Laos Mekong River Slow Boat

Mekong River, Laos · Laos

Easy7 daysAsia~£300 est.

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Overview

The slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang is two days of the Mekong doing the driving: limestone karst walls, water buffalo on the sandbars, villages where the boat noses in to trade sacks of rice, and the brown river turning gold as the light drops. You cross from Chiang Khong in Thailand, overnight in Pak Beng's hillside guesthouses, then rejoin the current for the second day, finishing beneath the temple spires of Luang Prabang with a stop at the Buddha-crammed Pak Ou caves where the Nam Ou meets the Mekong. Seat strategy is the local knowledge that matters: board early at Huay Xai for the repurposed car seats near the bow — the stern belongs to the engine's roar — and bring cushions, snacks and a book, because each day runs eight hours or more. In Pak Beng, agree your room price before you follow anyone uphill. November to March is dry, cool and clear. The boat itself costs about £25; a week including Luang Prabang's night market, alms ceremony and Kuang Si falls runs £300 in guesthouses.