Itinerary

Once your flight has landed, you will make your way through immigration and baggage claim and then meet up with your guides and fellow travelers in the arrival hall. After a warm welcome and orientation from your guides, the evening is free to explore the Night Market, sample some delicious Lao cuisine and get to know your fellow travelers!

Spend the morning learning about wildlife conservation efforts in Laos and volunteering on enrichment and nutrition programs at a local wildlife sanctuary. From the sanctuary it’s just a short hike to Kuang Sii Falls – a stunning 200-foot waterfall feeding a series of smaller falls and turquoise blue pools.

After a short hike to the top of the falls, we will zipline over the falls and through the jungle canopy, before a short repel to one of the most beautiful swimming holes imaginable!

After breakfast, we will head to the Living Land Farm – a social enterprise that funds education opportunities for local youth – to participate in planting, harvesting & processing rice with traditional equipment and techniques. Rice is a staple of the Lao diet, economy, and culture, making this is the perfect way to kick off your Laos experience.

That afternoon, we’ll head to a Buddhist temple to learn about the history of Luang Prabang and the Lan Xang Kingdom, the basic principles of Buddhism, and how it all integrates into Lao culture. Local monks will then teach us about the ancient practice of meditation and lead us in a meditation practice.

That evening we’ll take part in a cooking class and prepare a feast of delicious Lao cuisine!

Wake up early to take part in the Alms Ceremony, a Buddhist tradition of waking up before dawn to provide monks with fresh food for the day. After breakfast, we’ll visit the UXO Museum for a sobering look at the history and lingering effects of the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War) on the people of Laos.

From there it’s a scenic drive to the riverside town of Nongkiaw, where we’ll hike up to an epic viewpoint for a night of ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping). That night, we’ll enjoy a Hot Pot dinner as the sun sets over the surrounding mountains and gather around the fire as the stars come out.

After enjoying morning coffee and tea with misty mountain views, we’ll hike down to town for a delicious breakfast by the river. From there, we’ll board local long-tail boats and cruise up the Nam Ou River to the village of Sop Khong for a short hike and picnic lunch at a stunning nearby waterfall.

After lunch, it’s a short hike back to the boats and a 45-minute long-tail boat ride to the village of Sop Chem – a riverside community surrounded by limestone cliffs and dense jungle, and our home for the next week! We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the village and learning more about our projects and what’s in store for the next week.

Start each morning with tea or coffee and misty mountain views. After breakfast, we will walk to the village school alongside local students to teach English for the rest of the morning. After lunch, we will head back to the school to volunteer alongside community members at the school permaculture farm for the rest of the afternoon.

In the late afternoon, we will wrap up volunteer work and head out on one of our daily excursions like exploring nearby caves, fishing with locals, brewing rice wine, playing sports with local kids, learning to make local handicrafts, swimming in the Nam Ou River, or just relaxing and watching village life unfold.