cave, where local people go catch bats, and collect natural materials to make into gunpowder. This trek will take you through some tight spots, so if you can travel light, it would be best. Once you emerge from the forests, the scenery is stunning. We will walk the last part of the trek on a path through terraced farms.

Arriving in Ban Kok, a mostly Khmu village, you will have time to eat lunch and relax while overlooking the meeting point of the Nam Ou and Mekong Rivers.

Once you are sufficiently rested, we will take a short boat ride across the Mekong to visit the Pak Ou Caves. These caves have served as a place of worship for hundreds of years. Lao people visit the sacred caves and pray to the thousands of Buddha statues they hold for good luck, prosperity, and most of all, for a safe journey down the river. Your guide will explain the caves’ history in detail before you set off downriver yourself.

During your one hour ride, you will likely see men fishing in the river, and many gardens built into its banks. We will make one stop along the way in Ban Xang Hai, a rice whiskey village. Here, you will see the process of making the famous Lao Lao rice whiskey, and you can even sample the product if you’re feeling adventurous.

We will then continue on down the river to Luang Prabang, where are support vehicle will meet you at the pier and transfer you back to your hotel or guesthouse.

All prices are listed at PER PERSON rates in US Dollars for the above itinerary.
Any adjustments to the itinerary may raise or lower these rates accordingly.
Please contact us for a personalized quote.