ONCE IN A LIFETIME FROM HUAY XAI TO LUANG PRABANG. MEKONG RIVER TOUR, LAOS 2022

A journey from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang by boat. We're able to take you on a 2-day boat trip through the Mekong River moving through some spectacular nature. We make a quick stop at Pak Beng to stay overnight in a budget accommodation to carry on the ride to Luang Prabang. Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!!!!
Where is the boat ticket service in Huay Xai: goo.gl/maps/AoTAtXmchnnbxjb1A
Budget accommodation in Pak Beng "Sivongsack Guesthouse"; goo.gl/maps/DHVgvJDcq5aqnMXy5
Budget accommodation (nice and clean + friendly staff) in Luang Prabang "Soutikone Place House 2"; goo.gl/maps/66x6UoDZzik2qLuh9
Being in Luang Prabang We've been asking several places in town if there are slow boats leaving from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai. This is until now only possible by private boat and you're looking at 5 million Kip/ 350 USD.
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[@bengmelea8646]

Many years ago in addition to the 2 day slow boat there used to be a 1 day (9 hour) fast boat service and a 5 hour speed boat all the way to Luang Prabang. The speed boat was noisy and you needed to wear a crash helmet & life jackets so I opted for the fast boat that had airline seats and all you could drink Lao beer & lunch for the all-in price of THB2400. That fast boat had a larger engine and still exists but the authorities have now forced all boat operators to stop over in Pak Beng to bring in more tourist dollars.

[@Chai_Travel]

Gotcha mate. Thanks for that extra info! I think it’s not a bad idea for them to force the stop over so the money tourist bring is also flowing into smaller villages 😊 I guess it’s also a lot safer on the slow boat by the sound of it😝 thanks again 🏆

[@bengmelea8646]

@@Chai_Travel Ironic to think that, per my previous comment on your other Huay Xai video, that the new Friendship Bridge has now curtailed a lot of tourist dollars spent at both Chiang Khong and Huay Xai as they can now by-pass these towns because of this bridge. Before the immigration checkpoints were conveniently downtown at the ferry crossing for all Thai, Lao and foreigners alike. Now I believe only locals on both sides can cross there.

[@drjeff6956]

Not your typical video and certainly not your typical trip. Nice to see a different part of the world.

[@Chai_Travel]

😎 thanks Dr Jeff. A little different this one 😁 cheers!

[@alireza_adventure]

Wow Amazing bro Good Luck BIG BIG LOVE FROM IRAN

[@Chai_Travel]

Thank you Alirezas 😃 good to know Iran is watching 🤗 cheers🏆

[@dksharron]

Thank you for the boat trip.

[@Chai_Travel]

Thank you as well Sharron 🤗 have a good rest of the weekend 🏆 cheers

[@stevens8785]

Chai and Ilona. Really enjoyed this video. It looked so laid back and relaxing. All the food and drink needed made available. Simply not a care in the world and plenty of people to have fun and share your time with. Life is so good. Eye catching scenery and I reckon a few drone shots would have been amazing BUT probably a bit early in the apprenticeship to start sending it up there off of a moving boat 😂🤣😂🤣😂Thanks for sharing champs and looking forward to the next couple of videos for sure. Liking the longer video with less editing too. This one flowed beautifully. 15-20 minutes is perfect length in my opinion 🤩

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks champ! Haha yeah your were right about them drone shots! If I was more experienced I would have done it but I didn’t wanna take the risk of losing one again 😅 nice one mate. I’ll definitely switch up the lengths in between 8 and 20 minute. Some videos need more time than others to show what I’d like to show :) that being said I’ll try to make more longer once :) cheers mate 🏆

[@japjotkang5360]

Enjoyed watching the video, the boat trip looks fun.

