The Pakbeng Passage - 2 Days

You'll need to arrive in Chiang Rai or Chiang Khong in Thailand the night before your Shompoo cruise begins, ready for an early start. If you're staying in Chiang Rai, plan to leave at around 6 am, as the drive to Chiang Khong takes about 2 hours. Make your way to the Chiang Khong Immigration Office on the Thai side by 7:30 am. Once you've cleared Thai immigration, buy a ticket for the public shuttle bus, which takes around 7 minutes to cross into Laos. After completing Lao immigration, where visas on arrival are available (if you already hold an e-visa, you can head straight to the immigration booth for your entry stamp), Shompoo Cruise staff meet you and transfer you to the Slow Boat Pier. The cruise departs at 9 am, and our guide gives an overview of the journey ahead. Lunch is enjoyed on board, along with a hands-on introduction to preparing khao tom muk khouay: banana with coconut milk and sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Before reaching Pakbeng in the late afternoon, we stop at Ban Pak Sith village to learn about rural life and how locals produce rice-based alcohol. Dinner is included, and you overnight in Pakbeng, ready to rejoin the boat the next morning. Please note: Accommodation and transport in Thailand are not included and should be arranged separately.

After breakfast, we leave Pakbeng at 8 am for another day of cruising through idyllic countryside, the perfect time to take in the jungle scenery as the sun warms the day. Onboard, we're shown how to make a drink using butterfly pea flowers and lime, before lunch is served as the boat continues downstream. We then stop at the Pak Ou Caves, set into a dramatic limestone cliff where the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers meet. Inside the lower cave, Tham Ting, over 2,000 Buddha statues left by local people over hundreds of years fill the subterranean space. From here, we restart the 25 km run to Luang Prabang, arriving at an estimated 4:30 pm. Once the ancient capital of the Lao monarchy, Luang Prabang is home to a stately royal palace and an abundance of glittering temples, earning it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995. Set in a deep valley beside the Mekong with a dramatic mountain backdrop, it's the country's leading destination for visitors.this tour ends on arrival in the city.