Cost Includes
- Accommodation on double occupancy basis.
- Daily breakfast at your hotel and other meals, as indicated in the itinerary.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
- English speaking local guide.
- Private vehicles for all transfers and sightseeing.
- Activities as indicated in the itinerary.
Cost Does Not Include
- Meals other than indicated in the itinerary.
- Laos visa.
- Drinks, tipping, laundry, phone, internet usage, and other expenses of personal nature.
- Extra expenses or loss due to unforeseen events such as flight delays or cancellations, accidents or medical conditions, civil unrest, etc.
- International airfare.
Note on Itinerary
Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed; it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.
Trip Difficulty Level, Road, and Transport
We use a motor vehicle for the city visits and transfers from one town to another, besides boat excursion. You can do all the walks and hikes at your own pace. You can interact with the locals and catch the beautiful scenery into your camera and visit local homes with unique Laos architecture. For the driving part, you have to keep in mind that there are parts of the road that are unpaved. At times, it can be dusty and bumpy. Roads are often carved out of the steep hills and follow riverbank, and sometimes they can be temporarily blocked due to erosion or landslide. Daily driving distance is not that long.
Anyone with normal health conditions can take up this trip. Although no hiking or trekking experiences are required, you should start some jogging, cycling, swimming, cardio, etc. several weeks before the time. It will help you keep yourself at an optimum fitness level.
Accommodations
For most of the trip, unless you have chosen other alternatives, you will be staying in moderate to the best available accommodations. The room may be different from another in your group, and there may be a disparity in the rooms. You may get a better room than others or vice versa. You have to be prepared to adjust your routine and mentally be OK with things that may not work or be available when you want them to. During the high season, there will be a huge demand for accommodations and suggested hotels may be already booked up. So you may have to adjust accommodations to alternative hotels, and your cooperation in this matter is very much essential.
Major Cities have a couple of international chain resorts with remarkably high prices. Your trips do not feature them unless you want those hotels at an additional charge to your land cost.
Meals
Breakfast is included where noted and will serve at your hotel, usually in a buffet. Your guide can arrange some lunches and/or dinners at local restaurants, but you will be on your expenses to pay for these meals. Lunches and dinners included as per itinerary.
Guides
Our guides are college-educated locals, proficient in English, and trained and licensed by local tourism authorities. Most importantly, they are friendly and committed to delivering the best services.
International and internal airfares:
You will book your international airfare on your own and provide us with your flight information. We can also help you find reasonable fares through our air ticket consolidator upon request. We book all internal airfares locally (if required). There may or may not be local airport taxes included in the fare.
Passport and Visa
You must have both a passport and a visa to enter Laos. And your passport must also have at least six months validity remaining beyond the date that you enter Laos. You can get a visa on arrival in Laos if you are traveling for tourism, have two passport-sizes photographs and pay $35.
If you get your visa on arrival in Laos, you will generally be allowed to stay in Laos for 30 days after you arrive. If you were born in Laos, you might be admitted for 60 days or longer. You can extend your 30-day tourist visa up to an additional 60 days for a fee of $2 per day through the Department of Immigration in Vientiane. If you overstay your visa in Laos, you risk arrest, and you will be fined $10 for each day of overstay as you leave. The Lao government calculates visa fees and fines in U.S. dollars.
Best time for this trip
You can take this trip throughout the year, but November through February are the best months when temperatures are less hot, less rain, and clear visibility.
Booking & Payment Schedule
Initial Tour Deposit: US$ 300 per person (accepted by credit card or personal check) with completed trip registration form and passport scan.
The second payment will be asked for the in-tour airfare when they are due. Some hotels and suppliers may ask for a non-refundable deposit to guarantee the booking, and we will advise you in such case. Payment by credit card may attract an additional 3.5% fee.
Final payment is due 90 days prior departure. Payment by credit card attracts an additional 3.5% fee. A personal check is welcome. Within 90 days before the travel date, we request you to make a payment by wire transfer or cashier check.
Cancellation and refund
We must receive a notice of cancellation and refund request in written form.
- One hundred eighty days before departure: No penalty unless stated as non-refundable.
- Ninety days before departure: Administrative fee US$ 150 per person.
- Sixty-Eighty-nine day's before departure: US$ 300 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to Fifty-nine days before departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to Forty-four days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than Thirty days: 100%.
Cancellation and refund of air tickets will be as per rules and regulations of the concerned airlines plus a service charge of US$ 25 per segment will be levied. Cancellation terms and conditions of certain services may vary, which we will inform per case to case basis. No refund or adjustment to other services will be made for any unused land or air services for any reason whatsoever, once the tour begins. We highly recommend that all travelers purchase trip cancellation insurance.