Embrace the Odyssey

The slow boat to Luang Prabang is a 2 day boat journey down the Mekong River starting in the border town of Huay Xai with an overnight in Pak Beng.

The boat is going to be very crowded. They cram as many people as they can onto it even when there is no more space. We were some of the last people to board the boat and after walking all the way to the back past people sitting on any space they could find we ended up in the little kitchen area on the back porch of the boat with some locals who were also taking the journey. At first we had barely any room back but ended up with a plastic chair and wooden stool to sit on for the first day’s 5 hour journey to Pak Beng.

I recommend bringing snacks and drinks for the journey. They do sell some on the boat but they sell out and cost more than they would in a market. At the pier there was a shop selling sandwiches for 15,000 Kip which you can buy before boarding the boat.

We met two guys on the boat one from the UK and the other from Boston who were sharing the back porch with us. They shared their whiskey with us as we puttered down the Mekong River.

The first leg of the journey ends in Pak Beng. The boat arrives around sunset. There are several guesthouses located in this town. A lot will be full as you search for one but keep walking up the main street and you will eventually find one with an open room. After coming across several full guesthouses we found a room for only 60,000 Kip.

There are several places to eat around town. We chose a restaurant serving sandwiches for 10,000 Kip. They also offered to take a sandwich order that we could pick up in the morning to bring with us on the boat journey.

Day 2 of the journey begins by arriving at the boat around 8am. The earlier you arrive the better chance you have of getting a seat. We were lucky this time and actually got seats which are sets of bench car seats. On this day they used two boats to take everyone downriver. I’m not sure if that’s because there were two boats that came in the night before or they just wanted to provide us with a bit more room than day 1. This leg of the journey takes longer than the first being around 7 hours long so relax and enjoy the trip downriver.

The scenery is beautiful along the river. Green mountains and rocky cliffs sprawl upwards from the waters edge.

The journey ends in Luang Prabang at around 4pm and drops you off at the pier north of town. Tuk-tuks take you the rest of the way which is unfortunately to far to walk and costs 20,000 Kip per person.