Slow Boat to Laos.

I have had a lot of requests from fellow travelers to write a detailed post on the entire slow boat experience with the most up to date info as possible. I intend to do that; with a few disclaimers.  This post will detail my experience from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang.  I cannot speak to the reverse route, so this is a one-way journey everyone. Here we go!

Step 1:  Getting from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong Border Crossing, Thailand

It is my understanding that there is one daily public ride on the GreenBus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong.  It leaves from Terminal 3 at 9:30am and arrives in Chiang Khong around 4:30pm.  The cost at this posting was around 385 Baht, or $11 USD.  I found the bus to be very comfortable…it was kind of like a coach bus in the US.  It made a few stops along the way, but really nothing extraordinary to note here…a pretty basic bus ride.  One thing to note:  the person checking you into the bus will ask if you are crossing the border today or tomorrow.  I told her tomorrow because I didn’t realize we had an option for that day…more on that in Step 2.

Step 2:  Deciding where you want to stay the night before you catch the boat.

You have two options:  Chiang Khong on the Thailand side, or Huay Xai on the Laos side.  I was originally planning to stay on the Thailand side and begin my border crossing journey in the morning because I was under the impression that border control closed around 5pm.  That was incorrect.  Border control is open from 6am to 10pm.  Other people on my bus were crossing that same day so I pulled an audible and decided to do the same.  It seemed way smarter to me to already be in Laos and just wake up in the morning and then head down to the pier.  No pressure to get through customs quickly…all of that would be done already.  So I got off the bus with the people crossing the border.  The bus will stop just past Thailand border control and when you get off there will be Tuk Tuks waiting to take you to there.  The going rate at this post was 50 baht per person ($1.50 – USD) no matter how many people were in your Tuk Tuk (we had 4).  

Step 3:  Thailand Border Control.

Super easy.  Show your passport and pass through.  Seriously. There was no one there at 5pm on a Tuesday, so we breezed right through.  Once through, you will buy your ticket for the Friendship Bridge shuttle bus to Laos Border Control.  Although all the signs at the kiosk read 25 Baht, they charged us 30 Baht ($.88).  Maybe they just haven’t updated the signs?  Either way, I didn’t argue.  Once there are enough people there (3 minute wait for us), you board the bus and you are across the bridge in about 3 minutes.

Step 4:  Laos Border Control.

Upon arrival, there is an ATM in front of you.  I used it immediately to get some kip.  I recommend doing this here…Better to have it now, just in case.

Before arriving here, I had read very conflicting information on the web about whether or not the eVisa is accepted at this crossing point.  The guy on the bus that was now my new friend had an eVisa.  I did not.  He headed straitght to passport control and got through very quickly (again – no lines).  So YES, everyone, eVisas are accepted here!  Since I did not have one, I headed over to the Visa on Arrival window, filled out two forms, presented my passport and passport photo (if you don’t have one, they will take one for you for a small charge).  They will then send you to window #2 where you pick up your passport with your shiny new visa.  You will need to pay for your visa here.  This part I found somewhat comical.  Online, it recommends that you pay in US dollars.  So, before leaving Chaing Mai I went to a money exchange and exchanged $50 worth of Thai baht.  I had also heard from other travelers that they only accept crisp dollar bills.  I did my best to get the crispiest dollars I could, but they most certainly weren’t brand new.  Back to real time – I had read online that the US visa on arrival was $35 USD.  As I mentioned, I brought $50 just in case.  Here is the funny part – when I approached the window and asked how much it was he told me $1600 Baht ($47 USD). I had also read online that they would likely charge you more if you used baht, so I asked how much in USD.  He replied, “$40?”  But sort of like it was a question.  Again, either way, sometimes you just have to roll with it.  It was more than $35, but less than 1600 baht, so fine by me.  My point here is that I’m not sure there is a set rate, I think it just depends who is behind the window and how they are feeling that day.  So make sure you bring enough to cushion yourself a little whether it is Thai baht or USD.

Now that I had my passport with its shiny new visa, I headed over to passport control and cruised right through.  This whole process from getting off the bus in Chiang Khong to clearing both customs probably took 45 minutes total with basically no other people there.

Step 4:  Heading from Laos Passport Control to Huay Xai.

