Alms Giving & Meditation

Traditional Lao Morning Experience

Wishlist
$25.00 per guest
1 - 8 guests 3 hours 05:20
Hosted by Thong Vanh

Highlights

  • Experience being a part of the alms giving ceremony in Luang Prabang and handing out alms to monks who take part in the daily sacred ceremony
  • Learn and practice meditation in a temple with instruction from local monks
  • Understand through an insider the significance of the procession and the importance of meditation in Buddhism
  • Visit Wat Mai, one of the largest and oldest temples in Luang Prabang, together with a monk from the temple who will bring you around

Inclusive of:

  • Food for giving alms to the monks during the alms giving ceremony
  • Breakfast of a local noodles soup at a special stall we recommend
  • Guided tour to the local's market of exotic produce
  • Meditation and a guided visit to Wat Mai with a local monk from the temple

Not Inclusive of:

  • Pickup and dropoff to your hotel
  • Additional Food and drinks at the market
$US 25.00 per guest
Instant confirmation
1 - 8 guests
3 hours
05:20
Cancellation Policy: Moderate

Full refund available for cancellations made up to 48 hours prior to booking start time.

More About This Experience

One of the greatest ceremonies in Buddhism, especially in Luang Prabang, is the ceremony of alms giving. Today throngs of tourists wake up at 5.30am in order to witness this sacred ceremony, which is a sight to behold. However, you should not just be a camera toting tourist infringing upon the ceremony. Participate in the ceremony with a Backstreet Academy host! Join me in being one of the persons giving alms to the monks! We will be lining up together with all the devotees giving out the food the the monks walking past us. This is a much more meaningful way of participating in the ceremony and directly helps the monasteries as well as keeping the tradition alive. Understand the ins and outs of the whole procession and the history behind it, together with someone who has been doing it for years. And right after the ceremony we will head to a temple to learn the art of meditation from a monk who is a Dharma teacher at a Buddhist school in Luang Prabang. You can also take the chance to ask any questions you might have about meditation and buddhism as well as have an inside look at the temple and the activities they do there. After clearing your mind through meditation in the pristine temple, we will discover the Lao morning market and see how the locals do their 'marketing' everyday in a traditional market filled with things you don't see usually, such as snakes, insects, birds, rats, bee's wax and other fresh countryside herbs and vegetables. We will then take you to a local noodle stall or porridge shop (depending on your preference) to have the most local breakfast you'll have. Finally we drop you at the Luang Prabang National museum where was the royal palace of the Lao king before 1975. (Tour on your own) Activities timeline: 5:20 am Meet at pick-up point outside the post office and participate like a Lao to offer food to novices and monks on the street. 6.00 am: Visit the morning market and have breakfast at a local noodle shop (included within the price) 7.30 am: Head to temple for meditation 8.00 am: Drop you at the National Museum (The first and the last of Lao kings home) Note: The Museum entrance fee (30,000kips) is not included and it closes on Tuesdays. Please kindly note: - Please wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees to enter the temple

Additional Information:

  • Pick up will be via a tuktuk
  • Dropoff will be at the National Museum where you can continue the tour on your own. (no transport to hotel is included)
  • Please wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees to enter the temple

Cancellation Policy: Moderate

Full refund available for cancellations made up to 48 hours prior to booking start time.

Location

The pick-up location address will be sent to your email immediately upon booking.

Upcoming availability

Your Local Host

Thong Vanh

Thongvanh is a monk who has been finished his Dharma study in Vientiane and now is a Dharma teacher at the Buddhist High School temple in Luang Prabang. He became a monk since he was at secondary school. He would l...

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US$ 25.00 3 hrs 05:20
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