LAOS Photo Tour

12 DAYS | 11 NIGHTS

Photograph Luang Prabang’s incredible Festival of Light and experience village life in the remote mountainous regions of Laos.

LAOS Photo Tour

12 DAYS | 11 NIGHTS

Photograph Luang Prabang’s incredible Festival of Light and experience village life in the remote mountainous regions of Laos.

LAOS Photo Tour

12 DAYS | 11 NIGHTS

Photograph Luang Prabang’s incredible Festival of Light and experience village life in the remote mountainous regions of Laos.

LAOS Photo Tour

12 DAYS | 11 NIGHTS

Photograph Luang Prabang’s incredible Festival of Light and experience village life in the remote mountainous regions of Laos.

Laos Photography Workshop

Join us for a 12-day adventure in Luang Prabang and Northern Laos!

This 12-day photo trip will give you the opportunity to discover Luang Prabang and the most photogenic regions of northern-Laos, as well as various indigenous peoples in remote mountainous areas. Luang Prabang will reveal all its beauty and architectural heritage, both traditional and colonial, as well as the embodiment of tranquillity in the surrounding rural areas. This trip will give you the opportunity to photograph the city during the incredible Festival of Light, during which families and monks re-decorate the city, creating countless, breath-taking photographic opportunities at every turn. In addition to Luang Prabang, we also take an intimate look at the daily lives of the various ethnic groups dotted throughout Laos’ remote interior, cruise on the mighty Mekong, and photograph crystalline blue waterfalls dotted throughout the jungle.

Highlights of the Tour

  • UNESCO site of Luang Prabang
  • Lantern Festival
  • Fire Boat Festival
  • Kuang Si Watefall
  • Local life: markets, villages, workplaces and other daily activities
  • Ethnic minorities in their villages
  • Elephants

12-Days

Oct 14 – 25, 2024CONFIRMED – 2 spots left –

 

Tour Price

USD $3,650 (single supplement $450) 

Group Size

Small group: 3-6 Participants.

We believe in quality, personalised tuition, and so our host-to-guest ratio is always 1:6 or better.

Accommodation

Very comfortable 3-star hotel in Luang Prabang. Basic 3-star in Nong Khiaw.

Effort Level

Easy (2/5). Very little walking, almost none uphill. Hot and humid weather.

Gallery

See more photos taken during the workshop >>

Available Privately

We also offer private and costumized guided photo tours >>

Themes:
Local life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Architecture ★ ★ ★
Landscapes ★ ★ ★

Testimonials

We pride ourselves on the quality of our photography workshops.
But don’t take our word for it…. Read hundreds of five-star reviews on Tripadvisor.

Many memories and more have been made

I had the pleasure to go on tour with ATP two time each 12 days long. First time was Cambodia before Covid hit the world. Can only recommend this tour and I already planing on returning for an other Cambodia tour with ATP in the future… read more

Annabelle - Germany

Dream a Little…

Here’s what we’ll see on our 12-Day Laos Workshop

Day 1: Arrival in Luang Prabang

On day one you’ll arrive in Luang Prabang, a charming town in the mountains in the north of Laos. You’ll be transferred to your hotel with time to recharge before the adventure begins the next morning.

Pagode de Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang Monastery

Day 2: Luang Prabang Monasteries and Pak Ou Cave

The first morning will be spent exploring the quaint town of Luang Prabang, focusing on the most architecturally stunning monasteries. We’ll stroll between these ancient gems before enjoying lunch in town. In the afternoon, we’ll board a longboat and wind our way through the hills to Pak Ou Cave. As we cruise back to town along the sleepy Mekong, we’ll have the chance to call in on riverside villages where we might the chance to interact with a variety of local people.

Luang Prabang Monastery
Mekong River Bank
Sunset in Luang Prabang

Day 3: Kuang Si Waterfalls and Evening Lanterns

After an early breakfast, we’ll drive to into the mountains to the magical Kuang Si Waterfalls. Here, we’ll have the chance to experiment with long exposure in the cascading falls, fed by natural springs above, as well as enjoy the rainforest scenery. You’ll also have the chance to swim in the crystalline waters before we return to town for lunch.