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks champ 😃 it was good to be among other backpacks. It was a while ago 😊 have a good one 🙏🏼

[@sonevongkot6046]

Have fun and a safe trip

[@Chai_Travel]

Thank you so much 🏆🤗 cheers

[@bakbak35]

Did this tour in 2009 excellent and then on to vang vieng when it was in full swing with bars and tubing down the river

[@Chai_Travel]

Ooo Vang Vieng is also beautiful 😍 we’ll skip it this time just to explore more of Luang Prabang. Have a great day JD 🏆

[@gertdrok]

Very nice video in a Beautiful Area. 🙏

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks Gert 😁 good to see some fellow travelers again. Cheers mate

[@antruok4950]

Very enjoyable watch - the look around the boat set the scene - impressive scenery and liked the look of Pak Beng - great start to your Laos journey - thanks for taking us along 😄👌👍👊👋🙏

[@Chai_Travel]

Great start indeed 😃 I’m glad you enjoyed this one! Mixed it up a bit. Me and Ilona really liked Pak Beng for a stop :) also good to see a bunch of travellers again 😃 the world getting “back” to “normal” again 🤩 cheers

[@CouncilCollective]

Fantastic viewing Chai,,,,peace and happiness

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks G 😁 really enjoyed this boat ride. So good to see fellow travelers again. Have a beautiful one

[@benrongen9440]

Great mate,,love too do this

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks Ben! Love to visit Malaysia in about 2month. 🤩

[@DikWhite]

Great video again, Chai. A much more comfortable ride with those seats on the boat, and, yes, I remember the hard wooden benches. We stayed in Pak Beng too, all wooden shacks back in 1995, good to see these boat trips have brought some prosperity to the villagers. Enjoy Luang Prabang, such a lovely city.

[@Chai_Travel]

Thank ja Dik. Haha yeah I can imagine how a wooden bench would feel, for 2 days as well 😅 we’re loving this city 😍 beautiful surroundings here. Cheers mate

[@Goeker]

I'm loving the Laos adv. so far. Good job guys. Cheers!

[@Chai_Travel]

Whoohoo! Cheers mate 😁 glad you’re enjoying them! Ey also thanks for chipping in to get us a new drone 😃🏆 you really makes us feel appreciated doing what we’re doing. I hope you’re having a good Sunday Göker 👉 cheers!

[@anduerooo]

13:48 what a legend 🙌🏼 And Minto is the travel-goat, what a men 🙏🏼

[@Chai_Travel]

Haha true mate 🤩 I feel fortunate we got to share the journey with them 🤗 thanks for watching champ 🏆 cheers

[@americaninthailand8760]

Wow, those boats are surprisingly long! Glad it was nice and peaceful without any karaoke!😂

[@Chai_Travel]

Yeah right? The boat goes really slow but I think there are boats that are doing the same trip in 10 hours or less 😁🚀

[@suerowan3594]

Hello Chai and Ilona 😍 awesome video great boat trip the scenery is gorgeous. Great interviews as always. Safe travels and enjoy your time. Take Care 😍

[@Chai_Travel]

Hi Sue 😁 mr Minto was such a good company 🤩 he invited Ilona and I to his table in Pak Beng at dinner time :) so lovely. I’m glad you enjoyed this video 😁 greetings from Luang Prabang. Have a good evening 🏆 cheers!

[@Ramfadora]

I would love to visit and experience this activity . Amazing journey in the river Chai .

[@Chai_Travel]

Hi Ramfadora 😊 it was so nice to be on a boat with a nice group of people :) thanks again and have a beautiful evening 🙏🏼🏆

[@korean_foot_traveler8655]

The beauty of the nature in this video captivates my attention and interest. That's really fantastic.😀👍👍

[@Chai_Travel]

Aw that’s so nice of you ❤️ I really enjoyed making this one. Thanks for watching again 🙏🏼 cheers

[@korean_foot_traveler8655]

@@Chai_Travel You are welcome.🙏🙌🙌🙏

[@ramthian]

Good 👍 x

[@Chai_Travel]

Ramthian 😍 good to see you’re so active 🤗

[@user-bh9wj8ix7y]

Nice video, thanks! I just arrived to Houayxay from Chiang May and am going to do same soon.

