A two-hour drive from Chiang Rai brings you to Chiang Khong and the Lao border, where the Heritage Line team will meet you after immigration formalities before transferring you to Huay Xai Pier to board the Anouvong for a three-night voyage along the Upper Mekong.

The first afternoon on the river includes a stop at Ban Pak Sith, a Khmu ethnic minority village where local blacksmiths still forge tools by hand using traditional methods, and families farm rice and vegetables along the riverbank. Back on board, the evening includes a presentation on Laos’ history and royal dynasties followed by a screening of Chiang, a 1927 film shot in this region that offers a fascinating window into the jungle life of the era.

The day begins with an optional yoga session on the terrace deck. The first stop is Pakbeng, where a sustainable elephant sanctuary across the river is home to former logging elephants now living in a protected forest environment. You’ll spend time with the herd in their natural habitat before returning to the boat for lunch.

The afternoon includes an onboard cooking class with the ship’s chef, covering Lao and Thai classics, followed by a village visit to Ban Khok Aek, where Hmong, Lao Loum, and Khmu families live side by side. Representatives from each group share their traditions and daily routines, and back onboard, enjoy live music on the terrace deck and a screening of The Rocket (an acclaimed film set in rural Laos).

After an optional morning yoga session on deck before breakfast, set ashore to two neighboring villages where Lao Loum and Khmu communities have farmed and lived alongside each other for generations. In Ban Baw, local women keep the tradition of cotton and silk weaving alive on handlooms using techniques passed down over centuries. The village temple offers an invitation to join the resident monks for a private meditation session.

Head back onboard for lunch as the Anouvong continues downstream to Khok Luang, a Khmu village. Witness a Baci ceremony, which is a traditional Lao blessing ritual led by village elders that marks safe passage and good fortune.

The final morning on the Anouvong begins with a stop at the Pak Ou Caves, a sacred site set into the rocky cliffs above the Mekong where two grottoes shelter around 4,000 Buddha images left by pilgrims over centuries. After exploring the lower cave, you’ll have a choice of how to spend the afternoon: kayaking along the Nam Ou River, or visiting the nearby village of Ban Muang Keo, known for its silk weaving and traditional Lao whisky distillation.

A final lunch is served on deck as the boat makes its way to Luang Prabang, arriving in the late afternoon. Upon arrival, you’ll be transferred to your hotel and will have the evening at your leisure

The morning begins with a walking tour of Luang Prabang’s historic peninsula, starting at Wat Xieng Thong, a 16th-century temple considered the finest example of classic Luang Prabang architecture, followed by nearby Wat Sene and Wat Mai. The route continues through the town’s back alleys and quieter streets to the National Museum in the former Royal Palace, where relics from Laos’ royalist past are on display. Those with energy to spare can climb the 328 steps of Phousi Mountain for views over the town and the Mekong.

After lunch, you’ll head south to Kuang Si Waterfall, stopping first at the bear rescue center just inside the entrance, where Asiatic black bears rescued from illegal wildlife trade live in a forested enclosure supported by the Free the Bears Fund. The falls themselves cascade through a series of turquoise pools — bring a swimsuit if you’d like to take a dip — before the drive back to town.

Head out of town to Manda Lao Elephant Camp, beginning with a coffee and an introduction to elephant behavior before a short boat ride across the Nam Khan River to meet the herd. The morning continues on foot through traditional Lao gardens and alongside the jungle-covered Huay Nok stream, walking beside the elephants as they move through the forest and cross the water at their own pace. Lunch back at camp uses produce grown onsite before the transfer back to your hotel, arriving by early afternoon. The rest of the day is yours at leisure.

Your guide will take you to a local market to meet Mrs. Noy, your chef and teacher for the morning, before crossing the Mekong by boat to her family’s home in a riverside village. The cooking lesson takes place in a simple family kitchen, covering local specialties from market to table, with whiskey tasting and snack making along the way. Lunch is enjoyed in the village before the boat returns to Luang Prabang, with the afternoon free at leisure.

In the late afternoon, you’ll transfer to Ban Mano village for a private Baci ceremony hosted by a local family and led by the village chief. After, return to your hotel for a final evening in Luang Prabang at your leisure.

The day begins before sunrise in a village outside town for the morning almsgiving, away from the more visited spots in the city center. Long lines of barefoot monks wind through the streets collecting rice, and you’ll have the opportunity to participate by offering alms in the traditional way. Photography is welcome but should not interfere with the ritual. A visit to the morning market follows before returning to the hotel for breakfast.

Your guide will then transfer you to Luang Prabang Railway Station for the one-hour high-speed train to Vang Vieng. On arrival, a driver will meet you and take you to your hotel, with the rest of the day at leisure.

Your guide will take you north of town to the Nam Song River for a one-hour kayak along the river, which winds through dramatic limestone karst formations. The paddle ends at a Khmu village where you’ll meet a local knife smith who still forges blades using traditional techniques. Lunch follows at a family home.

The afternoon continues on foot through rice paddies on the opposite bank, passing farmers at work in the fields. A rest stop in a rice hut offers a taste of Lao Hai (local rice wine) and a chance to learn about the role of agriculture in Lao daily life before the walk back to the village and the drive to your hotel, arriving by late afternoon.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will take you by highway to Vientiane, stopping en route at Buddha Park, where a renegade monk created a sprawling collection of concrete statues drawing on Hindu, Buddhist, and Brahman iconography in equal measure.

In the capital, the afternoon covers Wat Sisaket, the only structure to survive the Siamese invasion of 1828; Ho Phra Kheo across the street, former home of the Emerald Buddha now kept in Bangkok; and Patuxai, the Lao Victory Monument on Lane Xang Avenue. That Luang Stupa, with its distinctive central lotus-bud spire and status as the most sacred monument in Laos, is also on the route.

The final stop is the COPE Visitor Centre, which documents the legacy of the Secret War. Between 1964 and 1973, over 270 million cluster munitions were dropped on Laos, with an estimated 80 million still undetonated today. From there, your driver will take you to your hotel for the evening.

Say goodbye to Laos and head to the airport to catch your departing flight.