What to do Luang Prabang?

Elephant Village Sanctuary
Close to the banks of the Nam Khan River, the Elephant Village Sanctuary (also known as the Elephant Park Project) works towards providing a peaceful future for rescued Lao elephants. Starting by saving the elephants from often brutal logging work, they are then given a home in the jungle where they can rest and recover. Some of the elephants at the sanctuary are disabled and are offered a chance of rehabilitation with an onsite fulltime vet to help those in need. Travel Indochina Laos
The village is located in a lush river valley which is on a long government lease so long as the sanctuary opens its doors for tourists to see the programme. Excursions are offered through Tiger Trail Outdoor Adventures and include elephant riding and a mahout experience with anything from a half-day to a two-day tour. Whatever trip you book will go towards ensuring the existence of this sanctuary benefiting both animals and the 40 staff employed from the local villages that would otherwise be most likely without work.
The Elephant Village Sanctuary offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get really up close and personal with these magnificent creatures. A one-day mahout tour includes basic mahout training in how to control an elephant, a one-hour elephant ride through the jungle and also a trip to the Tad Sae waterfall located close by. This experience can be extended into two days with the additional opportunity to bathe ‘your’ elephant in the Nam Khan River plus an evening ride to take the elephant to their jungle home. There is also a full day elephant excursion which includes trekking the ‘Train of Falls’ - the natural mountain stream that provides the water to the Tad Sae Waterfall. Laos travel packages

If you’re feeling more energetic you can also combine your trip with a bike ride where you cycle from a forest temple through villages to the sanctuary before stopping by the waterfall, or with three hours kayaking downstream following your elephant ride. All tour programmes include lunch and refreshments plus accommodation where applicable.
Elephant Village Sanctuary
Location: The Elephant Village Sanctuary is situated in the village of Xieng Lom 15km southeast of Luang Prabang close to the Nam Khan River.
Remarks: Proceeds from your visit will help support the elephants (with nine rescued from logging work and given a new home at the park so far). The sanctuary is private with no support from any other organisations so it really does depend on the help of visitors to continue in operation and offer a similar happy future for more elephants.
The Living land Company near Luang Prabang
The Living Land Company is a community-run organic farm supplying fresh vegetables, herbs, salads and rice to hotels and restaurants in Luang Prabang. Visitors can take a trip to the farm and try their hand at being a farmer with an opportunity to grow rice and enjoy a beautiful Lao-style house overlooking rice terraces and the organic vegetable fields. The farm aims to offer an alternative to the current slash-and-burn farming methods which result in unusable land following harvest.
Being organic there are no chemicals used and the Living Land Company follows a strict policy of composting and crop rotation to ensure the continued use of the land which ensures it remains fertile. Struggling local families are invited to work on the farm where there are also student scholarships in place. The families benefit hugely from the income in an area that provides very little in the way of work, and the eating establishments in Luang Prabang reap the rewards of superior tasting fresh chemical free produce for their guests.
The whole family can enjoy time spent at The Living Land Company trying their hand at traditional Lao rice farming methods. You’ll be taught about ancient rice harvesting and planting methods and also all about threshing and winnowing rice. Alternatively you can combine time at the farm with a cooking lesson given by a hotel’s head chef creating clay-pot soup, curry paste and sticky rice steamed in a huat kao basket. The class takes place in a picturesque open-air wooden pavilion in the middle of the vegetable fields with grazing buffalo and rolling hills close by.
Wine is also included in the lunch which starts with a tour of the farm. The Living Land Company organic farm stretches over two hectares cultivating all manner of herbs and vegetables including beetroot, mint and mustard with an additional eight hectares of rice paddies. There are future plans currently underway to add a flower and a fish farm to the company.

Travel to Centre Vietnam

The Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 is located in Quang Binh province’s Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, about 500km south of Hanoi. This 200,000 hectare park houses the most spectacular caves and underground water resources that leave people flabbergasted with their scale and remarkable beauty. Indochina travel Vietnam

The main cave that visitors are allowed to discover is only one of more than 300 caves expanding over 800 km. The Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park boats many world records, including the longest water caves, the highest and widest cave opening, the widest and most beautiful sand and stone beach, the most beautiful underground lake and the longest underground river.
The latest discovery was Paradise Cave that has a length of more than 36 km. Although the Paradise Cave has only been partially opened for tourism, its miraculous stalactites, underground rivers and cultural inscriptions of the old kingdom of Champa are more than enough to leave visitors stunned and charmed. Centre Vietnam travel packages


Imperial Hue
The Nguyen dynasty ruled from Hue for 143 years, leaving behind a substantial imperial city as well as a revered collection of tombs which dot the countryside along the fabled Perfume River. In contrast to the brief reign of the Nguyens, the Champa kingdom ruled most of central Vietnam from the seventh to the 15th century. Its most celebrated ancient red-brick temple-towers are found at My Son, but there are several other Champa sites scattered across the entire central coast. These ancient structures stand as silent testimony to the kingdom that flourished here before its absorption by the Vietnamese descending from the north.
Danang, Quang Ngai and Qui Nhon
Outside Hue, the narrow, central coastal provinces of Quang Tri and Dong Ha, positioned directly south of the DMZ, suffered immeasurably during the Vietnam War. The cities of Danang, Quang Ngai and Qui Nhon all had strong American presence throughout the war, but each now offers a chance to soak up the quiet local ambience of Vietnamese life. All three cities are in proximity to spectacular white-sand beaches backed by tall, jagged mountains. Danang is the central commercial hub of the country and boasts all of the modern conveniences of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in addition to a fine museum on the Cham civilisation.
Hoi An
The 15th-century town of Hoi An was once the biggest ­seaport and most important centre of trade in the country, when it was known to Europeans as Faifo. Its beautifully preserved assembly halls, merchant shops and family homes reflect the influence of the Chinese, Japanese and Westerners who settled in the region. Today, numerous tailor shops, cafés and restaurants jostle for space with an assortment of older buildings.