Since 2007 the Eastern & Oriental Express has offered a thrilling return journey through north east Thailand to the picturesque capital city of Laos, Vientiane.
This journey includes off-train excursions to the World Heritage site of Phimai and a vineyard where guests can taste “new latitude wines”. The next day guests are taken over the Friendship Bridge and into Vientiane for a full day’s tour including lunch.
Laos is landlocked by its neighbours of Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, China and Vietnam. The mighty Mekong River runs the entire length of the country, providing fishing, irrigation and fertile farmland along the delta. Its population of 6 million people is distributed through modern towns, rural villages and isolated, ethnic, mountain tribes.
For the visitor Laos offers an unspoilt, fascinating adventure, as most of the country remains untouched by tourism. Beautiful, forested hills hide their treasures of caves and pure, refreshing waterfalls.
The deeply entrenched Buddhist culture touches every part of life, making the tourist's encounters with the Lao people one of friendship and warm welcomes. Temples, pagodas and stupas dot the country, with glints of golden rooftops visible as the sun rises over the mountains and the early morning alms-giving ceremonies see the towns flooded with saffron-robed monks, collecting food offerings in their small bowls.
A truly captivating country, where the gentle pace of life invites the visitor to slow down, relax and absorb the beauty of their surroundings
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