strong>Ethnic Minorities & Kuang Si Falls
After breakfast at 9:00 AM, meet your guide and driver. The day will start at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, a museum about Laos' ethnic minorities. Then, drive through the countryside, visiting Hmong, Khmu, and Lowland Lao villages to explore their diverse lifestyles, traditions, and religions.
The Lowland Lao of Ban Sa-aat lives by the Mekong and its tributaries, and in cities, they speak Lao closely, similar to Thai spoken in Thailand. Ban Pano is home to the Khmu people, Northern Laos' original animist inhabitants who speak an Austro-Asiatic language. In Ban Long Lao, the Hmong and Khmu people live peacefully together; the Hmong, the latest settlers in Laos, build mountain-top villages and practice shifting cultivation. Local guides in Ban Pano and Ban Long Lao will show you traditional houses, dresses, and crafts. The villagers appreciate the additional income and are proud to welcome visitors. Next, visit Kuang Si Waterfall, where crystal water forms turquoise pools—remember to bring a bathing suit for a swim! Also, stop by the nearby Sunbear Refuge to learn about the poaching of these endangered animals.
Following this, visit the Buffalo Diary Farm, known for its sustainable approach to local farming. This will include a guided farm tour, learning about their community work, feeding and bathing buffaloes, watching a milking demonstration, and feeding chickens, pigs, and rabbits. Bottle-feed calves, then relax in the café with the 'cake of the day,' ice cream, and tea or coffee before returning to your hotel.