Mekong Slow Boat Laos: Our Two-Day Journey Down the River
From Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang on the famous Nagi of Mekong
We left Chiang Rai on a tiny, packed local bus heading to Chiang Khong and the Thai-Laos border. The bus crawled through the valleys of northern Thailand at a very leisurely pace, stopping frequently to drop off and pick up villagers along the way.
After two and a half hours we arrived in Chiang Khong, peeled ourselves off the vinyl seats, and took a tuk-tuk to our hotel for the night — the Green Inn Resident. It was clean, air-conditioned, and a great bargain for a one-night stopover.
For our two-day Mekong Slow Boat journey we chose Nagi of Mekong — and they were fantastic from start to finish. Adisak met us the day before to organise our Laos visas. The next morning they picked us up from our hotel and took us to the border.
Crossing into Laos involved the usual organised chaos: filling forms, handing over passports and photos, and paying the visa fee. After getting our stamps we boarded the beautiful blue slow boat (Nagi of Mekong boat number 100).
The boat was large, immaculately clean, and only had 12 passengers, giving us plenty of space to relax. Lunch was provided both days and was delicious Lao food. They also offered free drinking water, tea, coffee, and fruit. You could buy Beer Lao if you wanted.
Our guide Pat was excellent — informative, friendly, and full of great tips. The scenery along the Mekong was breathtaking, with steep mountains, dense jungle, and tiny riverside villages belonging to different ethnic minority groups. We stopped at a Lao Thoeng village on the first day and a Hmong village on the second.
We spent the night in Pak Beng, a small riverside village that exists mainly for slow boat travellers. We stayed at the Petsokxai Hotel (included in the package) which was perfectly fine for one night. We had an excellent dinner at a small restaurant whose sign proudly declared “My wife is a really good cook” — and she truly was! The spring rolls and Lao pork curry were some of the best we had in Laos.
On the second day we stopped at the famous Pak Ou Caves, filled with thousands of Buddha statues. We arrived in Luang Prabang late in the afternoon, all agreeing it had been one of the highlights of our trip through Laos.
The Mekong Slow Boat with Nagi of Mekong was an unforgettable experience. The boat was comfortable, the scenery spectacular, the food excellent, and the pace perfect. We would highly recommend it to anyone travelling through Laos.