OFF the beaten track IN NORTH LAOS

In recent years we have been working hard with our local partners in Luang Prabang to put together a truly unique and off-the beaten track experience in the north of Laos, one that has been designed with photographers in mind, but equally one that is focused on authentic, local experiences that benefit the local communities as much as our participants.

Itineray Highlights

Our tour will start and finish with a few days in Luang Prabang - former royal capital of the Kingdom of Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995, situated at the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Mekong and the Nam Khan (sunrise and sunset photo opportunities galore!) famous for its well-preserved traditional and colonial architecture, and home to more than 30 Buddhist temples and monasteries.

One of the highlights of our photographic experiences will include the mesmerising early morning alms giving ritual (Tak Bat) - that has been going on for more than 600 years. Hundreds of Buddhist monks and novices from Luang Prabang’s many temples walk in silence just before sunrise, meditating as they collect their alms from devotees - and well-briefed tourists. Yai, our local guide told us how you can spot the tourists from the locals easily - they are usually sat on tiny stools whereas locals are always on the pavement. This is a fascinating process to observe and photograph: the symbiotic relationship between the monks and alms-givers, the former granting merit to the devotees that counts towards their future lives, the latter generating good karma!

Our Luang Prabang ‘home’, a traditional Lao architecture family-ran boutique hotel is right on one of the roads that the procession runs through, so we won’t even have to travel far, although it is always interesting to walk along the procession as many photographic opportunities arise. But we have a couple of mornings to witness and capture this special event, and what’s better is that we are then in the right place to watch the sunrise over the river Nam Khan. Then it’s the morning market, brimming with fresh produce and plenty of weird and wonderful things to photograph. Other photography highlights in Luang Prabang will include temples - our knowledgeable guide will give us plenty of insight while visiting - several architectural highlights, the colourful night market, and of course sunrise and sunset from various locations including the top of Phousi mountain.

Only an hour away from Luang Prabang is Kuang Si, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Laos, with its turquoise waters and never ending tiers that you keep discovering as you make your way up the mountain through lush tropical forests (an easy walk along rustic yet well-maintained paths): it’s the photographic gift that keeps on giving. You can try your hand at some long exposures or channel your inner street photographer to capture tourists competing for the best ways of immortalising their being there - and once you’ve put your tools down, you can also go for a dip if you wish! We are aiming to spend about half a day in this location after which we will head towards the nearing countryside for our fantastic home stay on small family rice farm.

Here your only neighbours will be gentle-looking buffalos gazing towards your camera from their rice fields, and we will experience life in the countryside, home cooking, and a specially arranged Sou Khuan (Baci) ceremony just for our group. This is a Laotian ritual performed by a respected elder in the community who chants blessings while tying strings of white cotton around the wrist of the recipients, calling the soul to return to harmony. Don’t worry about being in the middle of this instead of photographing it - as we will most likely witness and photograph this ceremony as we travel up north since it is traditionally performed at all happy and sad events in families, as well as when the new year approaches.

But for the rest of the time in this area, we have another amazing experience lined up, which is meeting some elephants - in one of the non-ride sanctuaries where these majestic animals are rescued and kept safe and well - you will be able to come close to an elephant and even feed them bananas, an experience which we promise you won’t forget! After a couple of days in the countryside we will return to Luang Prabang for another night in town before heading up north to the north village tribes.

Get ready to step well off the beaten track as we head further north inside the Phongsali region. The next part of the trip will involve visiting tribe villages, local markets, ancient traditions, river boat trips and some truly stunning scenery along the way. As we start driving north - in our private minibus accompanied by our well-versed local guide who also has a keen eye for photography, we will make frequent stops wherever a photography opportunity arises, such as local markets, lunches with views or coming across some local wedding! We are heading into Akha, Hmong and Khmu territory, just a few of the hill tribes that are prominent in the far north of Laos. Unlike the Laos new year which is in April, the Hmong and other animist tribes typically celebrate this at the beginning of December so we are at the right time to come across such events - typically centred around the Sou Khuan (Baci) ceremony which we have ourselves experienced. It’s a family and friends affair, spanning across several days and weeks where people go from one home to another to venerate their elders and receive blessings.

