Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure

A Slow Boat Odyssey, Elephants, Buddhism & Beaches

Though you won’t find it outlined on any map, there is a special pocket of northern Southeast Asia that emotes a forested spirituality suited to slow travel. Spanning Laos’s Luang Prabang and Thailand’s Golden Triangle, it’s a place where the steady march of time seems to slow and daily life is unhurried. On Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure, you’ll pass splendid days in both places. And joyously, the journey is as much a highlight as the destinations. The two enclaves are thread together by a languid Mekong River that can be traveled as a multi-night, slow-boat odyssey. It’s an overland journey that reclaims the feeling of charting a course that’s otherwise lost with air travel. Along the way, you’ll experience the delights of a night at the museum, a day in the company of rescued elephants, and join monks in prayer in Bangkok. Wherever we have the chance, we introduce you to an experience through the lens of a local. Not only to give you untouristic, uncrowded encounters but to fashion heart-led connections to the people who call these places home. We end your Southeast Asia tour with a quintessential beach escape—one that matches the pace and adventurous ethos of the first part of your journey. We’ll whisk you to an island in the Gulf of Thailand. From this base, you’ll balance relaxation with the thrill of paradisical, island-hopping day trips.  

Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure: 16 days / 15 nights

Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure Trip Highlights

Begin your journey in charming Luang Prabang, a remote spiritual outpost in northern Laos. A representative will whisk you through customs with a VIP fast-track visa service. Afterward, a private driver will deliver you to Rosewood Luang Prabang, a forested resort located at the quiet periphery of town. Get settled in your luxurious waterfall pool villa; the rest of your day is at leisure.  
The next day is dedicated to hidden Luang Prabang. Alongside a local guide, you’ll experience the town through a local lens, starting with a steaming cup of Laotian coffee on a hidden side street. Visit lesser-frequented temples (Wat Pak Khan, for example, with its elaborate red and gold columns—to name just one), and the scenic confluence of the Nam Khan and Nam Kong Rivers. In the evening, embark on an exclusive journey back in time. Your destination is the National Museum, housed in the former Royal Palace. At 5 p.m., as the public is ushered out, you’ll arrive for an after-hours visit. Murals, halls, intricate mosaics, art, preserved royal chambers, a grand Throne Room, vintage cars, and French Beaux-Arts design influences all command admiration and inspection. Each artifact and room tell a story and in the stillness of your private visit, legends come to life. More than just a look-and-see tour, this is a historical immersion; depart with a better understanding of Laos’ multi-layered history, monarchy, and cultural traditions. 
The next morning, set out with a guide and driver on a scenic drive along tranquil country roads. Park the car and set off on foot, hiking to Hmong, Khmu, and Lowland Lao villages to see how their unique lifestyles, traditions and religious practices differ. Continue onward to the ethereal, jungle-wrapped Kuang Si waterfalls. A moderate hike brings you to a top-of-the-waterfall viewpoint and you’ll savor a secluded wilderness picnic of Lao specialties. If it’s hot, take a refreshing dip in a nearby natural pool (rather than the busier pools at the falls’ foot). On your way back to Luang Prabang, call on the Buffalo Dairy to appreciate how sustainable agriculture is improving the lives of farmers in the area. Roll up your sleeves for demonstrations that include bottle-feeding the sweet buffalo calves. Don’t leave without sampling a thick slice of the “cake of the day,” served with buffalo ice cream.  
On day four, it’s time to begin your slow Laos exit on what’s sure to be a trip highlight. Embark on a languid, four-day journey that winds through the forested, hill-hugged Mekong along a serpentine river route that connects northern Thailand with Luang Prabang. You’ll board Gypsy, a two-cabin, exclusive-use riverboat with handsome, hand-crafted wood interiors. On board, you will enjoy sumptuous dining, cocktails, and canapés delivered by a complete hospitably team and crew. Across the coming days, you will visit remote river villages, far removed from the hyper-globalized modern world. You’ll meet Khmu and Hmong families living in traditional, Lao-style homes for a genuine sense of their remote riverside lives. As Gypsy moors each night beneath an inky sky, relish in the feeling of having fallen off the map.  
