Fidel Castro’s Footsteps: A Cave City;
A Plain of Jars; an Adventure!
(Adventure-lite suitable for amateur historians, the curious, and active)
Code: LAO109 |
Just getting here is an adventure - and you are following in the footsteps of illustrious company; Fidel Castro slept here. Stark natural beauty of deceptively unforgiving geography must have amplified the paralyzing terror felt by the new government born in these caves, as they endured the unimaginable: American B-52s dropped a load of high explosives. Meet the local people who survived and hear their stories. Ponder the origin of mysterious stone jars found on the plain.
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Luang Prabang Nong Khiew Sam Neua Viengxai Caves Hintang Standing Stones (Menhirs) Xieng Khouangs Plain of Jars |
| GETTING THERE: |
Guided service starts at Luang Prabang airport or town. The tour ends in the Plain of Jars. This point and others can be customized to your specific needs. Ask our destination specialists to fine tune services to fit your itinerary. |
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| Day 1:
LUANG PRABANG NONG KHIEW |
Pick up at your hotel or Luang Prabang airport to travel north out of town 3 hours Nong Khiew. Pass lush countryside and traditional villages. On arrival, enjoy lunch and check into your bungalow overlooking the incredibly scenic Ou River. Enjoy your day at leisure exploring the area or relaxing on your balcony. Dinner is on your own at one of the small local restaurants.
Meals: Lunch
Accom: Nong Kiau Riverside
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Day 2: NONG KHIEW SAM NEUA (DRIVING DAY) |
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After breakfast drive toward Sam Neua. The 340 km journey will take a good deal of time as the road twists and turns along a paved mountain road. Stops and lunch en route help to enliven the journey. Arrive in the evening and check in to your guesthouse. Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accom: Lao Hung Hotel |
| Day 3: SAM NEUA VIENGSAY CAVE TOUR: A GOVERNMENT BORN UNDEGROUND VIENGSAY |
After breakfast walk through the morning market along the Xam River to check out the interesting local produce. Then continue on to Viengxai, set amid visually stunning but forbiddingly rugged limestone karsts. Visit the information center to get an overview of the local experience during the war. The government of today began here in these caves. No amount of bombing stopped military activity or even discouraged visitors like Fidel. Visit several of the most important historic caves used once as military HQ, hospitals, administration areas, and bomb shelters by the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party. Relax or explore the charming little town, and have dinner on your own.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accom: Naxai 2 Guesthouse
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| Day 4: VIENGSAY HOSPITAL CAVE VIENGSAY |
Today after breakfast, travel to the nearby Hospital Cave. This extensive cave was used as a hospital during the war. Inside you can see intact medicine bottles still strewn about the rubble. After the bombing raids ended, a new hospital building was built in front of the cave. Now the site is a local school. Return to your guesthouse and enjoy your afternoon and evening at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Accom: Naxai 2 Guesthouse
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| Day 5: SAM NEUA HINTANG MENHIRS THAMPIU CAVE XIENG KHOUANG |
After breakfast, travel with your guide on the road to Xieng Khouang (about 8 hours total). Visit the mysterious menhirs (standing stones) at Hintang. No one is quite sure who built them or why, perhaps burial sites or markers of some sort. The stones were first inconclusively studied by the archaeologist Madame Colani and her expedition in the 1930s. Enjoy a local lunch in Nam Neun. Continue on to Thampiu Cave, the scene of a tragic loss of a huge number of lives during the Indochina War. In the early evening, arrive in Xieng Khouang, check in to your hotel and relax.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accom: Vansana Plain of Jars
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| Day 6: XIENG KHOUANG PLAIN OF JARS |
This morning after breakfast, travel to the Plain of Jars, an impressive archeological site where hundreds of large stone jars are littered all over the plateau. Have lunch at a local restaurant, and then continue to visit the old capital of Muang Khoun Province, whose temple suffered near total destruction by bombs over 30 years ago. Depending on timing, also visit a nearby hill tribe village. They have a fascinating culture and a colorful history your guide can help explain to you. Return in the late afternoon to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accom: Vansana Plain of Jars
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| Day 7: XIENG KHOUANG ONWARD |
This morning after breakfast, relax on your own until time to transfer to the airport for your flight onward.
Meals: Breakfast
Accom: none
End of ServicES
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| Rates
and Other Information |
Fidel Castro’s Footsteps (CODE: LAO109)
Tariff: in US$ per person based on twin/double sharing room and subject to North by North East ‘General Conditions and Booking Procedures’
Note: North by North East makes every effort to provide the highest quality service for the best possible price. However, in these times of volatile exchange rates and rising fuel costs prices can be subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.
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May 2008 – April 2009 |
1 pax |
2 pax |
3-5 pax |
6 pax |
7-10 pax |
11-14 pax |
SS |
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1953 |
1016 |
733 |
449 |
608 |
449 |
86 |
Price valid until 30 April 2009
Price Includes:
- All domestic land and water transportation as listed in the itinerary
- All meals as listed in the itinerary
- All accommodation as listed in the itinerary
- Insurance
- All entrance fees
- Government Taxes and VAT
Price Does Not Include:
- International and domestic air tickets
- Lao VISA fee (30-42$) depending on nationality
- Airport departure taxes and fees
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Items not listed in the itinerary
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