Mekong River, Laos: Our most recommended tours and activities

Luang Prabang: Cruise to Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls

1. Luang Prabang: Cruise to Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls

Enjoy a private or shared group boat tour to the Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Waterfalls departing from Luang Prabang. You will be picked up at your accommodation and travel straight to the pier. Hop onboard a long tail boat for a relaxing journey aong the Mekong River. Enjoy the views from the water as you pass by local villages and fishing communities. After the first hour and a bit, the boat makes its first short stop at the popular Ban Xang Hai, also known as ‘the whiskey village’. Explore the village, see the process of making Lao Lao, the country’s beloved rice whiskey, and taste the finished product. Continue by boat traveling slowly along the Mekong in the direction of the glorious Pak Ou Caves. Arrive at a small boat landing dock where stairs lead you straight up to the cave. These limestone Buddhist caves have been a place of worship for thousands of years, over this time a collection of Buddha statues and idols have filled these spiritual natural caves Enter the Ou River to visit the limestone cliffs. Then, after a 30-minute boat ride down the Mekong River, arrive at Manifa Elephant Camp for lunch. Enjoy a full buffet-style lunch at the restaurant overlooking the Mekong river and free-roaming elephants. After lunch break, travel by car to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. Enjoy 2 hours of free time to explore the three-layered Kuang Si Waterfalls. Walk the trails of the nature reserve and swim in the refreshing turquoise water pools and visit the bear rescue center. Depart for Luang Prabang, with a short stop at Ban Na Uan Hmong village on the way. Return to the city with drop-off at your hotel.

Luang Prabang: Kayak Tour to Pak Ou Caves

2. Luang Prabang: Kayak Tour to Pak Ou Caves

Discover Laos' varied and scenic landscapes on this guided tour. After getting picked up from your hotel in Luang Prabang, head north to the Nam Ou Riverside where you will begin your kayak tour. This is an easy river for kayaking where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the tranquil countryside and see naturally-formed limestone cliffs.  Kayak your way towards Pak Ou, where you will visit the famous Pak Ou Caves – 2 linked caves crammed with thousands of gold-lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes left by devoted pilgrims. Enjoy a guided tour of the caves before starting the second section of your kayak on the Mekong River. Paddle down the Mekong for 30 minutes to reach your lunch destination. Sit down to a delicious buffet lunch as you admire breathtaking views of the Mekong. After lunch, continue to the Kuang Si Falls and enjoy some free time to explore these unique 3-layered falls. You could go for a walk through the trails of the surrounding nature trails, take a dip in the refreshing turquoise water pools or pay a visit to the bear rescue center. Finally, begin the journey back to Luang Prabang. Stop at Ban Na Uan hmong village and get the chance to experience Hmong village life, meet some of the local people and see their traditional embroidery crafts. Get dropped off back at your hotel at the end of the day.

Luang Prabang: Mekong Sunset Cruise and Hot Pot Dinner

3. Luang Prabang: Mekong Sunset Cruise and Hot Pot Dinner

Enjoy the best views of Luang Prabang at sunset on a private cruise on the Mekong River. Experience a traditional tuk-tuk ride, sail along the Mekong, and enjoy a delicious hot pot dinner. After getting picked up from your hotel by tuk-tuk, head to the boat jetty behind the Royal Palace and set sail for a 2-hour cruise along the Mekong River. Listen to your local guide explain the history of the Mekong and its residents as you sail. Drinks and snacks are available to purchase. The cruise is timed to catch the sunset, so you can relax on the boat terrace and take in views of the sun setting behind Luang Prabang and Chompet. You can also have your photo taken by the guide. After dusk, return to land and hop back on the tuk-tuk for a quick drive to your dinner venue, Sin Dat Hot Pot and Barbecue Restaurant. Have fun cooking your own meal for dinner as the locals do before getting dropped off back at your hotel in the evening.

