3-Day 2-Night Slow Boat Chiang Mai To Luang Prabang

This is the standard way backpackers have travelled from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang for decades. A van takes you to the Mekong border on day one, you sleep at Huay Xai on the Lao side, and then spend two full days on a wooden slow boat drifting downriver to Luang Prabang, with a stop for the night in the river town of Pakbeng. It suits anyone who has the time and wants to arrive in Laos slowly, watching the country go by from the water.

Day one is a road day. The van collects you from your hotel in Chiang Mai in the morning and drives around five to six hours to Chiang Khong. You stamp out of Thailand, take the shuttle over the Friendship Bridge and get your Lao visa and entry stamp at Huay Xai, where the included night is spent in a simple guesthouse.

Day two starts with a light breakfast and a walk down to the pier. The boat leaves in the morning and takes seven to nine hours to reach Pakbeng, passing forested hills, sandbanks and small villages. Pakbeng is a single street of guesthouses and restaurants above the pier, and this second night is usually booked by you.

Day three is another seven to eight hours on the river, ending at the slow boat pier outside Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. Tuk-tuks take you into town.

The boat is a long riverboat with simple seats and a toilet. Meals are not served on board, so bring food and water. This is a transport package, not a guided tour: staff make sure you get to the right van, through the border and onto the boat.