You will start your journey in Luang Prabang, with its many temples and monasteries, and then travel to Champasak where you will see the Vat Phou festival. After the festival you will spend a few days in Vientiane, the capital of Laos and an old French colonial town. Along the way, the best sites have been chosen to maximize your photo opportunities at the best time of day.
The tour starts in Luang Prabang where you will explore the old town and nearby villages. On your first day, you will visit several old Vats (temples) and the Mekong riverfront. The next morning you will be up early to watch dozens of monks collecting alms. Later in the day you will visit an elephant camp to ride and photograph these majestic creatures up close. In the evening you will visit a nearby village that makes pottery to photograph daily life in a rural village. The next morning you will take a private boat to Pak Ou caves and in the afternoon visit a nearby weaving village for another look at how the people live. In the evening you will cross a bamboo bridge to a great location for sunset photography on the riverfront. On your last morning in Luang Prabang, you will have a second chance to photograph monks collecting alms and visit the morning market.
From Luang Prabang you will fly to Pakse in southern Laos and travel by van to Champasak, a village near the famous Vat Phou temple complex. You will have some free time on the first day there where you can relax at the hotel or perhaps photograph the boats and fishermen on the Mekong River. The next morning, you will visit several interesting villages with unique cultural traditions. Then in the afternoon you will travel to the Vat Phou grounds for the opening ceremonies of the Vat Phou Festival with its parades of traditionally dressed villagers, musicians and even elephants. The next day you will visit the Vat Phou temple complex to explore this pre-Khmer architectural wonder. In the evening you will take a boat to an island on the Mekong River where you will have an opportunity to photograph fishermen throwing cast nets in the setting sun. The next day you are going back to Vat Phou to photograph the ceremonial part of the festival. In the early morning, thousands of pilgrims line the paths of Vat Phou to offer special alms to hundreds of monks and nuns. It’s quite a sight to see. Then in the evening, they light the temple complex with candles, have candlelight processions and release candle powered lanterns into the sky. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to shoot photos at nighttime.
After a few days in Champasak, you will fly to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. You will visit That Luang in the evening to photograph the temple and surrounding monasteries. Early the next morning you will visit the morning fresh market where hundreds of people are selling and buying produce, meat and other food products. Later in the morning you will visit the three most important temples in town. In the afternoon, you will visit Buddha Park, an eclectic collection of Buddhist sculptures that are fun to photograph. Your farewell dinner will be held in a popular Vientiane restaurant with a folkloric show.
The following morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home or you can extend your trip with a photo tour to Vietnam w/Son Nguyen.
