Everything You Need to Know About Traveling By Slow Boat from Thailand to Luang Prabang

Before I started really planning a trip to Southeast Asia, I only knew a few things I definitely wanted to do on my first trip: go to the Lantern Festival, eat spicy noodles, see elephants up close for the first time in my life, and travel by slow boat to Luang Prabang from Thailand.

Although a slow boat down the Mekong river isn’t the quickest way to travel from Thailand to Laos, it is cheap and easily the most breathtaking route you can take. The experience is meditative and humbling. You won’t get the same experience on any other form of transportation.

The main thing I want to stress about embarking on this two day journey, is that you can absolutely do it all on your own. There were people trying to sell me slow boat tickets at every turn, especially the closer I got to the border, but stand your ground, don’t get discouraged, and follow these simple steps.

Here are more helpful links for traveling in Northern Thailand:

For some of the best restaurants in Chiang Mai, click here.
Read about my experience at a Chiang Mai elephant sanctuary here.
Learn how to cook amazing Thai food at a cooking class here.
Follow this link to discover the best way to experience the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival .
Read the reasons you’ll love visiting Chiang Mai here.

clouds and hills lining mekong river in thailand — *I promise all the following steps are worth it for views like this.*

Step One: Departing from Chiang Rai

My first recommendation is to spend the night in Chiang Rai and plan on getting an early start on the first day of your journey to Laos. I found Chiang Rai to be a little boring, so make sure you have a plan of what you’d like to see or take a later bus in to limit your time there.

The closer you stay to the bus station the better. There are plenty of options to choose from that are cheap, clean, and just about a five minute walk from Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1.

Plan on taking the first bus out at 6:30 am to Hua Xin/Chiang Khong. (Side note: check out with your hostel the night before if they don’t have anyone at the front desk that early.)

This bus will cost you 65 baht, which you can pay on the bus and takes about 3 hours.

bus at chiang rai bus station — *It was such a rewarding experience deciding to figure out this journey on my own!*

list of bus departure times — *In order to make sure you get there in time for the boat departure, make sure you’re on the first bus out!*

The bus was filled with a bunch of locals and I was almost unsure if we got on the right one. It’s always smart to let the bus driver know what your final destination is. The bus lets you off on the side of the road near border control, you will start seeing signs for it.

Once you get off the bus, you have to take a Tuk Tuk the rest of the way (for the two of us we paid 50 baht each) – we didn’t even try to haggle this price so it is up to you if you want to try or not.

The Tuk Tuk will drop you off right in front of border control.

inside an old bus in thailand — *Feelin like a gypsy, wandering through life on different buses*

entrance to border control in thailand — *Passport control – it’s pretty quick and painless*

Step Two: Border Control and Visa on Arrival

You can and should have everything you need for your Visa on arrival before you get to border crossing. But I didn’t have anything prepared and still made it through easily. So don’t be afraid if you don’t.

For your Visa on arrival you need one passport photo and $35 in US currency. I was told that it needed to be in US dollars (which I didn’t have). Border control agents accepted Laos Kip for my Visa (300,000 kip or $36).

I paid a small fee (10,000 kip or $1.20) for not having the photo. You can withdraw Kip from one of the ATMs on site or even use any Thai Baht you have left.

tuk tuk parked outside border control building — *You can’t avoid tuk tuks in Asia, even though I really wish you could*

Step Three: Slow Boat Ride

Once you’re done getting your Visa, you’ll be able to buy a ticket for the slow boat which is scheduled to depart at 11:00. At this point there is only one option for purchasing your ticket.

At the time I traveled it was 1,200 baht (about $37) per person for the bus ride, tuk tuk and boat ride to Luang Prabang. This is the cheapest you’ll find.

tuk tuk parked near slow boats — *You’re gonna want to give yourself a high five when you finally see the boats on the river*

Purchase the ticket, wait for the bus, at this point the journey is pretty self explanatory.

You may feel stressed with the time it takes to get everything done. In my experience the slow boat won’t leave without you. As long as you’re through border control at a reasonable time before departure, you’re fine. Our boat didn’t depart until noon.

There is a stop before you get on the boat where you can order fresh made sandwiches or other snacks and drinks for the trip. The boat I was on did sell beer, snacks and soft drinks at reasonable prices. There was also a toilet on board.

I would definitely get a sandwich here if you didn’t come with food. It will be your only chance for substantial food until dinner.

Sit back and enjoy the beautiful and relaxing scenery that lines the Mekong River. The first part of the slow boat to Luang Prabang is estimated to take up to 8 hours, we made it in about 6.

seats inside slowboat to luang prabang — *It’s not the life of luxury, but it’s got everything you’ll need*

mekong river flowing through hills — *and you’ll see nothing but this for two days*

Step Four: Staying the night in Pakbeng

The slow boat stops for the night in Pakbeng. It’s a tiny one-horse river town that has an abundance of mediocre rooms and restaurants.

There is no need to book a room ahead of time. You will have a tour advisor that will ride with you from border control to the boat who will insist that you need to book a room in advance because it’s “high tourist season.”

You don’t. Also, you should also always be wary of the phrase high tourist season.

small street in pakbeng — *Stopping over in Pakbeng is underwhelming but you’ll welcome a good night’s sleep after day one*

Once you get off the slow boat in Pakbeng just head immediately up the hill and down the main road. Stop at the first place with an available vacancy. If I can offer any advice here, don’t be picky. It won’t be luxurious but that’s not the kind of trip this is.

I stayed at Dockhoun Guesthouse. It was clean, had hot water and cost 100,000 kip (about $12) for a private room. I had a private bathroom and it was a close walk back to the boat in the morning.

Have a bite to eat in one of the local restaurants and go to bed early. There isn’t much else to do in Pakbeng.

slowboats parked in pakbeng for the night

Step Five: Day two on the slow boat

The slow boat leaves on day two at about 9:30am. Get there as early as you can. Have your guesthouse make you another sandwich for the boat ride or stop at one of the street vendors near the boat dock.

It’s pretty easy to navigate this part. We confirmed the slow boat departure time with our guesthouse, had a quick breakfast and got to the boat around 8:15. If you’re able to get there even earlier you might be able to snag a seat with an outlet for charging devices. This trip takes 7-9 hours and there is no Wi-Fi on the boat.

view of mekong river from inside slowboat — *How could you travel to Luang Prabang any other way now that you know the most scenic route?*

Step Six: Arriving in Luang Prabang

Once you dock in Luang Prabang, there is only one option for a tuk tuk into the city center. It’s 20,000 kip per person. There really is no use trying to haggle this price.

Before you get on the tuk tuk, let the driver know where you’re staying if you have already reserved a room. If it’s close to the city center, they will most likely drop you there. Otherwise you’ll get dropped off near the night market and you can easily look for a room from there.

sign for tuk tuk price in luang prabang — *Don’t bother trying to haggle, the price is what it is*

I always like to have a room booked for at least the first night that I am in a new city. Then I decide from there how long I’d like to stay and if I like the area that I’m staying in. Most importantly I like to know that the room I booked is clean and in a safe area before I commit to more than one night in a hostel.

The entire two day process on the slow boat to Luang Prabang is pretty painless. It was rewarding to do it on my own and seriously beautiful. If you have the time to travel this way, it isn’t an experience you will forget.