2 Day Mekong Slow Boat From Huay Xai (Laos)

Discovering Laos – Huay Xai and a 2 day slow boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang.

Mekong Slow Boat From Huay Xai (Laos)

Huay Xai

Huay Xai is a small river town in the remote Bokeo province of northern Laos. A peaceful setting in the middle of a vast jungle, Ban Houayxay (as it is known in Lao) has become a popular stop for travellers on the SE Asia ‘backpacker route’. What’s so special about this place? Every morning passenger boats set off from the muddy embankment for a 2 day riverboat voyage down the slow moving waters of the legendary Mekong.

Most people arrive from north Thailand by crossing the Mekong River at the 4th New Friendship Bridge, making new friends along the way as I did – really, we shared a songthaew ride from the Lao customs checkpoint, with world travellers Donna and Helen from New Zealand and have been in touch ever since!

Our budget guesthouse was fine, a traditional wooden building on Huay Xai’s main street overlooking the riverside, and a short walk from the slow boat pier.

Late afternoon and dozens of vessels are tied up beside the quay, the long wooden ferries ready for the morning trip, the occasional luxury cruiser waiting for exclusive guests and several Laotian plank boats tethered by men who are busily chatting after a day’s work.

The slow boats tickets are on sale here at the official price, directly from the small office up the embankment steps near the customs shed; get the 2 day voucher as there’s an overnight stop at Pakben village, and a second boat continues next day to Luang Prabang (booking the slow boat through a hotel or agency is naturally more expensive).

Back on Main Street, I saw a steep flight of steps flanked by glittering serpentine creatures reaching up the hillside…and just had to explore. The ‘naga’ stairway leads up to Vat Chome Khaou Maniratn, a 19th century temple and Buddhist school on the top of a hill; a wooden pagoda with golden eaves is the elaborate prayer hall, while in the grounds a bell-dome stupa and ornate shrines stand quietly contemplating the Mekong. It’s also a great place to capture the views!

A teenage monk came up to chat, saying he was studying here, his last year as a scholar in Huay Xai. Boys of different ages are schooled by the monks…it gives them an excellent education they would not otherwise receive, in a poor country such as Laos, along with food and accommodation. The kids always look happy whatever their age.

The young Buddhist says he will go on to a monastery in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, for further education and then in his own words wants to “stop being a monk and travel the world”, especially to Europe to see our culture. Quietly spoken his English is brilliant.

The evening prayers are called with shrill bells, it’s extraordinary to watch as the orange robed monks wander in and sit down on the floor facing the altar, chanting gently – it doesn’t matter that some arrive late, it seems very laid-back.

Juan and I gave the busy backpacker restaurants a miss and went to a simple family run place for dinner where local people were eating. This was our first taste of real Lao noodles! Ordering is no problem as English is widely understood in Huay Xai, the universal language between foreign travellers.

Getting the Slow Boat to Luang Prabang

It’s best to walk down early (around eight in the morning), before the tour shuttles arrive, to grab a good seat upfront on the boat. At the back the engines are noisy and everyone squeezes past to the small bar and toilet cubicles. Plenty of street stalls sell filled baguettes, mineral water and fizzy drinks, fruit and nuts and biscuits- it’s a good idea to pick up some lunch, as snacks aboard are a bit limited.

You can travel overland by bus to Luang Prabang (a 12 hour overnight trip along winding narrow roads), get a ‘fast boat’ (a small motorboat that gets you there in one day although there is a safety issue with rapids and hidden rocks), or book a ‘luxury’ charter cruise.

However, the slow boat down the Mekong is the classic choice and an adventure in itself. The boat’s comfortable enough, the roof protects from sun or rain, the views of tree-clad mountainside is mesmerizing, and it is totally relaxing experience, a welcome change from long-distance trains and buses.

Day 1 on the Mekong Slow Boat

I thought there would be only one slow boat but logically there are several leaving each day depending on the number of passengers, the vast majority foreign visitors. By chance Donna and Helen were right in front of us, so it was fun swapping adventure stories and wanderlust quotes! Our boat leaves late but this is normal and as long as it reaches the halfway village of Pakben before sunset no one minds.

I couldn’t actually believe that I was here, cruising down the Mekong! At first you can see Thai villages and temples on the right-hand shoreline. Laos lies on the left bank and it’s much quieter, with only occasional glimpses of life… clusters of dwellings secluded in the trees, a cow grazing by a beach, and men fishing from plank canoes. There’s surprisingly little river traffic.

The slow boat ferry stops occasionally to let Lao passengers on or off – I watch as a women drags a splitting sack of grain up a dust track, back to her family living in their plaited straw home, I imagine. Whenever we head for the shore small children run down to the water’s edge to wave and giggle, the excitement of the day in this humble inaccessible region.

Overnight stop in Pakben

Pakben generally has negative reviews but it was fine for the night. I’d booked a room overlooking the river so we didn’t need to lug our bags up to the village proper or spend a few kip on shared transport (yes, Lao currency is called kip!). A guide on the boat touted accommodation and people from guesthouses were waiting at the pier saying they had rooms available, so you can no doubt barter the price. Our bedroom resembled a rickety loft but was clean enough and the landlady really friendly.

Pakben has one primitive, dimly lit main street going up a hill lined by overpriced tourist restaurants. The Indian eatery is actually okay and also a good choice for vegetarians.

Over breakfast early next morning on the veranda, I could see two elephants from a Thai animal rescue camp bathing in the very misty distance on the opposite riverbank.

The guesthouse prepared cheese and salad baguettes for us, and I bought fruit and more bottled water from a nearby food stall. We were ready to board at 8am, to beat the rush for seats. The second day of the slow boat to Luang Prabang is lazily similar to the first, chugging deeper into Laos and away from the Thailand border.

Day 2 on the Mekong Slow Boat

Both riverbanks along the Mekong are wholly in Laos now, the right-hand side particularly isolated as there are no bridges to cross the waters. We drew up for a few minutes near a remote village and little girls waded into the water to sell tie-on thread bracelets. They were desperately cute and it was sad to see the evident poverty. In other places children were playing and laughing in the water, pet dogs barking in unison.

The riverside scenes slip by gradually leading towards Luang Prabang. The river becomes busier as the Nam Ou affluent joins the Mekong. One of Laos’s bigger rivers, the Nam Ou originates in remote mountainous terrain near China some 450 kilometres away, flowing southwards past Nong Khiaw and other practically unknown villages.

Someone aboard points out the Pak Ou cave shrines cut out of the rock-face and the finally the ‘colonial city’ comes into sight. It’s late afternoon as the slow boat docks in Luang Prabang, just as the sunset reflects over River Mekong marking the end of the 2 day voyage…and the beginning of a new adventure in the heart of Laos.

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