Mekong Charm Cruise & Travel

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Luang Prabang

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Slow boats on the Mekong, and day tours from town. The office is in Visoun, on Kitsalat Road.

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Luang Prabang – Pakbeng – Houay XaySaturday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Houay Xay – Pakbeng – Luang PrabangMonday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

The boat

Two days on the river. One night in Pakbeng.

The classic run is Luang Prabang, Pakbeng, Houay Xay. Downstream takes you into town. Upstream takes you out toward the Thai border. Either way you sleep in Pakbeng and eat on the boat.

The cabin is wood, with benches along the windows and a table if you want lunch sitting down. On the bow there are mats if you would rather lie down and watch the hills. Life jackets are on board. Please stay off the roof.

Up: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri
Down: Sat, Tue, Wed
Night in Pakbeng

Long blue slow boat on the Mekong, forested hill behind it — The long boat, tied up between runs.

Wooden cabin with blue cushions, passengers looking out at the river

Passengers on deck mats, Lao flag, forested bank

Lunch laid out in metal trays inside the wooden cabin

Inside on a down day: cushions, lunch, and the bow if the weather holds.

A guide and a guest on a trail below a forested cliff

Around town

If you are not getting on the boat.

Most people who find us are already in Luang Prabang and have a day or two spare. Kuang Si in the morning. Pak Ou if you want the caves. A bike across the river if you would rather skip the waterfall queue.

The longer walks go out toward Phatueng, Houay Faiy, and the villages past Tad Sae. Nong Khiaw is an overnight, up the Nam Ou, and worth it if the karst is what you came for.

All cruises and tours

Two people with bikes on a dirt road, mountains ahead — Village roads on the bike days. Helmets are on the bikes.

Khmu village houses under a limestone peak — A Khmu village stop on the hill-tribe day.

Two women in striped textile dress in front of a bamboo house

Who you are booking

A small office on Kitsalat Road.

Mekong Charm is Seuk and the guides who actually run the days. We live in Luang Prabang. If a road is closed after rain, we say so before you leave the guesthouse.

Village visits are visits, not shows. On the school day, gifts go through the teacher. On the Buddhism day, Seuk comes with you. Ask before you photograph people in a house.

VisounOffice on Kitsalat Road

WhatsApp+856 20 23 895 459

Small groupsDates first, then the plan

A man casting a fishing net from the riverbank

Sunset over the Mekong with boats at a rocky landing

Luang Prabang

The town, before the boat.

Temples, the morning market, silk, and the river from the bank. This is the Luang Prabang we work in.

Luang Prabang album

Textile stalls at the Luang Prabang night market

Sisavangvong Road in Luang Prabang, with tuk-tuks and shop houses

Monks receiving alms on a Luang Prabang street

Fruit at the Luang Prabang morning market

The river

Mist, the falls, and the peninsula after dark.

A white slow boat on the Mekong near Luang Prabang at sunset — A slow boat on the Mekong, near sunset.

Turquoise pools at Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang — The falls, before the noon queue.

Star-shaped lanterns on a Luang Prabang balcony at blue hour — The peninsula, once the day is done.

Before you come

The day is slow. The planning is not.

Morning startSlow boats leave early. Day tours start before the heat.

Small groupsTell us the date and the number. We say if the day still has room.

What to bringA hat, water, and shoes you can get wet. Cash for Pakbeng if you stay the night.

Office hoursKitsalat Road, most days 8:00–18:00. WhatsApp is watched later.

Find the office

Kitsalat Road, Visoun.

The office is in the village, a short walk from the old town. If you are already in Luang Prabang, come by before the boat day.

Before you book

What people ask before the boat day.

How does the slow boat actually run?

A white slow boat on the Mekong near Luang Prabang at sunset

The slow boat runs between Luang Prabang, Pakbeng, and Houay Xay. Each direction takes two days, with one night in Pakbeng. Downstream leaves Houay Xay on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Upstream leaves Luang Prabang on Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It does not run both ways every day, so send the date you want before you change a hotel.

You board in the morning and reach Pakbeng in the afternoon. The night there is part of the trip. The next morning the boat continues early, on to Houay Xay at the Thai border, or back to Luang Prabang. Lunch is served on the boat between Luang Prabang and Pakbeng. There is a seat in the wooden cabin, and you can step out to the bow when the river is calm.

Write your travel date, direction, and how many of you there are. We confirm whether that boat still has room.

What is the night in Pakbeng like?

Wooden berths inside a Mekong slow-boat cabin

Pakbeng is a small river town, not a second Luang Prabang. You arrive in the afternoon, sleep there, and leave again the next morning. The guesthouse is arranged with the boat. It is a simple room: a bed, a fan or air-con when the power holds, and a shared or private bathroom depending on the house that day.

Ask which guesthouse it is before you pay. If you want a private room, say so on WhatsApp with the number of people. Pakbeng has a few small restaurants by the river. Bring some cash in kip or baht. Card machines are not something to count on after dark.

The boat day is long. A hat, water, and a layer for the morning mist are more useful than a large suitcase.

Why is there no price on the site?

A long boat with a boatman on the Mekong at the Nam Khan mouth, Luang Prabang

The rate changes with the date, the direction, and how many seats are left. A quiet Tuesday is not the same as a full Saturday, and a private room in Pakbeng is not the same as a shared one. A number printed here would be wrong by the time you arrive.

Send a WhatsApp with the date, Luang Prabang to Houay Xay or the other way, the number of people, and whether you want a private room. We reply with the figure for that boat, and what the ticket covers: the seat, lunch on the first day, and the Pakbeng night.

Day tours are quoted the same way. Tell us Kuang Si, Pak Ou, a village, or a bike day, plus the date and the pickup hotel. There is no online checkout. The office on Kitsalat Road can also take the booking if you are already in town.

Can I book only a day out of town?

Turquoise pools at Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang

Yes. If you are already in Luang Prabang, a day tour does not need a boat ticket. Kuang Si, the Pak Ou caves, a weaving village, and a bike day on the peninsula can each be booked on their own.

These days start early, before the heat and before the falls fill up. We pick you up from a guesthouse in town when the road is open. Say the hotel name and a mobile number the night before. The drive is the long part. At Kuang Si you walk down through the pools. At Pak Ou you cross the river to the caves. A village stop is for looms and a drink, not a staged show.

Nong Khiaw is a longer day. Ask before you plan anything else that evening. We do not sell trips outside this area.

Where do we meet, and what should we carry?

Fruit at the Luang Prabang morning market

For a day tour, pickup is from your guesthouse in Luang Prabang when the lane is open to a car. Send the hotel name the evening before. If the lane is too narrow, we name a corner you can walk to in two minutes.

For the slow boat, we do not collect bags from every hotel. The evening before, we send the landing and the boarding time. Be there early. The boat does not wait for a late tuk-tuk. From Houay Xay, the same message gives the landing on that bank.

Carry a hat, drinking water, sunscreen, and shoes you can get wet. A small day bag is enough on the boat. Keep your passport in that bag if you are crossing to Thailand at Houay Xay. The office is on Kitsalat Road in Visoun, usually 8:00–18:00. WhatsApp is read later than that.

Tell us the date.

WhatsApp is the fastest way. Send the day you want to leave, how many people, and whether you want the boat or a day around town. We reply with what is actually running.

WhatsApp +856 20 23 895 459 Write instead