Thailand & Southern Laos Adventure
the Emerald Triangle
15 days/ 14 nights
This adventure tour will take you through Eastern Thailand into the far south of Laos to discover the stunning '4,000 islands' region, where the Mekong River cascades into Cambodia over a series of spectacular falls. From here we'll continue eastwards over the Boloven Plateau to remote Attapeu Province to visit the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail and trek through the jungle to minority hill-tribe villages. Note: the Lao section of this itinerary ends in Pakse from where you have the choice of returning to Bangkok or flying to Phnom Penh to connect to our 8 day 'Cambodia Overland' trip.
Tour Highlights: Cambodia’s Preah Viharn Temple,Thailand’s Pha Taem National Park,Trek to Hilltribe Villages, Boat trip on the Sekong River,Laos Wat Phu, 4,000 islands, Ho Chi Minh Trail and Elephant Riding.
Day 1: Departure from your Point of Origin.
Day 2: Morning arrival in Bangkok, meet your tour-leader and transfer to a centrally located hotel. Afternoon to relax or explore the area.
Day 3: City tour with a difference - Central Bangkok by riverboat, skytrain, tuk-tuk and canal boat. Stop-offs to take in such sites as the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keow- Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In the evening we'll board the night sleeper train for Eastern Thailand.
Day 4: Exploration of the Emerald Triangle region beginning with the spectacular mountaintop Khmer ruins of Preah Viharn, lying just over the border in Cambodia. Returning to the Thai side we'll follow the border Eastwards to our day's destination - the small town of Khong Jiam on the banks of the Mekong, overlooking Laos.
Day 5: Head north up river by boat to visit the prehistoric rock paintings and unusual rock formations of Pha Taem National Park.
Day 6: Time to cross into Lao and travel south to the 'Four Thousand Islands' - a stretch of the Mekong River of outstanding natural beauty straddling the Lao/Cambodian border.
Day 7: Explore some of the islands by boat and on foot, visit S.E. Asia's largest waterfalls - the spectacular Khon Phapaeng Falls - and with luck catch a glimpse of some of the rare freshwater dolphins, which still inhabit this stretch of the river.
Day 8: Free day to relax on the islands or hike to discover some of the local scenery and villages.
Day 9: Travel north along the banks of the Mekong to the small town of Champassak, stopping off at Keitngong village for an elephant trek to some nearby Khmer ruins.
Day 10: Morning trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wat Phu - a pre-Angkor, Khmer temple dramatically situated on a mountain slope overlooking the valley of the Mekong. Afternoon to relax in our riverside guesthouse or check-out a local market.
Day 11: Across the Boloven Plateau to the Sekong River, where we'll travel by boat through limestone gorges to the remote town of Attapeu.
Day 12: This rarely visited region lies close to the Vietnamese and Cambodian borders and the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail will be one of the sights on a day tour of the area. Exact itinerary will depend on weather and road conditions.
Day 13: Day trek into the surrounding jungles to visit some of the minority 'montagnard' tribes who still inhabit the region.
Day 14: Retrun across the Boloven Plateau, home to numerous ethnic minorities and centre of Lao's coffee growing industry, to Pakse on the banks of the Mekong. Afternoon to explore this bustling riverport town.
Day 15:
Afternoon departure by road to Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand for an evening
return flight to Bangkok. Alternatively fly from Pakse to Phnom Penh to join
up with our 8 day Cambodia Overland trip.
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