Mekong Slow Boat

The slow boat runs from Huay Xai on the Thai border down to Luang Prabang over two days, tying up overnight at Pakbeng, which exists largely because the boats stop there. The boats are long, low and wooden, with car seats bolted to the deck, and they move at the speed of the river past forested banks, sandbars, buffalo, gold panners and villages with no road to them. It is the most-taken multi-day journey in Laos, and it is genuinely a good one if you understand what you are buying.

What you actually see

• The river banks - forested hills, rock outcrops and sandbars for two full days.
• The villages - riverside settlements with no road access, where the boat sometimes pulls in.
• Pakbeng - the overnight town, a single street on a steep bank, which the boats made.
• The working river - fishing, gold panning and cargo traffic alongside you the whole way.

When to go

November to March is the dry season, when the river is lower, the days are clear and the boats run reliably. In the wet season the water is high, brown and fast. March and April can be hazy from burning on the hills.

Honest expectations

It is six hours or more each day on a hard seat, and boats can be overcrowded on the busiest days. Bring food, water and something to read, because there is little on board. Speedboats do the same route in a day and are genuinely dangerous; the slow boat is the sensible option.

Nearby

Huay Xai is the northern end, with the Gibbon Experience running from it, and Luang Prabang is the southern.