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Slow Boat to Luang Prabang
8 days· Chiang Rai & Huay Xai border · Mekong slow boat · Luang Prabang · Kuang Si & departure· From $2,600 per person
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The journey
Two days on the Mekong's slow current
There is no faster way to slow down. From the Thai border at Huay Xai, a traditional boat carries you two unhurried days downriver, past forested banks and stilt-house villages, to the temple town of Luang Prabang, where monks still walk at dawn and waterfalls run turquoise. Like every journey we make, it's a starting point: tell us what moves you, and we'll shape it around your family, your pace and your budget.
Highlights
Two languid days aboard a traditional Mekong slow boat
The Buddha-filled Pak Ou caves at the river's bend
Dawn alms-giving to the monks of Luang Prabang
The turquoise cascades and forest pools of Kuang Si
Sunset over the Mekong from the summit of Mount Phousi
A weaving-village stop to watch silk worked on wooden looms
Included
Accommodation
1 night in a Chiang Rai hotel · 1 night in a Pakbeng riverside lodge · 3 nights in a Luang Prabang boutique · 2 nights in a heritage garden villa
Activities
Private slow-boat charter · Pak Ou caves · Alms ceremony · Kuang Si falls · Mount Phousi sunset
Also included
Private guides & drivers throughout · Boat charter & river transfers · Daily breakfast and select meals · Border-crossing assistance · 24/7 on-the-ground support
The route
01Chiang Rai & Huay Xai borderDays 1–2
02Mekong slow boatDays 3–4
03Luang PrabangDays 5–7
04Kuang Si & departureDay 8
The full day-by-day itinerary is below.
Route map
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Day by day
The route in detail
Days 1–2
Chiang Rai & Huay Xai border
Overnight in Chiang Rai before crossing the river frontier into Laos at Huay Xai, where your private boat waits at the quiet, sun-warmed landing stage.
Days 3–4
Mekong slow boat
Glide two full days downstream, watching buffalo graze the banks and children wave from stilt villages, with a night ashore at the river town of Pakbeng.
Days 5–7
Luang Prabang
Arrive by way of the Pak Ou caves, then settle into the old royal capital: dawn alms, morning market, hilltop sunset and lantern-lit French-Lao dinners.
Day 8
Kuang Si & departure
Spend a final morning bathing in the tiered turquoise pools of Kuang Si and visiting its bear sanctuary before a leisurely transfer to the airport.
Make this journey yours
Tell us your dates, your pace and what you love. We'll shape the rest.
Start planning