The 2 Day $50 Mekong River Laos Cruise - Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang Slow Boat
I remember reading about the slow boat in Laos. A cruise down the Mekong that took 2 days, finishing in Luang Prabang, a city that one close friend described as a place I could stay forever. I knew it was something I had to do, especially after visiting Northern Thailand, other parts of Laos, and traveling a significant portion of the Mekong River. We started in Chiang Rai, Thailand's largest northern city.
The first step is taking a bus from Chiang Rai's main bus station. To ensure ourselves a spot on the boat, we got the first bus out of town at around 6AM. The bus goes to to Chiang Khong. It was filled with tourists who were looking to do the same thing as us. Normally, the bus stops at the bus station in Chiang Khong, but since everyone was hoping to get to the border the driver said he'd go right to the border for an extra buck each - worth it for not having to haggle with tuk-tuk drivers alone.
Once at the border, we exited Thailand and waited for a shuttle bus to take us across the Friendship bridge to Laos. We went through immigration where you can get a visa on arrival (the cost depends on what country you're from). You'll need a couple passport sized photos and your fee in USD (there was a table doing money exchange if you can't get it ahead of time).
Once we were officially in Laos, we took a tuk-tuk to the Huay Xai pier where we booked our boat tickets and geared up with snacks and beer (turns out the beer for sale on the boat was the same price).
Make sure you get on the boat early to get a good seat. Most of the seats are former car seats and pretty comfy, but a spot away from the back, where the engine is, will be a bit quieter.
After that, it's about 6 hours to Pak Beng. The ride was very pleasant. We watched the hills roll and the occasional village go by. I was surprised how remote it was. Over the course of the 2 days, we didn't see anything big enough to be called a town let alone a city.
In Pak Bang you'll get off the boat and immediately be accosted by people wanting you to stay in their guesthouse. We walked past everyone, took a right at the road, and went into the first place we saw. They had rooms available for 100,000 LAK (about $12). The room was nothing special but it was close to the pier and had a decent bed. A guy checking-in in front of us had booked ahead and paid way more than we did.
After a pleasant sleep, we got up and had some breakfast. The boat left at 9AM, so we went down to the pier around 8AM to get a decent seat. The boat was different (I think the one we took there turns around and goes back to Huay Xai with a load of people doing the same trip in the opposite direction).
The 2nd day offered similar views and lasted about 7 hours - arriving in Luang Prabang at around 4PM. The boat drops you outside of the city, so you'll have to get a tuk-tuk into town. Tickets for that can be bought in the building at the top of the hill.
I really did love this trip. I was a bit worried that it would be uncomfortable or boring, but it was just nice and relaxing. The boat was pretty much all tourists, so you could socialize with people, get a card game going, or just stare across the Mekong and day dream the day away.
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