Arrive at the international airport of Luang Prabang and meet your driver and guide outside the arrival hall. Transfer afterwards to town and have lunch at Luang Prabang Kitchen.
At 4pm visit Phou Si hill. The hill commands great views over the town, the Mekong and the Nam Khan rivers and the mountainous ranges that surround Luang Prabang. It takes a total of 328 steps to reach the top. Around sunset, the changing colors of the sky are particularly spectacular given the exotic backdrop of the river and mountains. Once you climbed all steps down again, visit the Hmong Night Market. It is held daily in the streets that surround the National Museum. Villagers come here to sell their handicrafts and it is a great market to get acquainted with Laos’ local handicrafts.
In the evening, visit the Garavek story telling program. This program has its aim is to promote and preserve the local traditional stories – myths, legends, and folktales. Starting their performances at 5PM daily, a selection of traditional Lao stories is presented in an intimate twenty‐five seat theatre. The stories are told in English, by a Lao storyteller, with the live musical accompaniment of the khene, which is a traditional Laotian musical instrument made out of bamboo. Learn about the origins, according to folklore, of local landmarks such as Mount Phou Si, the Mekong and the Nam Khan River, as well as learning the stories behind legendary Laotian characters such as Xieng Mieng, the archetypal trickster, and Fa Ngum, the first king of Lan Xang. After the performance, return to the hotel for a free evening.
Dinner at Dyen Sabai with “sinhdat” BBQ. Lao people love sharing experiences including dining ones. The concept of “sinh dat” (literally “seared meats”) is a variation of the renowned Japanese “Shabu Shabu”. It consists of grilling meat cuts on top of metallic dome that is placed above a clay pot with ardent ashes. All this is set in the middle of your table and everyone grills at his own pace. The dome is also recipient of a delicious broth that makes a soup with herbs, vegetables, eggs, and other condiments. Everything is dipped in a sweet red beans and soy pasta. That you can complement at discretion of lime juice, grated garlic and crushed fresh hot chili.
