Southern Laos

Day 1: Ubon Ratchatani - Khong Jiam

Start point of the tour is Ubon Ratchatani and you can travel there by plane or train from Bangkok. We will have two transfers to our hotel on the banks of the Mekong River. If you arrive early you’ll have time to unwind poolside before we have our trip briefing and dinner.

Day 2: Khong Jiam - Wat Phu - Don Daeng

It’s a short transfer to the Laos border at Chongmek and once visa formalities have been completed we drive about 1 hour more to the start of our ride. We'll start cycling on a flat tarmac road, passing through the former colonial town of Champasak which stretches along the Mekong River. We ride 8 km to Wat Phu, a Khmer Hindu temple complex dating back to the 5 th Century. Here we'll have a picnic lunch and have time to explore this fascinating place before we ride back to Champasak and board the ferry that will take us to our eco-friendly hotel on Don Daeng Island. You’ll have time to enjoy the pool, go for a walk on the beach or just relax. In the late afternoon you can join in an optional 14 km ride around the island and be back in time for sundowners.

Day 3: Champasak– Don Khong

We start the day with a ferry ride to the other side of the river and ride to the village of Ban Niet Ngong. Once we reach the village we can opt to ride or walk up to see Phu Asa, a curious site of stone towers. We have lunch here and then ride back down to the main junction before we load up the vans for a transfer to Ban Nakasan. Here we cross back over to the Mekong to one of the biggest of the islands in this mighty river, Don Khong. Arriving in the late afternoon will give you time to walk along the river and watch as the locals make full use of the river.

Day 4: Don Khong – Don Khone

Today we island hop! We’ll have an early start and ride around Don Khong and along the banks of the river to the ferry, stopping along the way to see locals making palm sugar. When we reach the ferry it's only 200m to the island of Don Som, one of the longest islands in the Mekong that stretches about 12 km to where it meets the tip of Don Det. It's another quick ferry ride to Don Det and we cycle along a dirt path to the old French Railway bridge and cross over to Don Khone where we'll ride straight to boats for a leisurely cruise in search of the nearly extinct Irrawaddy dolphins. We then ride the 4 km to our riverside hotel. A varied ride over four islands on narrow dirt tracks means there’ll be no vehicle support, but we will still stop for water and snack breaks.

Day 5: Don Khone – Bolaven Plateau

After breakfast we ride the short distance to Leepi Falls and see the Mekong River channeled briefly. Then it's back to the ferry to cross the river. It's a short 12 km ride to Khan Phapeng waterfalls. This natural phenomenon splits the Mekong and is referred to as above and below the falls. After you've taken your photos we'll transfer for about 2 hours to begin our journey into the coffee growing area of Laos: the Bolaven Plateau. Just past Pakse we start to climb up into the temperate coffee growing area renowned for its Arabica and Robusta beans. These beans fetch some of the highest coffee prices in the world. The road undulates, but overall we are climbing and though it is gentle the heat can make it challenging. We will take a break at a tea plantation bucking the trend of all the surrounding coffee plantations. We finish riding early afternoon and our resort is convienently located at the base of a waterfall that is perfect to jump into to cool down.

Day 6: Bolaven Plateau – Tad Lo

We’ll start the day with visits to two waterfalls. A short 3 km ride will take us to the very impressive 200 m Tad Fane Falls. Then it’s just 4 km more to cycle to Tad Huang waterfalls and take a short walk down to see them. Then it’s back on the road for a stop with Mr. Coffee. Enjoy a taste of freshly brewed coffee and learn how an entrepreneur is exporting Laos beans worldwide. We’ll ride on to Tha Teng on a quiet road, passing villages and lots of cheering children. After lunch we’ll hit a very quiet road, watch out here for piglets crossing, and stop at Kuti village to se how they roast coffee and why there are empty coffins under the houses. Then it’s an easy downhill and from the junction it’s only 5 km to Tad Lo waterfalls and our riverside overnight. Take a dip in the waterfalls before we have an alfresco dinning experience overlooking the falls to round off a great day

Day 7: Rest Day

Today we are free to enjoy this wonderful area and hotel. Wake up early to watch elephants making their way into the waterfalls for their morning bath, go on a short walk to visit a tribal village or sunbathe and swim at the falls. For those who want to cycle we’ll go on a late afternoon off road ride.

Day 8: Tad Lo – Ubon Ratchatani

As we leave the Bolaven Plateau behind we ride on an undulating road that has a few surprises – some lengthy but gradual climbs, one is 5 km, another 14km. We’ll ride 52 km to Tad Pha Suam where we can see different styles of traditional Laotian homes and another amazing waterfall. We’ll then transfer an hour to the Pakse Hotel for a shower and lunch. Then we drive back to the border and cross into Thailand for a 16:00 arrival in Ubon Ratchatani in time to catch early evening flights or trains.