There are songthaews waiting outside passport control and they kind of wait for you as a group, so me and my 3 new friends piled into the songthaew at a rate of 100 baht per person ($3 USD).  They drop you on Main Street, which is very small – all lodging is in walking distance, and you walk to your homestay.  I stayed at Oudomphone Guesthouse and it was about 50 feet away from where the songthaew dropped us.  It was clean, and very basic, but did the job for $11 a night. I recommend it.  The receptionist speaks very good English and they will arrange the boat tickets and transportation for you.  It was 430,000 kip for the boat tickets and the tuk tuk to the pier.  $400,000 kip for the 2-day boat ride ($21 USD) and 30,000 kip for the tuk tuk ($1.60 USD). This is the same price that you will get if you buy it at the pier or find a tuk tuk on the street.  They also provide a delicious breakfast in the morning (for a small cost) and will pack a takeaway lunch for you (also for a small charge).  I highly recommend this.  They made everything super smooth and easy.

Step 5:  Boat #1 Departure from Huay Xai.

The reception will ask you to be down at the restaurant at 8am for breakfast with a tuk tuk pick up at 8:30am.  Once you get to the pier, the tuk tuk driver will go get your boat tickets.  He came back, gave us our tickets, pointed us toward the boat, and indicated that it would leave at 9:45am even though it said 9:00am on the ticket and was currently 9am (because we left a little later than planned).  Here is where I get a little confused.  I had read on almost every blog site that the boat left once a day at 11:30am.  This is new, and very different information.  I am starting to be VERY happy that I called an audible the day before and changed my overnight to Huay Xai.  If I was crossing from Chiang Khong in the AM, I would have assumed that I had until at least 10:30am or 11am to get to the Huay Xai pier.  So, me and my new friend from the homestay head to the boat and sit in our assigned seat.  There are some bus seats in the way back, some benches in the middle, and a day bed-type option in the front.  Seat numbers were written on pieces of paper, and there was a seat number on your ticket, so we dutifully sat where we were supposed to until the boat took off. Then we all moved around.  I, personally, liked the van seats in the back…they were more comfortable.  They are basically old train or bus seats that they just set on the boat and don’t nail down, so be careful because they move around.

Anyway – back to the confusion of the departure time.  As I mentioned, the ticket says 9am, it is now 9:15am.  We eventually departed at 10:00am.  I had met a friend at my meditation retreat a few days prior who was coming in from Chiang Rai that morning and was going to try to catch the same boat as me.  Her Chaing Rai bus got her to border control at 9:30am and she was thru everything by 10:15am, but obviously she missed the boat, so she had to stay in Huay Xai the whole day and catch the next boat the following day.  Hence, this is why I recommend staying in Huay Xai the night before your boat.  Just make it easier on yourself and get all the passport and visa stuff done the day before.  Clearly, the boats kind of leave whenever they want.  I don’t think there really is a set time.  You just need to get there early and hope for the best. A lesson in flexibility.😉

The boat ride is about 7 hours long.  We arrived in Pakbeng around 4:45pm.  If you have made a reservation prior to arriving, your accommodation will likely be waiting for you with a sign to take you to your place.  I stayed at the Mekong Riverside Lounge.  It was lovely, but pricey by slow boat standards.  $18 a night, but I didn’t care.  I figured I would want a nice, clean place with a nice bed after this relatively long journey.  I was right.  It was worth every penny.  Breakfast is included in the morning and they have a nice restaurant across the street which is convenient for dinner as well.  Many other cheaper options are available too. There were some backpackers who completely balked at me when I told them I was paying $18. 😂.  They ended up paying $3 somewhere else in town.  To each his own!

Step 6:  Boat #2 to Luang Prabang.

The boat ticket that I purchased the day prior says 9am departure, so I confirmed this with the boat operator as I was getting off the first day.  I basically planned the same as Day 1.  Breakfast at my lodging at 8am, and arrive at the boat by 8:30am.  This is exactly what I did, dropping my bag off on the boat and then running back up the hill to town to grab a sandwich for the boat for lunch.  I didn’t want to dilly dally too much so I made this quick…I hurried back to the boat and I am glad I did, because today it left at 8:50am.  I did see the operator walking around counting people, so maybe they would have waited if someone was late, but who knows?  Get there early to be safe!

We arrived in Luang Prabang at 4:00pm.

Overall, this experience is definitely worth it.  When I was planning it and doing all the research, I wasn’t so sure.  It seemed like a lot of work with a lot of uncertainty sprinkled in, which it is.  But once you are situated on the boat, it really is super cool.  You are floating on the Mekong River in Laos!  I was there in the rainy season and it rained quite a bit and was cloudy most of the time, but it was still so beautiful.  It is such a cool way to see the country and experience the local culture.  The plane would have been easier, but much more boring.

As far as costs go, I was expecting to save more, but I still think it’s worth it for the memories.  In total, I saved about $60 USD by not taking the plane.  It doesn’t seem like a lot on the surface, but honestly, that is a lot of money out here.  

My advice:  Slow down and take the long way around.  You won’t regret it.


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