Tired of luxury hotels and trips to Europe? If you’re looking for something more off-the-beaten-track, join Area Valet on a 3-day adventure through South Laos.

You’ll fly into Pakse, where you’ll be picked up by a private driver and taken to Champassak, a quaint colonial town that will whisk you back in time to Indochina. Champassak is your base to explore Wat Phou, one of Asia’s great, but least visited temples, and Um Muang, an ancient Khmer sanctuary on the edge of a dense forest.

After a Laotian dinner and night at a local eco-lodge, you’ll explore the islands of the Mekong (shortly before the river crosses into Cambodia it forms over 4,000 islands and islets) by pirogue stopping at the islands of Done Khone and Done Det and the falls at Li Phi. In the dry season, you can see the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins (the only place in the world other than Burma where you can see them).

Day three, explore the village of Kiet Ngong where local villagers will teach you how to ride an elephant – the best way to get to the ruins of Phou Asa.

This is Laos at its best.

Offered through Area Valet, a personal travel service for Area subscribers. For more information, please contact valet@area-daily.com.