What's included?

• 7 nights accommodation in listed hotels or equivalent

• All transfers mentioned in the program

• All entrance fees & English speaking guide

• All listed meals

Not included

Your international flights, visa, personal expenses and tipping

Hotels & Meals

In Laos sticky rice (khao niao) is very popular. Laotians have traditionally eat with their (right) hand (s). If there is cutlery on the table, it is usually limited to a spoon and a fork. Slide the food with your fork onto your spoon and put the spoon in your mouth (never the fork). Chop sticks are used for eating feu or any other noodle soup. There is no fixed order in serving dishes.

Laap: finely chopped mince meat or fish spiced up with herbs such as coriander and mint.
Tarn rnaak hoeng: Unripe papaya salad with peanuts, garlic, tomatoes and red pepers mixed in.
Khao nio ping: grilled sticky rice.
Ping pa: grilled fish stuffed with lemon grass, garlic, onion and salt.
Cheo pa duk: is a dip sauce made from fish fillet, finely ground eggplant and a mixture of garlic, peppers, shallots and shrimp pasta.
Khao Phoen: is a coconut-fried rice vermicelli (served cold) with a variety of raw vegetables bathing in coconut milk and flavored with buffalo meat, red peppers and unripe papaya.
Feu: is a noodle soup available throughout Laos and is often eaten as breakfast or lunch.

Drinks: coffee and tea (often Nescafé) is available almost everywhere, as well as soft drinks and fresh fruit juices. The syrup-like Laotian coffee is self-made and tastes nice. Try the famous Laotian ice coffee! Delicious !

Travel Documents

• All Belgian nationals travelling on a Belgian passport (children and babies included) must be in possession of an international e-passport (electronic), containing min. 2 blank pages, valid for at least 6 month at the date of your arrival. Laos requires a visa, which you can obtain at the border (30 USD - update 22OCT2018) or at arrival at Pakse, Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Make sure you carry one passport photo in colour.

• Travelers with a non-Belgian nationality and/or travelers travelling on a foreign passport are invited to spontaneously report this matter to the Connections travel consultant and shall contact their respective embassy (s) or Consulate (ate) to obtain the latest updates concerning all current travel requirements and documents.

Insurances

Have a safe and carefree trip: travel fully insured with our Protections travel insurance! Our Protections insurance policies offer various formulas in order to offer you the widest possible cover (with even a fly-on-time, natural catastrophes and epidemics) for both single journeys or for the entire year. We guarantee you the best protection at the best price.

Tailored travel

The tours in our brochures are just a few examples of travel itineraries possible. Our trips can be tailored to suit your specific needs. If you want to book a specific destination or combine it with a mini-tour then we will gladly make you a tailor-made offer. For a personalised day-by-day program please contact our destination experts.

Would you like to travel in a group; with your entire family, friends or colleagues? (min. 10 people required). Put our know-how to the test and send us your details and wishes. We will gladly turn the blueprints of your trip into a detailed quote and a lasting memory for you to cherish. Contact our Connections’ Group Service by e-mail at groups@connections.be or by telephone on +32 (0)2 550 01 65. We would love to hear from you.

Health

No mandatory vaccinations required. To verify the latest updates on health requirements, please surf to https://www.itg.be

Time zones

+5 h (summer); +6 h (winter)

Payments methods

There are no coins in circulation. Credit cards are mainly accepted in top hotels and restaurants in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. In these cities you can also pin. The north and the Laos' countryside have hardly any if any ATMS. It is good to carry cash euros, and even better US dollars or Thai baht. Dollar bills must be new and non-creased. The latest series (old dollar bills, or folded / crooked bills cannot be exchanged). You get better exchange rates for 50 and 100 dollar bills. Smaller dollar bills are useful for souvenirs.

Tipping:
In modest restaurants a tip is not common. You do give a tip to the bell man and room personnel at hotels. Local guides and drivers appreciate a tip too.

Climate

The Laos rainy season lasts from May to October with occasional heavy showers. The countryside is very green then and the rice paddies look fabulous. The dry season falls between November and the end of April. March and April are the warmest months of the year with temperatures well above 30 ° C. At high altitudes, however, it may still freeze at night.

Please request a price quote for a personalized quotation.
The mentioned as from price is per person sharing based on double occupancy.