Our favorite 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.

We know that not everyone likes the idea of organized fun. You don’t need your hand held – we get it. But we also know that we’d bet our bottom kip that even the most die-hard independent travelers will fall for our incredible guides, whose in-depth knowledge and personal stories make every experience special.

The reason we can be so confident is because we’re independent travelers ourselves, and we know there’s nothing worse than coughing up for a cultural class or guided tour only to find that it feels inauthentic and touristy. That’s why we only recommend experiences we’ve personally road-tested and absolutely loved – no cookie-cutter day trips, no lackluster guides, and no doing something just because everyone else is.

In Laos, that means trekking up 100 waterfalls to picnic off banana leaves against the backdrop of the Nam Ou River Valley. It means cycling around the islands of the Mekong, stopping to watch craftsmen weaving bamboo and eating dinner with a local family. It means swapping Luang Prabang’s World Heritage architecture for its rural fringes, exploring the minority villages and tumbledown temples that line the banks of the Mekong.

We can take you beyond the standard tourist sites, but it takes the knowledge of a local to bring those places to life – and these experiences are the way to do it.

Treetop explorer

Not for the faint-hearted, this two-day guided jungle adventure will take you deep into the mountains of Doung Hua Sao National Park.

Trek through the coffee plantations and into the wild, semi-evergreen jungle to reach giant multi-level waterfalls. Then, criss-cross through gorges on zipwires, and take on a heart-thumping, via-ferrata-style walkway secured to the rockface with bolts and harnesses. There are no two ways about it: this is easily the most thrilling way to fully immerse yourself in the Lao jungle.

The hidden side of Luang Prabang

On this alternative tour, we’ll whisk you away from the boutique hotels and gilded wats of the town center to a side of Luang Prabang few tourists get to see -- where tuk-tuks putter along dirt roads to quiet temples, and minority villages sprawl along the banks of the Mekong.

Here, you can climb to dilapidated hilltop temples with incredible panoramic views, visit a spiritual retreat once used by the kings of Lan Xang, and meet Hmong and Khmu people who live lives governed by ancestral traditions. Finally, you can return to the city by boat, arriving in royal style on the mighty Mekong.

4,000 Islands by bike and boat

With 4,000 islands to explore, how do you know where to begin? This laid-back tour is about getting beyond the three main islands to explore some little gems that most people overlook.

Just as stunning as their larger siblings, these islands are totally untouched by tourism –inhabited only by local fishermen and their families. Cycling on dirt tracks and hopping from island to island by ferry, this is a chance to really dove into island life – into the bamboo basket-weaving workshops, the sleepy fishing villages, and the tiny wooden temples frequented only by locals. With a guide to help you communicate, this is our favorite way to get under the skin of the 4,000 Islands.

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.

Traveling 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 dove into the authentic life of the countryside in a breathtakingly beautiful part of Laos.

Ancient streets of Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang has seen numerous cultures come and go in its 1,500 years, but what makes it so special is the way it has fuzed those traditions together to create something completely new.

With a guide to point out the most interesting details, you’ll start to see them everywhere: plaited bamboo houses opposite elegant French-style balconies; Italian marble steps topped by three-headed elephants; traditional Lao motifs mingled with Beaux-Arts flourishes. This tour is all about understanding the complex web of historic influences that make Luang Prabang so dazzlingly unique.

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 civilization 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.