Slow Boat To Luang Prabang - Day 1

After living in Thailand for three years, we finally left and crossed the border into Laos at the Chiang Khong – Huay Xai crossing. The next leg of our journey was one that we expected to be one of the highlights of our travels – the slow boat to Luang Prabang. And it certainly lived up to its expectations. Click here to book a hotel in Luang Prabang.

Slow Boats Waiting To Leave For Luang Prabang

Public slow boats are available for this journey, but we’ve heard from many people that they are often overcrowded and uncomfortable, with some people even having to sit on the floor. As we wanted the two-day journey to be a relaxing time, we booked a chartered boat with Nagi of Mekong. Their boats hold a maximum of 24 passengers, and there’s never any overcrowding or sitting on the floor. Unlike the public boats, that mostly have wooden seats, our boat had very comfortable seating.

Comfortable Seating On Our Slow Boat To Luang Prabang

In contrast to using a public boat, the Nagi of Mekong had free tea, coffee, fruit and a hot lunch each day. The cook made us delicious and fresh food, including a great selection of vegetarian food. The Nagi cruise also includes a stay at a hotel in Pakbeng, which is the half-way point.

Lunch On Board The Slow Boat To Luang Prabang

On the first day the boat traveled from Huay Xai to Pakbeng, where we spent the night. The scenery along the Mekong was really stunning. Just miles and miles of hills, mountains and river.

Taking In The View From The Front Of Our Boat

Along with the passengers on the boat was our guide Kae and his boss, the captain, his wife (the cook) and their son.

Boat Carrying Sticky Rice Down The Mekong River

There are lots of hill tribe people that live along the Mekong, and before lunch we stopped at one of the villages. The people there were incredibly poor, but also seemed very happy, especially the children. Electricity only arrived at the village a few years ago, and many people now had satellite dishes. Most people at the village didn’t have any money at all, so they used a barter system for swapping goods with other families.

Hill Tribe Village At The Edge Of The Mekong In Laos

Cute Children Posing For Photos At The Hill Tribe Village

Many of the children in the village were keen to have their photos taken, and were very excited to see a photo of themselves on the camera. Below is a photo of us with a group of children that were playing near the river, swimming, and catching fish.

Some Hill Tribe Children That Wanted Their Photo Taken With Us

Hill Tribe Boy With The Fish He Caught In The Mekong River

It was quite a surprise to us to find that much of the river had sandy beaches along it. Here is our boat waiting for us at the hill tribe village we visited. The children were all having great fun playing in the river here.

Our Boat At A Sandy Stretch Of The Mekong River

As well as stretches of sandy beach along the river, there were also many large rocks. The rock below resembles the head of a dog, and the nearby village is known as Dog Village.

Rock Shaped Like A Dog's Head — Rock Shaped Like A Dog’s Head

Along the length of the river we must have seen at least 50 fishing nets set up by the local hill tribe people. We’d usually see a net every few kilometers. As well as eating fish, many of the hill tribe people also eat snakes and monkeys.

A Hill Tribe Settlement Beside The Mekong River In Laos

Another Hill Tribe Settlement Beside The Mekong River In Laos

We set off from Huay Xai at 9 am, and arrived at Pakbeng at around 4 pm. Our accommodation for the night was in the lodge in the picture below – The Mekong Riverside Lodge.