We’ll head back out in the afternoon, calling in at a local monastery where we’ll witness Buddhist monks making their final preparations for the incredible festival of Lai Heua Fai, or “Festival of Light”, starting the next day.

Kuang Si Waterfall
Lantern Festival Luang Prabang
Lantern Festival Luang Prabang

Day 4:Tak Bat and The Festival of Light

We’ll head out just after sunrise to see the incredible Tak Bat, or morning alms collection. Today is one of the holiest on the Lao calendar, and so we’ll witness crowds of local people offering gifts to the Buddhist novices as they walk by in procession. This is a very popular photographic event, but dont’ worry: We’ll be far from the town, away from the other tourists. After breakfast in the hotel, we’ll travel to a local pottery village where we’ll have the chance to photograph traditional craftspeople.

In the late afternoon, we’ll head out to another area of town to enjoy the Festival of Light. Here we’ll have the chance to photograph Buddhist monks and other local people lighting paper lanterns, staying for the evening to enjoy the sunset, blue hour, and even into the hours of darkness, with new, beautiful photographic opportunities presenting themselves as the light continually changes.

Morning Alms Laos
Lantern Festival Luang Prabang
Lantern Festival Luang Prabang

Day 5:Mahout Experience and Image Review/Sunset

After an optional Tak Bat in the morning, close to the hotel, we’ll head to a beautiful environment where we’ll have the chance to photograph a local mahout bathing his elephant. We’ll return to town for lunch, after which we’ll sit down and review the images we have captured thus far. This is a great opportunity to get feedback from your workshop host and other participants, as well as enjoy a demonstration in post-production. We’ll round off the day with a sunset from a jetty on the Mekong River.

Elephant Laos
Elephant Laos
Sunset Luang Prabang

Day 6: Streets of Luang Prabang and Boun Heua Fai

The morning will be spent wandering the streets of Luang Prabang, with a focus placed on street photography. We’ll call in at a market, at monasteries, and also some areas of town where charming French-colonial architecture can be used as a backdrop. In the late afternoon, we’ll witness the amazing Boun Heua Fai, or “Festival of the Fire Boat”. Local people can be seen carrying enormous paper boats through the centre of town to the banks of the Mekong River, before floating them downstream. It is also very common to see glowing paper lanterns being cast towards the night sky. We’ll shoot the remainder of the festival by the light of the full moon.

Old Bridge in Luang Prabang
Novice Monk in Laos
Lantern Festival Luang Prabang

Day 7:Hmong Village and transfer to Nong Khiaw

After breakfast we’ll drive an hour into the mountains to visit a remote Hmong village, where we can interact with this curious ethnic group. We’ll have with us a Hmong speaker to help us to communicate with the locals, opening up intimate photo opportunities not otherwise possible. After a light lunch of sticky rice in the village, we’ll begin our transfer to Nong Khiaw (3hrs drive), our base for adventuring among the tribal areas for the next few days…

Village Hmong
Coffee harvesting
Hmong Woman

Day 8: Remote Mountain Villages

We’ll start our morning with a bit of adventure, climbing into the back of a truck and driving higher into the mountains to visit villages of the Hmong and Lahu ethnic groups. We’ll spend the day exploring these curious villages, interacting with the people living in the mountains. We’ll stay the night in simple Hmong accommodation, a dormitory with only basic facilities. The photo opportunities are well worth any small amount of discomfort.*

*For those who think this might be a little too on the adventurous side, we can arrange for you to stay behind in Nong Khiaw.

Hmong Village
Hmong Village
Hmong Village

Day 9: Villages and Nong Khiaw

Today, we will spend our last morning in the village after our night with a local family. We might have further opportunities to see further activities in the village or pefhaps out in the rice fields. Later in the day we’ll head back to Nong Khiaw where in the later afternoon, after a well-earned power nap, we’ll go on a cruise on the Mekong River to see fishermen and other activities on the river banks.

Children at school
Harvest Laos
Sunset in Nong Khiaw

Day 10: Nong Khiaw – Luang Prabang

In the morning, before heading back to Luang Prabang, we will go to take pictures of the quant ethnic market of Nong Khiaw.  After lunch, we’ll review our images together and enjoy the sunset by Luang Prabang pier.

