6 Reasons to take the Slow Boat to Laos & Everything you need to know

So you’ve experienced the Sunday Markets in Chang Mai and you’ve visited all the waterfalls in Pai… Now what?

If you love adventure, you definitely don’t want to miss exploring Laos! When I heard other backpacker’s stories of the slow boat to Laos, I knew I had to check it out. The slow boat to Laos was one of my favorite transportation experiences in Southeast Asia and a highlight of my time in Laos! Hopefully my story will ease your doubts and encourage you to visit Laos and take the slow boat if you are traveling from northern Thailand.

The benefits of taking the slow boat to Luang Prabang

If you are traveling from northern Thailand to Laos you will cross at the Chiang Khong/ Huay Xai border arriving in the very north of Laos. So technically you are in Laos, but you’ll still need to get to Luang Prabang. There is no better way than to take the 2 day slow boat to Laos down the Mekong River! It’s relaxing, beautiful, surprisingly comfortable and a cool cultural experience. Purchase a ticket from anywhere in Huay Xai and make sure to show up early to get a good spot… oh and don’t forget to load up on Beer and food, it’s a long ride.

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Here are 6 reasons to take the Slow boat!

1. It is Absolutely Beautiful

The views from the slow boat are incredible. The whole time you can gaze out at the lush hills and jungle surrounding the river. There are caves, villages and cool rock formations all the way down the river.

2. The Slow Boat is very relaxing

Everyone gets a seat in the boat. It seemed like most had used old car or bus seats and placed them 2×2 in the boat. We had a lot of extra space between each set of seats so a lot of people took naps on the floor or gathered in groups to play games. You can also sit up on the edge of the boat to really feel the wind in your face and get a better view of the surroundings. I brought a lot of beer onto the boat with me and had fun socializing with the other backpackers on board. The friends I made on the boat continued to cross paths with me throughout the rest of my time in Asia. You can also read, journal, sleep, play cards etc. I sometimes have issues with seasickness but the boat travels very smoothly down the river with the current so I never had an issue.

3. It is NOT that Slow

TBH I felt like the boat was moving pretty fast. It has a motor and it goes with the current of the river so you actually feel like you are covering ground quickly. It took about 7 hours the first day on the boat and another 5 the second day. The alternative option for travel to Luang Prabang is a 14-hour bus ride. My friend opted for the bus and had the worst time. He said it was crowded, noisy and extremely uncomfortable because the roads in Laos are ridden with potholes and are very windy.

4. The Slow Boat to Laos is a cultural experience

The locals rely on the slow boats as a means to transport their goods to the markets in Luang Prabang. The slow boat to Laos acts as a shuttle and it occasionally pulls over to shore so that local people from isolated villages can hop on. You’ll see the children playing on the shoreline and welcoming the boat when it comes up to the land. It is quite amazing how quickly they are able to pull up and bring goods on and off the boat.

5. You get to spend a night in Pakbeng

On the slow boat to Laos, you will have to spend the night in the tiny riverside town of Pakbeng. As long as you know what to expect, it should be a fun experience. When the boat pulls into the dock at Pakbeng it is chaotic. Locals are waiting to greet you and try to get you to stay at their homestay/hotel. They all start undercutting each other in price to convince you to come with them. My friends and I tried to get out of the crowd and walk up the hill into town to pick our own place. In the end a women followed us up and we decided to stay with them. I think I paid $2 for my bed that night. All of the places are pretty much the same. I wouldn’t bother booking online before unless you want one of the fancy places, but it is definitely cheapest to figure it out when you arrive. In town there are lots of restaurants and even a few bars. I really enjoyed visiting the different bars that night and meeting more backpackers and locals.

locals jumping on and off the boat

6. It is a Great Adventure

Taking the slow boat is not for everyone, but if you love a good adventure and trying something new I totally recommend it. The whole process was really cheap and I enjoyed getting to spend a couple days chilling on the river. It is a perfect option for backpackers! I rested up and was ready to hit the ground running when I made it to Luang Prabang – I literally ran up a hill to catch the sunset!

Sunset from Luang Prabang

Convinced?