On day seven, cruise into the village of Huay Xai. Disembark and enjoy a city tour, including a visit to Jom Khao Manila Temple, a serene and culturally rich site overlooking the Mekong River. Lunch is served with scenic views at a riverbank restaurant. The Gypsy team will help you clear customs and deliver you seamlessly to your private Thai driver who will make the transfer to Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp. Settle into a luxurious room overlooking three countries: Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. The rest of your day is at your leisure; good news, there’s so much to enjoy on-property. 
Today is a magical one, dedicated to Thailand’s gentle giants: Asian elephants. You won’t have to go far. Established in 2003, Elephant Camp is situated at Anantara and operates in partnership with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. Operating a mandate to create a comfortable lifestyle for rescue elephants and employment for mahouts-turned-guardians (trainers; keepers) and their extended families, the camp supports more than 25 elephants and 60 people. Elephant Camp is one of the few genuine, feel-good elephant experiences we endorse in Southeast Asia and guest participation contributes to its further success. Spend time with the herd, joining the mahouts on their daily walk. Feel pure delight while watching the elephants splash in the river, play in the mud, snack on branches, and interact with one another. Tonight, we extend your pachyderm experience, reserving you a famous “Jungle Bubble.” Situated within the elephant habitat, you’ll enjoy an armchair safari right from your bed. Another perk? Drifting to sleep beneath a star-spangled night sky.  
Dedicate an entire day to the jungle-blanketed Golden Triangle—a less-visited pocket of northern Thailand than Chiang Mai. Choose your own adventure: cruising the mighty Mekong in a private longtail boat or exploring Chiang Rai’s famed and surreal Wat Rong Khun (White Temple). A third option, the path far less taken, sees you venture to the scenic peak of Doi Mae Salong to visit a remote mountain community established mid-century by immigrants escaping Maoist China, and Akha and Yao villages.  
On day 10, board a direct flight to Bangkok, Thailand’s pulsing, neon-lit, capital metropolis. Your home-away-from-home is The Siam—one of best hotels in Thailand. The rest of your day is at leisure. If you feel like wandering out, you’re on  the doorstep of the Chao Phraya River and the hotel’s private boat offers shuttles to and fro.  
Today, you’ll explore spiritual Bangkok—a side not of the city that doesn’t always receive due credit. Rise at dawn to observe the sacred act of tak bat—the giving of morning alms to monks dressed in saffron robes. The ritual unfolds in reverent silence as rice, fruit and other provisions are collected within sacred vessels. A monk’s world can feel esoteric, so you'll join a guide to visit a tranquil neighborhood temple on an enriching experience that offers a window into Buddhist tradition.  Light a candle and receive a monk-led blessing as fragrant incense wafts in the air. Learn the art of prayer within the pagoda and then meet the craftsmen who fashion alms bowls.  
Wrap Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure in the best possible place: the beach. A direct flight brings you to sun-bathed Koh Samui, adrift in the Gulf of Thailand. We’ve situated you on the island’s quieter north end. A driver will greet and transfer you to Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui where your swoon-worthy pool villa awaits.  
The big blue horizon beckons like a siren call. In the morning, depart for Angthong Marine Park, an archipelago of lush green islands, rock formations, and gin-clear lagoons. The experience is upgraded with a private boat so you don’t have to share paradise with strangers. Across the span of this postcard-perfect day, snorkel vibrant coral reefs teeming with colorful marine life, hike to a hidden lagoon crowned by towering mountains, and savor a picnic lunch on a secretive beach. Let the sun coax you from sugar-fine sand beaches into crystalline shallows. Return to Koh Samui sun-kissed and salty.  
Your second full day on Koh Samui is unscheduled for your total relaxation. Follow your whims—at the pool, with toes in the sand, in the spa—or all of the above.  
Another idyllic, full-day on the water draws you to the island of Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, this time for a longer peek beneath the waves. Don flippers, a mask, and snorkel to gaze upon colorful coral reefs and their resident marine life. Stretch your legs on a hike that brings you to a scenic viewpoint where a sand bar connects two islands.  
Depart Koh Samui on day 16, returning to Bangkok for your international flight home, or the next leg of your Southeast Asia travel adventure.  

Price

Starting at $24,400 per person based on double occupancy in 2025. This itinerary can also be booked on a four-person basis; price upon enquiry.  

Laos & Thailand Overland Adventure On a Map

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