....just back from one month in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Lots to report, but I first wanted to post info about the Naga of Mekong - a one-day boat service from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, and it's not a speed boat! Wonderful experience, and definitely the way to go.

We paid $80 per person for the trip which includes a lovely lunch cooked on board and unlimited beverages throughout the ride.

How do they do it? Well, it's a slow boat equipped with a slightly better motor and an earlier departure time. There were about 12 people on our boat, with lots of room to move around. It was a great ride and highly recommended. The total trip time is about 7 hours.

Search for Travel Thailand or Naga of Mekong for info on reservations.

Thanks for the info, it sounds great!

Hi!

We're planning to do the single-day trip from Thailand to LP later this year. I'd really appreciate if you can post the details for this.

Specifically:
- Where does one go to book the ticket for the day-trip? Can this be done in advance, and if so, how?

Thanks!
-Rahul

This looks lovely. I'm thinking of spending a few days at the Anantara next year and would love to do this trip while there. But I can't tell if I could get to the boat in time. If memory serves it would take a couple of hours to get there. Am I right?

This sounds great. Can anyone tell me a good way to get from Chiang Mai to Huay Xai?

Lots of guesthouses in Chiang Mai will have minivan trips to Huay Xai advetised. Just sign up. Likewise, in both Chiang Mai, plenty of local guesthouses and travel agencies will advertise trips down the Mekong to Luang Prubang. Most probably relaible.

Doing the "slow boat" over 2 days, with an overnight stop in Pakbeng, in 2001, was one of the highlights of my traveling life!! GO!! ENJOY!!

glorialf-
Chiang Kong is around 53kms east of Chiang Saen and the Anantara is a short distance from CS. It should take about an 11/2 but then you have to exit Thailand, take a small boat to Huay Xai and enter Laos and then a taxi to the boat pier. So you would have to leave the Anantara early to make the 8.30 departure. Check here for more details http://travel-thailand.com/article.p...ise_the_mekong

Hi Everyone,

So, I wanted to pre-plan my trip from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang. We are planning to go there end-of-November this year. From what I understand so far, there is a single-day slow-boat that is available that can take us to Luang Prabang and is comfortable as well and costs ~$80.

- I was, however, unable to find any information on how to book this before I get to Chiang Rai / Huay Xai (and if this is even possible).

- I've heard that it runs only two days a week: Tuesday/Friday. Could someone confirm this?

- How can I book this before hand? By googling I found the following site: http://www.baannaisra.com/tours.htm
They mention the "Naga of Mekong". Is this the same Any other suggestions would be really appreciated.

- Quite a few people have mentioned on this board that they've done the single-day-slow-cruise. Could you provide some more information on the booking procedure? I'd really appreciate this.

Thanks!
Rahul

bookmarking

For whoever is interested, I found the following two options:

- I emailed adisak at sunquest travel and they have the nagi of mekong tour. They charge ~86 dollars for the boat (single day trip). Extremely prompt response and answered all my questions adequately.

- I also got a reply from Chiang Sen River hill hotel and they have an overnight stay plan and they do assist with the visa at the border.

They both seem like great deals, but for our purpose, we'll going with Adisak due to the times when we planned the trip.