[@Chai_Travel]

thank you 🤗

[@user-bh9wj8ix7y]

@@Chai_Travel I'm still in Houayxay.. I like this place)

[@Swampzoid]

I enjoyed your slow boat ride. 🚣‍♂ Thanks for sharing

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks for your support by commenting Swampzoid 🙏🏼 it means a lots. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this one again 😁 cheers

[@LaoSoftware]

Laos is amazing. Amazing natural scenery, historical sites, and French colonial architecture. The slow boat ride is nice if you like peace and quiet. Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng are quiet towns. Mountains and rivers set the background. I could live in Laos forever.

[@alidahofficiel2477]

زرناكم و تركنا بصمتنا عندكم، نتمنى ان نراكم عندنا👍👍 كل التوفيق💚💚

[@Chai_Travel]

شكرا جزيلا لك! يسعدنا أنك تشاهد 🏆

[@phackdy]

Thanks for visiting Laos! Youkkkk ( Cheers)

[@parawm4585]

Great video! Really liking this serie so far. From 3m45s to 4m25s I am getting a real David Attenborough vibe from your narrating Chai! Very relaxed. Perhaps work that angle more 😆

[@Chai_Travel]

Haha I might need to put up a strong deep old southern English accent next time. I love his voice 😍I’ll see if I can make some more of this 😁 thanks Para 😊

[@HamNoytheDutchGuy]

Wow mate, it is on the bucketlist for the future that slowboat ride, and saw a few video's about it and i mentioned the sets of the boots looked like van or bus seats but without the headrest, hmmmmm.... why not, did you ask if there was a reason not to put them on? It has to be because of the sweat and other stuff people have on there hair whats comes into the headrest is gues 🤔 Beerlao was my favorite in Laos, they have also some dark heavy and red ones, did you try them? Strange thing about the slow boat, they don't actualy stop in Luang Prabang but a small village before, however Lunag Prabang has a boatpier, why not drop you off there? Anyhow enjoy Laos as much as we did, and on to the next one, cheers 🙌🍻

[@Chai_Travel]

Haha yeah good questions mate! I had a few different beers and I loved them all. I’m a big fan of pale ale 😊

[@twinflowerfioretta]

Hi Ilona and Chai, what a wonderfullly relaxed boat trip, you catched up exactly the mood and amazing scenery, that makes this trip so splendid ! i did this trip with 3 nights stop in Pak Beng, exploring this beautiful place, it is worth to do it. Thank you both, much love for your travel experiences ! 💕👍🏆

[@Chai_Travel]

No way 😃 that would be perfect to have a stop for a few days over there. Because the boats are going not that regular it’s not possible at the moment but I definitely can see ourselves stopping there as well. Glad you were able to travel this part as well 😍 cheers

[@hjkim224]

좋은 정보 감사합니다 😊😊

[@Chai_Travel]

천만에요. 🏆 도움이 되셨다니 다행입니다.

[@wdaniel2221]

This was a fun one. That slow boat ride looked beautiful. Excited to see your adventures in Luang Prabang!

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks Will! I’m just working on a video at Kuang Si waterfall 😁 such a beautiful place, coming up! Have a good one champ 🏆 cheers

[@LaoSoftware]

Life is short. You have enjoy it while you got it. Laos is amazing place. Beautiful natural scenery, historical sites, French colonial architecture. Don't forget that the Americans bombed the shit out of Laos in 1960's/1970's. Laos is innocent victim of the Vietnam War.

[@olawoda1943]

Great video and experience! I am planning to do the same route in 2023. Could you please tell me something about your camera gear? What do you use? I love the sound from your microphone. It is so clear!

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks! You won’t regret it. I was filing this with an IPhone 13+ OM4 DJI gimbal. The Microphone is Saramonic Blink 500. I hope this was useful 😁

[@edmo43]

Thank you friend Chai for this extraordinary experience. I think that river is the one that is identified as the Golden Triangle shared by three countries, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Interesting history of the opium industry. Amazing. 👍❤🤟

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks Edwin 😃 that’s right. Further upstream they have that Triangle. Back in the day it was a dangerous area to be in because there was a lot of drug trafficking. This might still happen but on a way smaller scale and it’s super safe there 😃 woohoo! Cheers

[@spadebraithwaite1762]

I lived in China for a few years so I've done that journey a few times in both directions. Now I live in Chicago, Illinois and it's Winter. God, I bloody wish I was there!