Luang Prabang: UNESCO World Heritage City Highlights Tour

4. Luang Prabang: UNESCO World Heritage City Highlights Tour

Explore Luang Prabang with a knowledgable local guide. Visit various highlights to discover why Luang Prabang is considered one of the most facinating place in Asia. This tour has four options, consisting of a common morning city tour and three different afternoon itineraries. All can be a shared or private tour. You can also add early morning alms and morning market tour (in shopping cart before checkout). (1) Morning city tour (not including lunch) (2) Full day city tour, Morning city tour + Afternoon tour: Paper village, UXO Center, Wat Visoun, Wat Mai (not including lunch) (3) Morning city tour, afternoon Kuang Si Waterfalls, Hmong village (not including lunch) (4) Morning city tour, afternoon Pak Ou Caves, Whiskey village, Mekong Sunset Cruise (including lunch) Begin the tour early in the morning with a hotel pickup. Choose the addon for an opportunity to witness the centuries-old daily tradition of the almsgiving ceremony with locals. Afterward, we visit the morning market and return to your hotel for breakfast. After breakfast in your hotel, make your way to a small park on the peninsula tip. Get a brief introduction to Luang Prabang, standing where the Nam Khan River meets the Mekong River. From there, walk to Wat Xieng Thong, the most revered temple in Laos. Learn about the typical architecture of Luang Prabang temples with their characteristic low sweeping roofs. Join local pilgrims for a glimpse into the daily Buddhist beliefs of the people. Then, go temple hopping in the neighborhood. Continue to the Royal Palace to see a collection of historical items. Every item tells a story, so listen as your guide tells you about Lao history and royals. Admire a mix of traditional Lao motifs and French Beaux-Arts architecture. The morning tour ends with everyone climbing Mount Phousi and enjoying panoramic views of Luang Prabang from the top. If you would like the tour to continue for one day with us, we offer 3 options; (2) After free time for lunch in the city, visit the paper village of Ban Xang Khong on the Mekong River. Learn about the history of war at the UXO Lao Visitor Center, visit Wat Wisunarat, the oldest temple, as well as Wat Mai, the largest temple in Luang Prabang (3) After free time for lunch in the city, visit Kuang Si Waterfalls. 2.5 hours of free time. Visit a Hmong village on the way back to Luang Prabang. (4) Head to Manifa Elephant Camp for lunch. Then we took a boat to Pak Ou Caves. Explore the caves and tour the surrounding landscape from a boat. A sunset cruise on the Mekong River about 20km to Luang Prabang after a stop at a Whiskey village

Luang Prabang: Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Falls Day Trip

5. Luang Prabang: Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Falls Day Trip

Visit the Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Waterfall on a full-day tour, with a scenic drive up and down the length of the Mekong River. Start with early morning pickup and relax on the 40-minute drive to Pak Ou Village. Admire locally-produced crafts, before crossing the mighty Mekong River in a small boat to the base of a limestone cliff. Enter the impressive Pak Ou Caves, filled with Buddhist statues and relics. Take your time to explore this incredible place, scented with burning incense and overlooking the impressive landscape. Climb a winding set of stairs, grab a flashlight, and find another fascinating cave to visit. After enjoying the caves, stop for lunch at the base of the caves. Cross back over the water and drive downriver for 1.5 hours, to reach the famous Kuang Si Waterfall. Stop at the popular Whiskey Village along the way, to sample local Lao Lao. Admire the rushing turquoise waters of the falls, surrounded by beautiful jungle scenery. Visit the bear sanctuary while there. We drop you back in Luang Prabang where your tour ends.

Luang Prabang: Pottery Workshop & Wat Chomphet cycling Tour

6. Luang Prabang: Pottery Workshop & Wat Chomphet cycling Tour

Be met by your guide at the hotel lobby at 8:30 am, for the short transfer to the bike shop. Begin your short cycling to the Mekong River where you will board the local car ferry to cross the river to the quiet district of Chomphet. Over there you will not see many, if any, other tourists and very little traffic. Enjoy a day discovering local village life and visiting the pottery village that used to make pottery for the Royal Family. Disembark the ferry, stop en route to visit the old temple Wat Chomphet to see the view of Luang Prabang in the opposite side the Mekong. Then cycle the south-west direction of Luang Prabang towards Ban Chan, the pottery village where you will participate in the hands-on pottery-making class. Upon arrival you will be shown around the village to learn more about village life and the technique of pottery making that passed by for many generations, lunch will be served at the local house(Optional). Take your bike and cycle back to Luang Prabang, you will be transferred back to your hotel at the end of the tour.

Other Sightseeing Options in Mekong River, Laos

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What people are saying about Mekong River, Laos

Overall rating

4.4 / 5

based on 36 reviews

Thanks for the nice tour. Everything worked well, good organization and all employees were very friendly, courteous and helpful. Thanks for the cozy and lovely day, would definitely do it again for the price! Please remember tips, they really try! Start at the hotel with a new minibus. Comfortable boat tour including coffee, tea or water. Boat in fair condition and toilets were well maintained. Our tour guide Worn was very accommodating and answered as many questions as possible. Buddha Caves were visited. Very tasty food on the elephant Manifa Farm (try the pumpkin soup) followed by feeding the free-roaming elephants, no sticks, no chains... all very natural, elephants let themselves be stroked against banana bribery, ;) Visiting two villages Was a waterfall visit gg. afternoon, so very empty, but already cooler return journey with a new minibus with air conditioning.

Two hour boat cruise on Mekong See a lot of great scenery with refreshments Lower cave was cool Climbed to upper cave , not worth the effort Arrived very scenic area for lunch Lunch was very good Then came the elephant Feeding her bananas was awesome Into car to travel to waterfall There are four layers of the fall Don’t leave at stage two thinking u have seen it all Absolutely beautiful Bears were an extra treat, watching them play Then only 35 mins back to LP. Great day and value for money. Oh and pit stop to try local whiskey and chance to buy it from village.

Mr. Pong was a lovely tour guide, who tried everything to make you feel comfortable. The tour was really nice, especially the waterfall and watching the sunset from the boot. Be aware that the roads are really bad.

Waterfall and boat trip are excellent, be prepared for a long minibus journey

Great trip. Lots of things to see. Highly recommended.