Day 1. Tour of the peninsula and introduction to meditation
Your guide will meet you at the reception at 8:30 AM for a half-day tour of the peninsula. We will visit:
- The Royal Palace and its museum,
- Vat Mai Pagoda,
- The TAEC (Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre),
- The UXO Centre (dedicated to the "Secret War"),
- Optionally, a meeting with the director of the Luang Prabang Buddhist Archives Centre.
In the afternoon, we will head to a temple dedicated to Vipassana meditation:
- A visit to the pagoda,
- A discussion with a novice monk,
- A practical meditation exercise,
- Upon returning to town, a visit to the iconic Wat Xieng Thong pagoda before sunset.
For your first evening, we have arranged a "Baci" ceremony—a traditional Lao custom practiced for various life events, intended to bring together the 32 components of the human spirit.
- Organization of the ceremony,
- Dinner,
- Optionally, a traditional Lao Loum dance performance can be arranged (+$60 USD).
Day 2. Mekong River cruise and an encounter with elephants
The day will begin at sunrise with the alms-giving ceremony. We will provide everything necessary for you to participate in this ritual in accordance with local traditions.
Following breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the pier where your boat awaits. -* Visit to the potters’ village,
- followed by a peaceful two-hour cruise to the sacred Pak Ou Caves,
- lunch on board (cooking class available for an additional $20 USD per person),
- visit to the two caves, home to hundreds of Buddha statues,
- a stop at an ethical camp for a private 3-hour encounter with a mahout and his elephant—learn the language used to communicate with the animal, interact with it, help guide it, and bathe with the elephants,
- visit to a village where traditional alcohol is produced,
- visit to a village of weavers (silk and cotton) and makers of *Saa* (mulberry) paper,
- end the day at the Vat Phon Pao pagoda.
Day 3. Trek through the surrounding jungle and an afternoon at the waterfalls
An earlier start this morning:
- begin with a 1-hour minivan ride to the trek’s starting point,
- a trek of approximately 4 hours (difficulty level: 2/5),
- discover villages belonging to ethnic minority groups,
- the trek concludes at the top of the Kuang Si Waterfall,
- visit the protected nature park, including an enclosure for bears rescued from poachers,
- on the return journey, stop to visit the Hmong Cultural Center,
- optionally, we can arrange a performance of Lao Soung traditional dances.
