Our favourite Laos tours and excursions

If destinations and accommodation are the bread and butter of a great vacation, a hands-on cultural experience is the secret sauce that brings it all to life. 

Carol Cassidy in her workshop in Vientiane

Insider Experience: Carol Cassidy's workshop

There are few people better placed to introduce you to traditional and contemporary Lao textile culture than Carol Cassidy.

Carol first came to Laos as a textile expert with the UN Development Programme in 1989, and she unwittingly stumbled upon what she describes as “a weaver’s paradise”. Years later, she's still here -- and she now works with 40 Lao artisans to produce woven wall hangings, scarves, shawls and fabric, all using traditional methods. Touring Carol’s workshop is a rare chance to meet a real insider, and you'll have plenty of time to ask her about her experiences over cocktails and canapés in the garden. 

Trekking in Nam Et Phou Louey National Protected Area

Nam Nern night safari

By night, the jungle comes alive with the hoots, squawks, screeches and chirps of a whole new cast of characters.

Head out under cover of darkness to experience this hidden world, travelling by boat as your guide’s spotlight searches the undergrowth for sambar deer, spotted linsang, pythons and civets. Spend the night at an ecolodge, listening to stories around the campfire, then return by daylight accompanied by brilliant blue kingfishers and red jungle fowl – a whole new wildlife experience. This is jungle exploration with a difference. 

Man trekking through the forest of Nam Et-Phou Louey

Nam Et-Phou Louey trek

If you want a real adventure (and we’re talking the old-fashioned kind, complete with creepy crawlies, strenuous exercise, and lots of sweat) this one’s for you.

Get away from civilisation and deep into the world of the jungle, spending nights in Khmu minority villages and remote camps, keeping your eyes peeled for sightings of white-cheeked gibbons, sambar deer, and Indian bison. This is a tough trek with incredible rewards, including summiting the third-highest peak in Laos and spotting endangered animals in their natural habitat. Life doesn’t get more wild and wonderful than this. 

Local girl in Muang La

Meet the ethnic groups of Muang La

In the hills around remote Muang La, undisturbed by the modern world, the Khmu live in teakwood stilt houses, the Hmong raise pigs and buffalo, and the Ikhos produce dyes made with plant extracts foraged from the forest.

Travelling by 4x4 between their villages, you’ll have the chance to interact with people who rarely meet tourists and learn about the many cultural differences between these ethnic minorities. Then, to round it all off, hike up to a waterfall with spectacular views across the mountains. This is a rare opportunity to dive into the authentic life of the countryside in a breathtakingly beautiful part of Laos. 

Cruising on the Upper Mekong River

Cruising on the Upper Mekong

Where the Lower Mekong is broad, slow, and pulsing with life, the Upper Mekong is faster, narrower, and altogether more remote.

Until 2015, there weren’t any overnight river cruises at all, and even now you can sometimes sail for hours without seeing another boat. Cruising up here is an amazing way to see some of the most inaccessible parts of the country, scrambling up muddy banks or climbing steep bamboo staircases to tiny hamlets of tin-roofed houses. In between, there’s little to do but gaze at the steep-sided limestone mountains cloaked in green foliage – and that’s more than good enough for us. 

Elephants washing in the river

MandaLao Elephant Sanctuary

We’ve seen a lot of wildlife sanctuaries in our time, and this one might be the very best.

Looking after retired working elephants in conditions as close to their natural habitat as possible, the dedicated people at MandaLao have made it their mission to improve the lot of Laos’s dwindling elephant population through ecotourism. This is a chance to interact with one of the world’s most magnificent creatures in a way that makes a positive difference to their future – and we can’t recommend it enough.