To Huay Xai from Luang Prabang by slow boat - please help me

I have posted this elsewhere but I thought setting up a new heading might help get a response or two.

I have a problem which may not seem a difficult one but in fact is causing us a real headache. Hopefully you might be able to help - or someone else might?

On Monday 12 May we need to catch a boat get to the Laos border by spending two days boat ride to Huay Xai spend a night there and the next morning transfer to Chang Rai airport and our flight to Koh Samui. We are very keen to do this boat trip which was intended to be one of the highlights of our trip.

Unfortunately we had intended to travel with Asian Oasis who have been regularly recommended to us for the trip but they only leave on Wednesday and Saturday which no way will fit into our schedule which is quite a tight one.

I cannot seem to find another SUITABLE company that does the same trip and I am keen to pre-book it rather than leave it till when we arrive at the jetty on the Monday morning. Some of the boats that leave from this place to go to Huay Xai have a bad reputation for being overcrowded or very poor standard and we had intended to lay out on a decent boat for these two days. We could possibly leave Luang Prabang a day later but are keen to avoid this and anyway it wouldn%26#39;t help us catch the Asian Oasis trip.

Please help someone, we are a bit stuck!

To Huay Xai from Luang Prabang by slow boat - please help me

Damn... I was trying to find some info to help me with my enquiry and I%26#39;ve inadvertantly ended up helping someone else! try:

nagiofmekong.com

looks like they do the trip on 12 May but it seems pricey to me!

how much was asian oasis costing?

jim

To Huay Xai from Luang Prabang by slow boat - please help me

It IS expensive with Asian Oasis - The cost per person is USD$243.00 twin share and includes the following:

2 days cruise from Luang Prabang to Houei Say

1 night accommodation at Luangsay Lodge in Pakbeng

lunch both days on the boat, breakfast the first morning on the boat

dinner and breakfast at the Lodge

tea, coffee and drinking water for the duration of your cruise

services of a guide

entry to Pak Ou caves

assistance at immigration in Chiang Khong and Houei Say

I have also organised a transfer for you from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai on 15 May. The cost for this transfer is USD$75.00 and you should arrive in Chiang Rai around 7.00pm.

We have decided to go with it as all our contacts say it is a memorable trip one not to miss and we understand that the wooden boats which are the alternative, while extremely cheap are extremely uncomfortable even by back packing standards and the accommodation in Pak Beng can be woeful!

Go for it!

it was one of the highpoints of our trip... I was sitting on the quay in Luang Prabang waiting for sunset when the slow boat with the backpackers pulled in and I was so glad I opted for the trip that used the Asian Oasis boat (supposedly it is less crowded going in the direction you%26#39;re going, but still)

did notice a lot of the slow boats going in the opposite direction were empty - and the slow boats going from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang were not crowded when we were on the river midweek, but were packed when they arrived in LPB on the weekends

The Luang Say resort rooms were photographed by a master - they%26#39;re not as romantic as they look - but the place is really nice and supposedly a world above the other options.

Hi I have done this boat trip 3 times and will be there again in late March, anyway it is not a big probelm travelling on the slow boat to Huay Xai it can be a little uncomfortable but if it suits your time schedules than it,s a fantastic experience. When you get to Pakbeng for the stopover you can contact my friend Mana Hasanna who runs a tourist office close to the Mekong river if you wish his phone is 205807535. This slow boat trip is very cheap but I don,t know about the cost to Koh Samui. Hope thiis will help I love the place, cheers. Yuen. Ps I love Laos and hope you have a great trip.

Hi, not a big probelm though the slow boat can be a little uncomfy but Ok, it is a fantastic boat trip for me, been this trip 3 times and will be there again soon, it is very cheap including accomadation and extras and if it suits your schedule there should not be any probelms, buy your ticket near the quay in Luang Prabang first and be early to get good seats. When you get to Pakbeng stopover you can contact my friend Mana Hassana who run a tourist office first on the right close to the Mekong phone 205807537 if you wish or just say hello for me. I don,t know the fare to Koh Samui, hope this will help a little. Cheers and have a nice trip.Choy.

Just one question about the slow boats up the Mekong:is there any type of toilet facility?

Yep, my boat had an toilet and you could even buy beer! The chairs are very NOT comfortable, but if you arrive early, there are a couple of busseats, which may not be taken already. (Not sure if all the boats are the same)

Mana also has a site http://www.pakbeng.com/ and we did a one night sleep over hike to a tribal village, which was great fun and absolutely not touristic.