Arrive in Luang Prabang, meet your guide, and drive to the hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang

After breakfast we’ll travel by car to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls (we recommend visiting the waterfall in the morning before it gets crowded), stopping on the way to visit Hmong and Khamu villages. Hmong and Khamu villages have different structures and ways of life; here, we can learn about their traditions and the differences between Lao, Khamu and Hmong cultures. With the multi-tiered waterfall, which takes on a striking turquoise color in the dry season, we’ll travel back to town. Then ride to Wat Visounalat, known as "the Watermelon Stupa," as well as the ornate Wat Mai, and Wat Xieng Thong, an exquisite 400-year-old royal monastery complex, National Museum. End your tour of the town by climbing Phousi Hill with its derelict anti-aircraft gun and revered shrine. From the top, enjoy wonderful views of the Mekong and the mountains beyond. This evening, reconvene with your guide and be treated to the refined grace of a private Baci ceremony at the village. These gentle villagers, led by their Nai Ban (village chief), offer visitors tidings of good luck and fortune for their life and travel by gently tying cotton cords symbolizing luck, friendship, and good health around your wrists. The Baci ceremony will be held at a private family home and will take from 30 minutes up to one hour. Overnight in Luang Prabang

This morning after breakfast, reconvene with your guide and head into the countryside for a visit to the Mandalao Elephant Sanctuary where you'll spend the day with one of Southeast Asia's most beautiful and endangered creatures, the Asian elephant. No riding is allowed, but you'll experience firsthand all that is required to both take care of these amazing animals and protect their habitat. You and your elephant companions will continue walking past a lovely stretch of rice fields and enter a patch of forest where you can rest, relax, and eat. Lunch will be served in traditional Lao fashion, eating on bamboo mats on the forest floor. Tad Kuang Song Waterfall, which was named after a Golden Deer spirit seen standing on its crest many centuries ago. If you like, you can take a cool dip, and stand under the soft showers of the waterfall. You will sit, watch, and learn as the MandaLao mahout's show how they communicate and listen to their elephants. This will highlight the special skills each elephant has and give you deeper insight into their individual personalities. After this, you can take what you have learned from the mahouts and guides throughout the day and spend quiet, uninterrupted time with the elephants—reading their emotions just as they read yours. You will experience first-hand why humans and elephants have shared such an unwavering bond for thousands of years. Along with the mahouts, you will bring your elephants to their nighttime feeding grounds. Take time for a long goodbye and in knowing that the connection you have built is not only felt by you but by your new friend as well. Late this afternoon around 16:00 (4:00 PM), you will transfer back into town and your hotel with the evening at your leisure. Overnight in Luang Prabang

Following breakfast, at 08:30 AM meet your guide and driver and depart on a journey north into the heart of Laos to Udom Xai (Muang Xai) where you will spend three nights in a charming eco-resort while you explore the surrounding countryside and ethnic minority villages. You will pass several villages of the Hmong minority. These villages are located on mountain ridges with spectacular views. Your guide will tell you about the turbulent history of these rugged mountain people. You will stop and have lunch along the way at a local restaurant. This is a long but interesting drive and there will be opportunities to stop along the way. Arriving in Muang La this afternoon check into your charming, boutique lodge with the afternoon at your leisure or explore the town on your own or with your guide. Rivers, mountains, and forests both fashion and color the landscapes of Laos. Nestled in these wonderful panoramas, the small villages of the many ethnic groups contrast with the towns and their richly gilded temples and traditional pagodas. It is within this enchanted setting of forests and rice paddy that you will spend the night. Built with the help of local craftsmen and using only traditional techniques, the resort borders the small village of Muang La. Overnight at the Muang La.

Following breakfast at the lodge, at 07:30 AM you will set off on another full-day adventure as you visit villages of the Ikho (Akha), Hmong, and Khamu people—three of the many ethnic groups in Laos. Your route climbs to 1,000m above sea level and offers some magnificent views of the stunning mountain scenery. Your first visit is a completely isolated Ikho village; this ethnic group originates from Tibet and Yunnan Province in China. You learn about the daily life of the village and how the villagers still follow customs passed down through the centuries. You take your picnic lunch enjoying the amazing surroundings. After lunch, a short walk takes you to an abandoned Hmong village with a stunning 360° panorama. You continue on to visit a Hmong village—this ethnic group originates from the high steppes of Tibet and you will learn about their way of life, the importance of their livestock (pigs, buffaloes…..), and the care that they give to their animals. Return to the lodge later this afternoon where you might want to enjoy the lodge's hot springs and a lovely little spa. Overnight at the Muang La

After your final breakfast at Muang La Lodge, depart the resort on a two-hour drive to the village of Muang Khua on a road that ultimately leads to the Vietnamese border and to Dien Bien Phu. At Muang Khua, you will board your privately chartered riverboat for the five-hour cruise down the Nam Ou River to the town of Nong Khiow. The boat is covered with comfortable seats. The cruise will take you through some of the most spectacular river scenery in Northern Laos. Enjoy a picnic lunch on a secluded beach. Due to the construction of a new dam halfway down the Nam Ou, you will transfer the short distance by local truck and reboard an identical boat on the other side of the dam construction which just adds to the sense of adventure. The cruise will end this afternoon in the town of Nong Khiaw, where you will stay overnight. Overnight in Nong Khiaw

The drive from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang will follow the Nam Ou river and then take you up and over the mountains. Along the way, we will visit the village of Ban Na Nyang, which is famous for its traditional cotton weaving. Almost every household has its own weaving loom where the families create beautiful scarves, table cloths, and ornate wall hangings. The art of cotton weaving in Ban Nayang has been passed from generation to generation for almost 300 years. The local population of Ban Nayang belongs to the Tai Lue (Lü) Ethnic Group who migrated to this area from Yunnan Province during the 18th century. In Yunnan the Tai Lue are officially part of the Dai Ethinc Group. After the visit in the village we will continue on the road to Pak Ou Village. Ban Pak Ou. Walk the main street, visit the small temple, and have lunch in one of the restaurants next to the river. Walk down to the river and take a boat to visit the Pak Ou caves. After that, take a boat on the Mekong river to go to Luang Prabang city (not by road), stopping on the way in Ban Xanghai to see and taste lao lao (local rice whisky) production. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in Luang Prabang

After breakfast, relax at your hotel or explore the city on your own, until the appropriate time for transfer to the airport for your departure.