HOW TO...SLOW BOAT TO LUANG PRABANG
In Chiang Mai you will start to see agency offers for a three day, two night trip to LP for about 1,600-1,700 baht - this offer should include pickup from hotel, transportation to Chiang Khong with a stopover at The White Temple in Chiang Rai, a night’s stay in Chiang Khong, transportation to the Thai/Laos border, transportation from the Lao border to the Houay Xai port, and the two-day slow boat from Houay Xai to LP ticket and a few meals along the way. You’ll be on your own for the 20 baht (25 on weekend) Thai to Laos bus bridge crossing, $35 ($36 on weekend) visa on arrival, and a nights stay in Pakbeng.
DO IT YOURSELF:
The tour agency package is not a bad deal; if you do this yourself you’ll need a tuk tuk to the bus station (80 baht), bus ticket to Chiang Rai (145 baht) (which if not purchased a day before could be a three hour wait), bus ticket to Chiang Khong (65 baht), tuk tuk to/from Thai/Lao border to Houay Xia (80/100 baht), and the ferry ticket (1,000 baht) - this doesn’t include a one night’s stay in Chiang Rai (which should be 300-400 baht) or any meals nor a stop to see The White Temple vs. heading straight to Laos.
If you have the time Chiang Rai is worth a stop. The White Temple and their Saturday Night Market (not to be confused with the daily Night Bazaar) are a respite from the temple and market fatigue you may be suffering. From Chiang Rai you can see The White Temple in the morning (300 baht tuk tuk or 30 baht bus) and catch a bus to the Laos border in the afternoon. The buses to Laos leave every 30 minutes and takes about two hours. Tell the fare collector your plans because there’s a point you’ll hop off the bus before reaching Chiang Khong. At this point you’ll need to take a tuk tuk for 80 baht (or walk the 5k to the border).
Doing this yourself also allows you to spend a night in Houay Xai too - there’s nothing spectacular here but if you arrive around 3pm thats enough time to see the city and start to gain an appreciation for Laos.
Boat ticket prices are clearly marked at 220,000 kip for the two day journey, you’ll pay 240,000 kip (1,000 baht) at an agency in Houay Xai but that includes the tuk tuk transportation from hotel to the pier. It’s about a 2K walk from the hotel area to the pier.
SLOW BOAT EXPERIENCE:
Boat Departures:
It seems as though only one boat leaves per day thus doing this yourself with the expectation you can catch an earlier boat that will leave less than 100% full before the tour group crowds arrive may seem good in theory but not an actuality in practice. There’s one boat and it will be jammed. More boats may leave per day during the Dec-Jan high period but the sign at the boat pier only listed an 11:00am departure.
The first leg departure is 11 but it’s closer to 11:30 (this was low season) and you’ll arrive in Pakbeng by 5. The second leg departure is 9 but it’s closer to 9:30 and you’ll arrive in Luang Prabang at 4:45. The times are subjective to water current and how many stops there are for locals to board and depart.
Seating:
Day One and Day Two boats were different so seating recommendations vary - if there’s a large gap between the seats sitting up front where the seats face one another is preferable. If the seats up front are too close together and you won’t be able to stretch your legs without hitting the person opposite consider an aisle seat further back.
Meals:
The boat offers drinks, chips, and instant noodles. Hoauy Xai and Pakbeng minimarts and hotels sell made to order sandwiches and you can stock up on chips and drinks before departure. Both Hoauy Xai and Pakbeng have decent dinner options given how small the towns are. There’s not much to Pakbeng but it’s at a bend in the Mekong and offers an excellent view of the Mekong.
Pakbeng Hotels:
No need to panic about where you will stay the night in Pakbeng between the two legs of the trip. Someone may try to sell you a room before you leave Hoauy Xai - the people who went with this option on my trip had no complaints, but the person and rooms offered may vary.
There will be several hotel operators waiting for you when you disembark in Pakbeng. They’re not too aggressive and will offer a ride to their hotel. The hotels are along a single road so if you don’t like the place they take you simply walk to the place next door.
The Pakbeng hotel situation seemed to be a case of receiving what you paid for vs. overpaying for poor quality. For the solo traveler there’s limited single beds available but you should get a discount on the double - the place I stayed at was offering 150 baht per person, 300 baht per double, I was able to get it for 200 baht.
Luang Prabang Departure:
The ferry no longer drops passengers at Luang Prabang but 10K north of town. You’ll walk over a shaky plank then up a steep river bank to a ticket office where you purchase a 20,000 kip shared tuk tuk ride which will drop you off at your hotel in Luang Prabang. I’ve asked in LP about why this change but noone seems to have an answer.