[@Chai_Travel]

Nice one Spade, thank you for sharing that. have a good one

[@LaoSoftware]

I live in Seattle. It's winter here and it's cold too. I bloody wish to be in Laos again. I love Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. The French colonial architecture is amazing in Laos.

[@MonicaQuillsAsia]

You mentioned slow boats going only two days per week. Is that due to COVID? Are there other boat options. I heard of Smile Cruises but it seems they have no info after two years ago?

[@Chai_Travel]

Yo Monica, it’s because of the lack of tourists. The only other option was to get a private boat for for 5 million Kip. This might have changed already though

[@cheakytoday]

This was so scenic.... Pity the water is a bit muddy and brown but still beautifull

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks champ! 😃 yeah the river is very brown. I guess it’s all year around. Thanks again. Cheakytoday 🏆 cheers!

[@mitchellsouphasith3763]

The government should put statues of Oompa Loompa around the river.

[@TylerVlogs97]

I am doing the same trip starting tomorrow:)

[@Chai_Travel]

Awesome! Safe travels 😃

[@ercanyolteper3927]

Hello. Your video has been very helpful. I will be in Laos at the end of January. I don't want to go to Luang Prabang via Thailand by slow boat. Luang Prabang-Huay Xai or opposite direction. Does it matter, which one is less crowded? Does the flow direction of the water prevent travel or prolong the time? Thanks for support.

[@Chai_Travel]

IG ;)

[@judithbr4022]

Hoi Chai, heb je een pcr of vaccin bewijs nodig om Laos binnen te komen?

[@Chai_Travel]

Yes die heb je nodig of een (PCR) ATK test met negatieve uitslag Max 48voor vertrek

[@maxalbert8903]

Its Andrew

[@Chai_Travel]

You Andrew! What’s happening champ!? 😃

[@maxalbert8903]

@@Chai_Travel Tate :)

[@Jimak0z]

Hello, what is the name of the hotel that also book your reservation tickets for the boat tour?

[@Chai_Travel]

Hi hi, It's called Hom Po in Huay Xai

[@rossbrandvold]

Is there power for cell phones on the boat? Can you pay for the visa with bahts? Or USD? And is cash required?

[@Chai_Travel]

You’re better of paying in the local currency but USD and THB is mostly accepted for high exchange rates. You better travel with a power bank but there will be a few plugs on the boat. Type A, type B, type C, type E and type F

[@TravellingCat-vr3wl]

How is the city of Huay Xai itself? Is it worth staying there for one night, then taking the boat, or is it better to directly get into the boat without staying there if you come from Chiang Rai/Thailand? Anyway, thanks for the great video.

[@Chai_Travel]

It’s nice enough:) we’d stayed a night and we loved it. I personally could stay a few nights just to take it easy 😍

[@TravellingCat-vr3wl]

@@Chai_Travel Thanks for your advice.

[@rjw318]

there is no LIKE/DISLIKES. It is clearly a LIKE, but I can't do it.

[@Chai_Travel]

Thanks mate. That’s strange. Thanks for commenting though 😁 good to know you’re watching🏆

[@SOPHA.2R]

ຍິນດີຕ້ອນຮັບ🇱🇦

[@Chai_Travel]

ຂອບໃຈ❤️

[@daviddenham1511]

Wow, so really roughing it in the wild!….with your satnav, google and translator apps…..what a brave intrepid and rugged explorer you are!……you can always rely on your Amex card if stuck.

[@Chai_Travel]

😁 cheers David. Laos is such a nice place to discover 😍 have a beautiful day champ 🏆 cheers

[@heikkijaakkoremes8690]

Thank You,really nice trip you have there 🚤

[@Chai_Travel]

Thank you Heikki ❤️ it’s great to show you our trip 🏆