9 independent reviews for Laos vacation, Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars
Reviews for Laos vacation, Luang Prabang and the Plain of Jars
Jacky Ridewood review 26 Feb 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Visiting the Plain of Jars was a moving experience.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Pack comfortable shoes as the walking bits require them.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes local people were employed in the hotels. Local enterprises were visited.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A nice experience.susan corb review 31 Jan 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Plain of Jars; boat trip though Konglor cave; the cave temple. The excellent tour guides.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Travel light - you can wash your clothes easily. Bottled water plentiful - don't drink tap water.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
No. We visited numerous villages where we were told not to encourage begging.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
8 out of 10. Would have been higher but some of the breakfasts were very minimal (2 boiled eggs on a saucer!!) and several meals not included which left us to guess which restaurants / cafes were good / bad. The only time we were ill when we were left to our own devices. The restaurants chosen by the guides were excellent.Angela Fairbank review 1 Jan 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
All the photo opportunities!2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Bring a good camera!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local guides and drivers were used but we had a lot of bottled water and far too much food was ordered so that it went to waste.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Good but more meals could have been included and some of the hotels could have been better.Read the operator's response here:
We are so pleased you had such a positive experience in Laos and hope you enjoy organising all those photos.
It looks like we need to do some retraining of our guides, as I think they take many the positive impacts for granted after a number of years and don't always communicate these to those who travel with us - we use local transport, smaller privately run hotels and guest houses where possible, encourage shopping with local community groups and local markets and our small group sizes enable us to eat in smaller locally run restaurants. Equally we do need the guides need to stress that because we go off the beaten track sometimes choices of hotels and restaurants are limited but we do try and use the best available.
We share your concern about plastic bottles and do encourage the use of refillable bottles but in more remote places, and since drinking tap water is not an option, it is an uphill struggle but it is a hill we are struggling to surmount. Regrettably we also find some people are reluctant to refill out of a larger shared bottle are more comfortable using a small sealed water bottle each time.
We do hope to see you again in the future.
Aaron Everitt review 22 May 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Just exploring Laos - every new location had great new discoveries.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
I had an extra day in Vientiane, which I recommend as there’s a lot to see and absorb.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely - local restaurants, local guides etc - all really felt beneficial and not traveling in a tourist bubble.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fully recommended. I’ve travelled a lot and Laos stands out as a very different and unique country in SE Asia.Ian Bryant review 11 Jun 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Luang Prabang is a wonderful place with lots to see and do. The trip up the Mekong was fascinating and very relaxing. The trip to see how prosthetic limbs are transforming the lives of people wounded by unexploded ordinance will leave a a profound and lasting memory for all three of us.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Take time to visit an elephant sanctuary.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, clearly Laos has been badly impacted by the COVID shutdowns. (60% of businesses on the main street in Luang Prabang have permanently closed due to an absence of customers over almost 2.5 years.) Local people working in the monuments and hotels were relieved and happy to see the return of foreign tourists.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
An amazing and humbling experience. Great people handling adversity with a positive outlook. (Think unexploded ordinance and tough times due to COVID restrictions.) Both our tor guides have been doing odd jobs to feed their families the past two years. Both were excellent guides and great people. Our hotels were clean and well appointed. Very happy with the vacation.Cathy Adams review 18 Nov 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
I loved Luang Prabang - the itinerary could have given more time here. I dropped out of a planned excursion so I could spend more time.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Go straight to Luang Prabang. I don't understand why the trip doesn't start there as there is time in Vientiane at the end. The itinerary makes a feature of the train journey but that meant a very early start after a long flight which was tiring.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. I liked the use of local guides and restaurants4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Three. I enjoyed the trip and it was generally well organised. It may be that there are constraints due to flight schedules but I felt that it would have been far better to have had more time in Luang Prabang. We also spent most of one day on an a bus journey from Luang Prabnag to Ponsevhan (?sp) across the mountains. The scenery was beautiful but the road was terrible and the journey not very comfortable a a result. And it was 8 hours in a bus with only a couple of stops. on a longer trip that wouldn't have mattered too much. but that is a big chunk of time when the trip is only a week.Read the operator's response here:
Thank you to Cathy for her comments and so pleased that enjoyed many aspects of the tour and in particular Luang Prabang. Just a comment that there are indeed a number of reasons we start the tour in Vientiane - post pandemic, the airport at the capital opened much sooner than Luang Prabang Airport and we therefore changed our original starting place and added a day to the length of the tour. Vientiane remains a much less expensive place to fly to with
many more, and better connections to Intercontinental flights. In addition, the train journey from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is relatively new and many customers do enjoy it. We'd be happy to discuss starting in Luang Prabang to anyone who feels, like Cathy, that it would improve their trip. In terms of getting to Phonsavan, we agree, it is a lengthy road journey, albeit through beautiful scenery, but the only alternative is to fly and as we fly from there back
south, we didn't feel we wanted to add another flight. Roads have deteriorated in parts of Laos during the last couple of years and we are reviewing the itineraries, but can't currently see a better way to get to the Plain of Jars.
Susan Gatis review 18 Feb 2020
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Luang Prabang, such a relaxing place to visit.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The journey from Luang Prabang to the Plain of Jars is fascinating and scenic but not for anyone who suffers from motion sickness!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I think so , certainly our guides and hotels were all locally owned.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A wonderful vacation. Luang Prabang was relaxing ,the activities offered allowed free time when you could do as little or as much as you wanted. We had an extra day here and this gave us an opportunity to explore on our own The Botanical gardens are worth a visit. The Plain of Jars was more remote and interesting. Lots of sightseeing in Vientiane but despite being the capital city was not too busySheryl Padjen review 23 Feb 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The Plain of Jars was fascinating and beautiful - it was one of the main reasons that I wanted to go to Laos. Too many tour companies to this country don't include it. It is difficult to get to, but well worth it. It was also such a pleasure to have breakfast each morning in Luang Prabang sitting outside overlooking the Mekong. I think it was extremely beneficial and informative to include the visits to the organization that helps in locating and removing the unexploded ordnances still left in the country, and to the COPE center, which helps victims from such.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The itinerary didn't always go exactly as stated, and transfers were an issue when having to book flights on your own. There were also members coming and going at different times, which affected the cohesiveness of the group.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We stayed in locally owned and operated hotels, used restaurants owned and operated by the local people, and used only local guides, so yes, it definitely benefited the local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Overall this trip was very good and went well.Jan Hoole review 25 Sep 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
All of it !!! Amazing place. Think though that the LUANG PRABANG part was really special. The last 3days in city was ok but we missed being in LUANG PRABANG. So peaceful and beautiful.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Maybe to travel light. I took clothes that I never wore. Far too many.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes and they were really beautiful people who wanted to help and did help us. Supported conservation. I would hate for LUANG PRABANG to be spoilt by tourism.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Cannot say how much we enjoyed the vacation .... We were looked after all the way. Flights and shuttles/ guides/mini bus driver etc were all so stress free and well organised. Well done to all your team who have been amazing and really made our vacation one to remember for a very long time. A VERY BIG THANK YOU FROM TRICIA AND MYSELF.Holiday Reviews
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