Here are all the details on how to catch the Slow Boat to Laos from Northern Thailand:

How to get from Northern Thailand to Laos

To clarify, when I say taking the slow boat to Laos, I specifically mean getting to the town of Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is one of the main towns that people will come to visit in Laos. It boasts amazing waterfalls, markets, incredible food and beautiful architecture. It is a bit of a journey to get from northern Thailand to Laos, but it’s totally worth it!

The first step of the journey is getting to the border of Thailand and Laos. The town on the Thai side is called Chiang Khong and the town on the Laos side is called Huay Xai. You can get to the border from Pai, Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. There are lots of tours available that can get you there, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out on my own. It is definitely easiest if you are coming from Chiang Rai because it will be a much shorter bus ride to the border. In my case, I chose to leave directly from Chiang Mai

View of Luang Prabang

Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong (Border Town)

I took a taxi to the bus station in Chiang Mai. From here I was able to buy a ticket to Chiang Khong on the Green Line (I bought the ticket the day before because I had heard the buses tend to fill up, especially during the high season). Try to get on the earliest bus and the most direct one (some of the buses stop a million times). I always make sure I am really early for any departure in order to buffer against any unforeseen delays. This was a stressful transit day for me because I had booked a tour that began in Laos the next day so I needed to make it across the border. I would recommend not putting yourself in this position if possible.

The Bus Ride

The bus to Chiang Khong took almost 8 hours for us. We were not able to get a seat on the most direct bus so we had to stop in a handful of towns. Most of the people on the bus are not tourists and very little English was spoken. For me, this is part of the adventure, but if you do not enjoy situations like this it could be worth it to pay the extra money for a tour so that all the factors are taken care of.

The bus drops you off in Chiang Khong on the side of the road, but you still have to get a tuk tuk to the actual border. It’s only a couple more kilometers, and we were able to find two other backpackers to split the cost. Make sure to haggle the drivers down.

looking across the river to Thailand

Crossing the Border from Thailand to Laos

We arrived pretty late to the border and I was nervous that it would be closed already. Apparently, the border patrol decides to close whenever it wants. Once you stamp out of Thailand, you have to purchase a bus ticket (really cheap) and wait for the next bus to transport you across the river and onto the Laos side. It’s less than a 5 minute bus ride. Once you are one the Laos side you have to go through customs and get your on arrival visa approved. Bring a passport photo if you can because its more difficult to get it taken at the border. Also, the Laos visa is relatively expensive. It’s around 30 USD for 30 days in the country. Overall, it wasn’t that difficult to get through and didn’t take too long to get approved in Laos (Just don’t be the last person off the bus!).

Getting from the border to Huay Xai

When you get past customs you will realize that you are still in the middle of no where. It was dark by the time we got through everything, which was not ideal. There will be people ready to shuttle you to Huay Xai, which is the bigger town and location where the slow boat to Laos departs from. They piled us into the back of a truck and drove us about 20 minutes into town where they dropped everyone off where they were staying.

What to do in Huay Xai

My friend and I has signed up to do the Gibbons Experience which departed from Huay Xai. This was an epic tour that took us zip lining into the jungle and we got to spend the night in a tree house! It is a must do adventure and you can read more about it in my post “The Gibbon Experience”

If you are not doing a tour in Huay Xai, I recommend spending as little time there as possible. It is not really even a town, more like a road with shops and hotels for a couple kilometers. You will realize that the infrastructure of Laos is quite underdeveloped compared to Thailand, and the amount of English speakers is much less.

Don’t expect much in terms of accommodation. We showed up with nothing booked and just walked into one of the hotels.

One of the slow boats departing

Booking the Slow Boat to Laos

Every hotel and shop in Huay Xai will sell you a slow boat ticket. I opted to book mine through the hotel we stayed at because it included a ride to the actual dock. I paid less than $20 for the slow boat.

Make sure to show up early for the boat and stock up on beverages and food for the day!

Once you’re on the boat, sit back and enjoy the view!

Leave a comment below if you’ve taken the Slow Boat to Laos! Did you enjoy it? Anything I missed in my post?