Laos forum

G'Day JakiDL,
Thanks for the info.--great tip.
I'll try & find an e-mail for the Chiang Saen hotel & see if I can sort it.

Sounds like a great trip & a good idea as all the good places in Pakbeng are full early Feb.

Try adding in the www, but it should work anyway.

http://www.twogohobo.blogspot.com/

The site address for the Chaing Saen hotel is on there as well I think - have a look at the Mekong River Post.

Hi JakiDl,
Many thanks for coming back again. Still no luck accessing your site.
Tried www.twogohobo.blogspot.com & various combo's. --no luck.
It would be useful to get into it so I can get hold of the Chaing Saen hotel.
Any suggestions, please?
Regards, Mike.

G'Day Rover in Exile,
Great idea. I've sent them an e-mail.

Do you know if the boat does this trip ever day?

Thanks for your help. --- Mike.

Sorry if people are having trouble getting to the blog, but the address is correct.

http://twogohobo.blogspot.com

the Chaing Saen hotel's site is:

http://www.chiangsaenriverhill.com/

There were a couple of letters round the wrong way on the blog - that's fixed now.

Some other info -
The price of the trip on their site is 2,300 baht (just over 30 GBP) although we paid about 10 pounds more because we went through a travel agent.
I think the boat does the trip only twice a week.

LancasterLad - you need to stay somewhere close by the border before catching the boat in the morning, there's no way of avoiding that.

The boat leaves Huay Xai about 8.30 - 9am and arrives about 5.30pm. The travel agents are probably telling you nonsense simply because they don't do that trip and want you to book one of theirs. Go directly to the Chaing Saen River Hill hotels website - you can book directly with them.

I'm gonna have to eat a bit of humble pie. I've found a couple of guesthouses who are promoting Chian Mai to Luang Prabang by road/boat in 2 days. The promotional price for Nov/Dec is 2100 Bahts. Road transport leaves CM on Thursday and Sunday mornings and goes to Chiang saen via the usual Golden triangle route taking in a few sights. Overnight accommodation and breakfast is included. Assistance in obtaining a visa is included. Apparently the soft-seat (turbo-charged) slow-boat takes only 35 passengers, and even has a bar at the back.

I reckon this is an absolute bargain, particularly as it's practically a door-to-door service in relative comfort, and it cuts out Pak Beng.

This is rather confusing situation, the true Nagi Of Mekong does not operate on Friday and price does not include any accommodation at Chiang Saen River Hill.

The Nagi of Mekong only runs the one day cruise from Houi Xai to Luang Prabang on SUnday and Wednesday with guaranteed departure regardless of number of passengers.

The website of the Nagi of Merkong is www.travel-thailand.com

The registration number of the Nagi of Mekong is 073.

I am begging the operator of the fake Nagi of Mekong to change the product name, if your product is good, you can use any name but if your product is bad, it is going to hurt us.





What this travel agent in Chiang Rai does has nothing to do with our operations of the Nagi of Mekong at all.

I agree with JakiDL.

We booked two seats to go on the cruise offered by Chiang Saen River Hill last Friday, they couldn't do the one day as promised and did not explianed why we couldn't do it. Ended up spending a night in Pak Bang and arrived Luang Prabang the next day. There were some hunbdred passengers being stranded. Any know what really happened, would appreciate any information on this. Some people said they din;t have license some say they had problem with local authority. Maybe din't pay them enough money.

Sure, but no boat with this comfort. The indicated price is direkt of the organizer. Over a travel agency it would be clearly more expensive. If we get 20 people together, then the boat for the price in any case is worthwhile itself. I made this route already repeatedly with normal Slowboat and Speedboat. Find both however very unpleasant. For this reason this time evenly somewhat more comfort. But thanks for the information and the reference. I can report, if we will have made the route.
Greetings from Bangkok fugooo

To book the Nagi of Mekong, use the contact email at the website (sunquest@travel-thailand.com). This got us in touch with the organisers. If you're traveling on 21 January, we'll see you there!

OK, one final message onthis topic from me: I have just arrived in Luang Prabang - but it took 2 days, not 1. The problem was the Nagi was delayed, so Adisak (see above) organised another boat but it was a slow boat and so had to stop for a night en route. But he was very apologetic and helpful - and hey I am here!

Now back in London and just seen this. It is easy to get to LP from CM. You have two options: 1. Fly (Lao Air). 2. Drive from CM to C Kong & then across Mekong to HX. Then u can either take bus or boat to LP.

We booked the Nagi of Mekong and it never showed up, leaving us stranded in Houayxai. Tried to contact Adisak without success. There didn't seem to be any other passengers waiting around, so we assumed it had gone out of business due to lack of demand. Very frustraing.

Hello fellows,
I make this trip very often as a photographer.
I believe I can tell you this. The only way to in one day from / to Luan Prabang to/ from Houey Say is called the "speed boat". They are actually taxi on the river, very fast indeed, and very noisy and uncomfortable too. The touristic authorities are even trying very hard to avoid western tourist to take them. If you look a bit hard, going to the "speed boat" pier for example, it will cost you about 4000 THB for a boat / sharing is always possible.
I don't know about the cruise you are mentioned above, but there is no other way, to my knowledge, that to spend 2 days and a stop at Pakbeng for the night doing this trip. And it is also the way to actually appreciate this unique trip.
There is a simple "Slow boat" available from any agency or directly at the harbor. It is actually crowded at certain period of the year, and stopping at Pakbeng in high season can be at the least a bit rought. When I used to make this trip that way I would arrange to be able to make a run to Boomis guesthouse.
Now As I still travel at least twice a year there I can recommend a little more expensive way, but very worthy. You might want to check www.luangsay.com.
2 days, like the slow boat, but very comfortable and a cool stop at the LuangSay Lodge. It is for me always a pleasure to be there.
.....
For the night in Houey Say, there is a one clean "big" hotel, 300m on the left inside when you come from the border/pier. last time I check it was 800 THB a night, it does the job if you did not find something more to your taste, there is room available all the time i believe... There is also Bamboo bungalows, half way, is much cheaper (300) and a very cool backpacker joint, but full most of the year.
I will update those info next time I have to spend the night there.

I might be wrong Charlotte, and someone please correct me if I am, but can't you just catch the express fairy at the Banglampoo stop just west of Pra athit rd? I mean they are "express" should be there lickety split. Might want to check a map.

Thanks for the info. I am only flying into Bangkok though and want to get out as soon as possible and get to Laos. What do you think is the best/nicest way to get there? I would really like to do a trip down the Mekong at some point. From Laos I go onto Vietnam and Cambodia.

Any help much appreciated!!

C

Hey ! I finally found some more on travelfish itself ;
http://www.travelfish.org/transport/thailand/bangkok_and_surrounds/bangkok/bangkok/all
http://www.travelfish.org/transport/thailand/northern_thailand/chiang_mai/chiang_mai/all

somtamboy

My experience is that if you don't expose one's kids to adventure and new enjoyments, how are they ever going to grow into well rounded rationalising adults?

The 2 day boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang can be crowded. Given that when YOU look at photo's people have taken of the trip, and how passengers can be a bit squeezed in, ask yourself what are YOU going to do to entertain 2 young (and probably increasingly bored) kids for two whole days on a (smallish) riverboat looking at similar-ish scenery?

Or, will you leave the management of the kids to your wife, as you settle back to bliss out on the scenery?

Go look at:

http://www.travelfish.org/board/post/laos/3210_the-laos-slow-boat-thread

Cheers

Any ideas if this one day boat with Chiang Saen River hotel is still running leaving on a sunday?