My 2.5 month SE Asia backpacking journey began in Northern Thailand, where I crossed over the border into the hazy, confusing, charming country of Laos. We decided to take the 2 day slow boat journey from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, which is a common backpacker route. Thus, once you get to Huay Xai, the logistical stress is basically nonexistent, as every guesthouse is well equipped to shuffle you along.
Crossing the Border
We began our journey in Chiang Rai and took the public bus to Chiang Khong for 70 baht. The buses usually run hourly depending on the amount of people headed in that direction. We ended up waiting a little over an hour for the bus to fill up.
Once you reach Chiang Khong, you’ll be dropped on the side of the road where tuktuks will be waiting to take you to Friendship Bridge for 50 baht per person.
You’ll then go through Thai immigration, where you’ll need your passport and either a re-entry permit, or you’ll sign a form that you don’t plan to reenter Thailand.
Once you clear immigration, you’ll take a bus across Friendship Bridge for 25 baht.
On the other side at Laos immigration, you’ll need your passport and a passport size photo. You’ll fill out forms that ask for an address in Laos--I just used my guesthouse in Luang Prabang.
You’ll then get a visa stamp on one page of your passport. Make sure you have enough pages before going!
The visa costs $40 USD. You can exchange money in Chiang Rai beforehand or they have ATMs at immigration.
After the whole process, you can get a minivan to Huay Xai town center. We paid 200 baht per person--we probably could’ve negotiated this, but we were tired and just wanted to put our stuff down at this point.
Slow Boat Day 1
We stayed at Oudomphone Guesthouse in Huay Xai, which we were able to book the day before for $11 USD for a double room. To avoid an exhausting travel day, I recommend staying in Huay Xai for a night instead of crossing the border and getting on the slow boat in the same day.
We bought slow boat tickets from the guesthouse for $30 USD, which includes transportation to the slow boat in the morning.
The next morning, we got breakfast and baguette sandwiches to take on the boat from the guest house (baguette sandwiches will soon become a staple through all your travels in Laos)
We were picked up around 8:30 AM in a songthaew to be driven down to the slow boat.
Getting on the boat, you have to take off your shoes and store your big bags either in the front or back.
The tickets have seat numbers on them which are loosely followed (the numbers are just pieces of paper on the seats so it's easy to move them lol). The seats on the boat are removed car seats so nothing fancy but comfortable enough.
We sat in the middle of the boat so in front of the engine but further back--the engine is loud and near the bathrooms and garbage so I would try to avoid sitting there.
We waited around an hour before actually departing. Remember, you are now officially running on Laos time!
The ride was pretty relaxing. I slept for a few hours, read, listened to music and podcasts, chatted with my friend, and watched the Mekong pass us by. Every few hours, the boat would stop off to pick up a local family, who would appear from behind the hillside carrying multiple children, bags of fruit, and luggage. How the boat knows where to pick them up or how these people know when it’s coming remains a mystery to me.
There’s also a bar on the boat with snacks, water, and beer. And it's obviously a rite of passage to get at least one Beer Lao.
Pakbeng
We arrived in the small town of Pakbeng around 5 PM, where we were greeted by eager guesthouse owners advertising rooms. Pro tip: don’t book an accommodation in advance (you'll pay more for the same places that everyone else is staying).
We chose Thipaphone guesthouse, which cost 150,000 kip for a basic double room and included transportation there and to the slow boat the next morning. We were able to order breakfast, coffee, and take away sandwiches from our guesthouse for the next day.
There's not much to do in Pakbeng but I recommend the Indian restaurant overlooking the Mekong that we and a bunch of other slow boat people went to.
After dinner, a bunch of backpackers migrate down to Happy Bar (they'll give you a ticket advertising this bar as soon as you get off the boat and you should def go). You get a free shot, cheap drinks, pool table, beer pong, and Jenga. It’s a good place to socialize with other backpackers.
Slow Boat Day 2
The next morning, a songthaew took us from the guesthouse at 8:30 AM to the slow boat. I would recommend getting there at 8:30 AM the latest to get a good seat.
They will collect your ticket today so make sure you don't lose it! You will not only have to pay but face the embarrassment of the entire boat watching as you search through your bags for the missing ticket (speaking from experience of the guy next to me).
We got to Luang Prabang around 5 PM, where we were greeted with tuktuks waiting at pier that will take you to the city center for 50,000 kip.
Extra Tips
*I would definitely advise planning your trip around burning season. I knew people who did the journey a month after us who were cruising through intense smoke, which just isn’t enjoyable. We were in Laos at the beginning of burning season, which was not ideal, but we were still able to do all of the things we wanted to do albeit a bit of coughing and teary eyes.
*Most of the people on the slow boat are following the same route down Laos so you’ll bump into each other a lot along the way. This can be both good and bad so be wary heh.
*I would recommend the slow boat experience if you have the time to do it. It’s an enjoyable, social way to get from Northern Thailand to Luang Prabang and gives you 2 days to sit down guilt free, which isn't often possible while backpacking.