Our first couple of nights will be spent in home stays, being welcomed by local tribes that are well known to our Lao partners and guides but where you are unlikely to come across another tourist - so much so that we will at times feel like curiosities to kids quizzically pointing, running and hiding in fits of giggles. An evening in the house of the local chief and his wife is a memorable and humbling event, as they welcome us in their hut and cook a local meal all from produce that could not be more fresh. Locals are not used to foreigners in these remote villages but with the help of our guide we will make friends and with their permission end up with some lovely portraits and street scenes. An important aspect of our ethos is to give back to the communities we visit, and in addition to ensuring that all the money we spend on accommodation and food goes directly to local families, we will also make a donation of stationery to a couple of local schools. In the past, we bought all essentials from family stores along the way and donated it to kids and their teachers - even getting rewarded with a couple of songs and a lot of smiles, plus some great photos in the process.

Rivers, karst mountains and weaver villages best describe the next part of our journey as we continue our circular journey back towards Luang Prabang, via Muang Khua, Muang Ngoi and Nong Kiew. For portions of this trip we travel by boat along the Nam Ou river, an interesting journey considering it is no longer possible to travel the entire distance by boat, given the large number of dams that have been erected over the past decade, breaking the river in no less than eight sections - those interested in the impact this had on local people and environment will find this a good photojournalism topic to document. But, fear not - the idyllic has not been lost, and perhaps one of the most stunning locations we will spend some time in is the tiny village of Sop Chem, only accessible by boat, and home to a small number of families forming a lovely weaving community - not only we will spend some time to get to know them but this is also a great location to do some shopping for presents or souvenirs made by the locals: scarves, table runners or traditional Lao skirts (sinh).

On our way back to Luang Prabang there will be one more riverside stop, this time on the Mekong, the fascinating Pak Ou caves, home to many thousands of artefacts, prabangs and Buddha statues of various sizes, materials and levels of deterioration, brought here by people over hundreds of years by worshiping, to the spirits of the river before Buddhism became the main religion, then as buddhist offerings especially during special times of the year. We will return to Luang Prabang via the Mekong, admiring the sunset as we arrive.

What’s included

As with all of our trips, photographic guidance and advice from our two professional photographers and tour leads is on tap - not only as we progress through different locations, but also when we sit down and reflect or whether you need a quick 1-2-1 on any given topic, creative or technical aspects of photography included. What’s more, we offer free reviews of images and support with selecting and editing, after a tour had ended, since we acknowledge that none of our participants usually want to spend much time downloading, selecting and editing images during a trip. Our advice is never regimented and ‘one size fits all’ (because there is no such thing) and we always tailor our support to the specific needs of each participant, from complete beginners to accomplished photographers.

All accommodation is included and with the exception of a couple of nights in home stays, where there may be shared room / bathroom arrangements (we will share details well in advance and make sure everyone’s happy with the arrangements), we offer single occupancy, en-suite accommodation as standard. Breakfast is included throughout the tour, as well as most meals during the village stays (please enquire for an exact day-by-day itinerary with inclusions). All internal travel - private minibus and private boats - as well as our very knowledgeable private guide are all included throughout, as well as entry fees for all mentioned attractions. In addition we are also arranging pick-up and drop-off at the airport in Luang Prabang.

What’s excluded

As with all of our trips, we don’t include international flights or transportation, this is due to our participants traveling from all over the world and also allowing everyone to combine journeys and use their prefered carriers or reward systems. Visa costs are also not included, but we provide all information required to ensure everyone has a smooth journey - for Laos visa is on arrival at the airport and a fairly swift process. Any meals outside of breakfast and our village stays are extra, but having said that we still spend that time together and you won’t be left on your own searching for dinner - unless you want a bit of time and space to yourself! Equally if you want to arrive early or spend one or more nights after the tour had officially ended, obviously those nights are excluded but we will help you extend your booking if you wish, so you don’t need to move unnecessarily.

Pricing

Cost pp: £4200

There are no single supplements.

Will you join us in this fantastic Laotian adventure?

Please get in touch if you’re interested and would like to join us or simply want to receive more information or arrange an informal no obligation chat.