 

Nong Khiaw
Ceiling of Monastery in Luang Prabang
Sunset in Luang Prabang

Day 11: Luang Prabang

Our final day of adventuring will be spent practicing street photography in the city of Luang Prabang, visiting local markets, and witnessing other daily life activities as we soak in the serenity of the city streets one last time. The evening will be spent enjoying a Farewell Dinner a local restaurant.

Luang Prabang Monastery
Buddha Statue
Luang Prabang Monastery

Day 12: Departure

Enjoy one final breakfast and say farewell to new friends before departing Luang Prabang!

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Inclusions and Exclusions

What's Included:

R

Accommodation (comfortable 3-star boutique hotel in Luang Prabang, basic accommodation in rural areas).

R

Private transport during photography excursions.

R

Daily breakfast at the hotel, Farewell Dinner, and other meals/drinks as specified.

R

Guiding/Tuition from a Western professional photographer.

R
All tickets and entrance fees.
R

Round-trip pick-up and drop-off at Luang Prabang International Airport.

What's Excluded:

Q

Airfare to and from Luang Prabang, Laos.

Q

Meals, drinks and snacks beyond those specified.

Q

Alcoholic beverages beyond one with specified meals.

Q
Tips for Guides/Drivers etc.
Q

Medical & Travel Insurance.

General Information

Who Our Tours are Designed For

Our adventures are perfect for anyone who loves travel and photography, whatever your level of experience with a camera – the most important thing is enthusiasm. Our tours are specifically designed for photographers and aim to unlock opportunities that wouldn't be open to the casual visitor, all while ensuring that we shoot in the best light, away from the crowds.

Refine your Vision

Mastering photography is a wonderful, lifelong journey;  the objective of our tours is to help you become a better photographer, day by day, so that you not only capture wonderful images of your trip, but that you take away a wealth of new skills that will serve you well for all of your photographic endeavours yet to come. With our expert guidance, you’ll quickly become more familiar with your equipment and refine your vision for incredible imagery without feeling swamped by technical details. You’ll learn how to read light, how to frame a scene, and how to inject the element of story into all of your captures.

Equipment Recommendations

The best camera is the one that's with you! Don't get me wrong, we like a new toy as much as the next photographer, but you really can make incredible images with any setup - an entry-level DSLR/mirrorless and mid-range zoom is really all you need to make the most of best photographic opportunities. Of course you're welcome to bring more, a wide-angle zoom and your favourite prime are always handy, but they aren't a requirement for attendance. Compact cameras are welcome, too. If you can, bring along your laptop so we can critique your photos and also show you a few tips for using Lightroom.

Meaningful Interactions with Local People

You’ll get to meet local people and make meaningful connections, all the while capturing a beautifully intimate portrait of their way of life. Feel free to capture the people we encounter candidly, or we can show you how to break the ice so as to make your camera an asset that creates interesting opportunities like never before.

Expect the Unexpected

Our itineraries are fun and flexible, and flow naturally - each of our photography adventures is unique, with spontaneous encounters and varying light conditions creating different opportunities at every turn.

Small Group Experience

The largest tours we run are for groups of six. With one experienced professional photographer as tour leader, this ensures that each of our participants will get plenty of individual, hands-on time with the instructor. It also means that we can travel in a less conspicuous manner, blending into our environment and not overwhelming local people during spontaneous encounters.

Responsible Travel

We are committed to responsible travel in every country we visit, ensuring that all of our tours are respectful of and give back to the communities we visit. We have taken steps to ensure our tours cause as little environmental impact as possible, and continually strive for new ways to leave fewer lasting footprints in all of our host countries. We use local drivers on all of our excursions, and we take care to educate our tour participants of the ethics of travel photography. We advocate for responsible volunteering and tourism. The participants that join our tours come away not only with some amazing memories and photos, but also with a better understanding of how they can make a positive impact in their future trips.

HOW DO I RESERVE A PLACE?

Simply fill out the form on this page to let us know your dates and preferences.

We’ll need a 30% deposit by International Bank Transfer to reserve your dates, with final payment being due 45 days prior to departure.

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL?

We understand that plans change. That's why all of our tours come with a clear, fair cancellation policy.

You'll find full details in our brochure and in our booking conditions.

RESERVE YOUR PLACE

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