Regardless the reason this is this situation now so there should be no confusion when you reach the departure point and it’s not LP proper. People on our boat knew this and decided to stage a mini protest and not exit the boat. After 10 minutes I’d had enough, walked to the back of the boat, grabbed my bags, and shoved my way to be the first off the boat. I won’t share my details views here but if you are going to protest, sit in the back, so those of us that accept the situation can exit rather than sit there in confusion. Also consider not traveling to a socialist, military council controlled country in the future.
DO IT YOURSELF:
The tour agency package is not a bad deal; if you do this yourself you’ll need a tuk tuk to the bus station (80 baht), bus ticket to Chiang Rai (145 baht) (which if not purchased a day before could be a three hour wait), bus ticket to Chiang Khong (65 baht), tuk tuk to/from Thai/Lao border to Houay Xia (80/100 baht), and the ferry ticket (1,000 baht) - this doesn’t include a one night’s stay in Chiang Rai (which should be 300-400 baht) or any meals nor a stop to see The White Temple vs. heading straight to Laos.
If you have the time Chiang Rai is worth a stop. The White Temple and their Saturday Night Market (not to be confused with the daily Night Bazaar) are a respite from the temple and market fatigue you may be suffering. From Chiang Rai you can see The White Temple in the morning (300 baht tuk tuk or 30 baht bus) and catch a bus to the Laos border in the afternoon. The buses to Laos leave every 30 minutes and takes about two hours. Tell the fare collector your plans because there’s a point you’ll hop off the bus before reaching Chiang Khong. At this point you’ll need to take a tuk tuk for 80 baht (or walk the 5k to the border).
Doing this yourself also allows you to spend a night in Houay Xai too - there’s nothing spectacular here but if you arrive around 3pm thats enough time to see the city and start to gain an appreciation for Laos.
Boat ticket prices are clearly marked at 220,000 kip for the two day journey, you’ll pay 240,000 kip (1,000 baht) at an agency in Houay Xai but that includes the tuk tuk transportation from hotel to the pier. It’s about a 2K walk from the hotel area to the pier.
SLOW BOAT EXPERIENCE:
Boat Departures:
It seems as though only one boat leaves per day thus doing this yourself with the expectation you can catch an earlier boat that will leave less than 100% full before the tour group crowds arrive may seem good in theory but not an actuality in practice. There’s one boat and it will be jammed. More boats may leave per day during the Dec-Jan high period but the sign at the boat pier only listed an 11:00am departure.
The first leg departure is 11 but it’s closer to 11:30 (this was low season) and you’ll arrive in Pakbeng by 5. The second leg departure is 9 but it’s closer to 9:30 and you’ll arrive in Luang Prabang at 4:45. The times are subjective to water current and how many stops there are for locals to board and depart.
Seating:
Day One and Day Two boats were different so seating recommendations vary - if there’s a large gap between the seats sitting up front where the seats face one another is preferable. If the seats up front are too close together and you won’t be able to stretch your legs without hitting the person opposite consider an aisle seat further back.
Meals:
The boat offers drinks, chips, and instant noodles. Hoauy Xai and Pakbeng minimarts and hotels sell made to order sandwiches and you can stock up on chips and drinks before departure. Both Hoauy Xai and Pakbeng have decent dinner options given how small the towns are. There’s not much to Pakbeng but it’s at a bend in the Mekong and offers an excellent view of the Mekong.
Pakbeng Hotels:
No need to panic about where you will stay the night in Pakbeng between the two legs of the trip. Someone may try to sell you a room before you leave Hoauy Xai - the people who went with this option on my trip had no complaints, but the person and rooms offered may vary.
There will be several hotel operators waiting for you when you disembark in Pakbeng. They’re not too aggressive and will offer a ride to their hotel. The hotels are along a single road so if you don’t like the place they take you simply walk to the place next door.
The Pakbeng hotel situation seemed to be a case of receiving what you paid for vs. overpaying for poor quality. For the solo traveler there’s limited single beds available but you should get a discount on the double - the place I stayed at was offering 150 baht per person, 300 baht per double, I was able to get it for 200 baht.
Luang Prabang Departure:
The ferry no longer drops passengers at Luang Prabang but 10K north of town. You’ll walk over a shaky plank then up a steep river bank to a ticket office where you purchase a 20,000 kip shared tuk tuk ride which will drop you off at your hotel in Luang Prabang. I’ve asked in LP about why this change but noone seems to have an answer.
Regardless the reason this is this situation now so there should be no confusion when you reach the departure point and it’s not LP proper. People on our boat knew this and decided to stage a mini protest and not exit the boat. After 10 minutes I’d had enough, walked to the back of the boat, grabbed my bags, and shoved my way to be the first off the boat. I won’t share my details views here but if you are going to protest, sit in the back, so those of us that accept the situation can exit rather than sit there in confusion. Also consider not traveling to a socialist, military council controlled country in the future.