Laos · CRUISES & BOAT TOURS
The 15 best cruises & boat tours on the site right now, each with its price, its length and the verdict of the travellers who took it. Start at number one and work down.
Mekong cruise to Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Falls from Luang Prabang, with whisky tasting, buffet lunch, and sunset options.
“Early morning pick up to the boat. The boat was quite basic but had tea and coffee. The river journey was a bit cold and lasted 2 hours and was nice to see the scenery and get the fresh air. We stopped at the whisky village for 30 minutes wRead more”
A 9-hour Luang Prabang cruise to Pak Ou Caves and Kuang Si Falls, with Lao rice whiskey tastings, elephants, and time to swim.
“The activity was very Nice and relaxing..The guide Whon, was taking care All of us All the time, an also so comprehensive in the information....definetly recomand!!!”
Cruise the Mekong to UNESCO Pak Ou Caves, taste local rice whiskey, and eat a big buffet lunch with morning or sunset options.
“it all started in absolute chaos... earlier than scheduled and then earlier again...but everyone was helpful and tried their best ! So I'm not complaining, since the tour was very interesting and went on well Sunset on the Mekong is an absolute must !”
Kuang Si Waterfalls swim and trails, then a Mekong sunset long-tail cruise with one drink, plus hotel pickup in Luang Prabang.
“great guide and transport. loved sthe village ststop off and the little museum and demonstrations qere excellent. waterfalls impressive bit very crowded and very difficult to get in and out of for us oldies. lots of large stones under the watet but mot visible. . .Market area near falls very untidy.”
Ride a 2-day slow boat from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang with an overnight in PakBeng, including Thai-Lao border bus transfer for about $75.
Nam Ou river cruise from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw with bento Lao lunch, village visit, waterfall hike, and sunset.
“An excellent full day trip from Luang Prebang to Nong Khiaw. Our guide Nouan (Manifa Travel) was excellent throughout - providing informative commentary on our guided hike and always ensuring we had drinks and were comfortable on the boat trips. One of the most enjoyable trips to get between LP and NK and excellent value for money. An extremely well organised and efficient travel company including pick up from the hotel in the morning.”
Old-style boat day from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang on Nam Ou and Mekong rivers, Pak Ou caves, sunset cruise.
“Ça permet de retourner à Luang Prabang de façon très agréable. Les paysages sont magnifiques. Beaucoup plus reposant que la route.”
Luang Prabang solar Mekong sunset cruise with Lao mojito, a 7-dish tasting platter, and a bamboo leaf wish and fish release ritual.
“Average. They didn’t check our tickets properly and if we didn’t ask for the tasting dinner we would have missed out. Cocktails were mostly all sold out and the one we had wasn’t very nice. The fish release isn’t you doing it yourself but the wishes and worries was a nice idea. Not sure if I’d do this again nor recommend”
A 2-day slow boat ride from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang with an overnight stop in Pakbeng, plus border support and UNESCO finale.
“it was what everyone else has commented, you get what you pay for. 1st boat to pakbeng was packed like sardines. second day boat was better, little bit more room, not as over crowded.”
Kayak Luang Prabang rivers to Pak Ou caves, see thousands of Buddha icons, then relax at Manifa Elephant Camp with optional sunset cruise.
“A great experience. The kayaking wasn’t easy but it wasn’t far and it was amazing scenery! We also were really luck and we were the only two on the trip which made it very special. An extra treat was the chance to meet elephants at the end of the trip over lunch and feed them”
Mekong sunset cruise in Luang Prabang on a solar-powered double-deck boat, cocktails included, 2 hours from Khem Khong.
“We paid $35 per person. When we got to the departure location, the company was advertising it for 295,000 Kip ($13.57) per person. I knew there would be a price difference, but triple is a total rip off price gouging. You can go to Sa Sa Sunset Cruise yourself, and not get ripped off. Screw Viator!!! Never will use them again.”
Balloon over Nam Song, then a fast longtail boat on the Nam Song River, with hotel pickup, certificate, and coffee or champagne.
“pickup was very late for the longtsil bost then I had to wait a long time in between activities. the boat was nice and relaxing but the wait with no information was annoying. the activities was also advertised as 2.5hoirs long and it was nearly 6 hours in total between the waits. the balloon ride itself was really nice..the pilots are so experienced calm and it's great to see the city..we had to wait for the wind to pick up but they can't be helped the champagne reception was ok but it was quite far away from where the balloon landed and was dark when we got there so it…”
2-day Luang Prabang to Huay Xai slow boat with Pakbeng overnight, hotel pickup, Mekong views, and border transfer options.
“essayer de fo donner un horaire d arrivée afin de coordonner un transfert vers wchizng Rai”
3-day slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, starting in Chiang Mai with border transfer, guide, and 2 overnight stops.
“The organizer is so so rude and unhelpful some of his messages were incredibly blunt and arrogant. My suggestion: Do it yourself. The border crossing is easy if you don’t have to wait around!! It’s a fraction of the price and you don’t have to hang around repeatedly with horrendous lack of communication. Firstly I was contacted late the night before to say the bus to boarder was full?I booked 8 days in advance. I was sent different cars registration and colors and just lucky I have a simm for Thailand and Laos. To top it off I was dropped at the wrong hotel … despite showing my booking.com hotel…”
Fly over Vang Vieng in a hot air balloon, then cruise the Nam Song River by long-tail boat at golden hour with hotel pickup.
“It’s amazing to ride an hot air balloon and the coulisse in Vang Vieng is ideal for it!”
Every kind of Lao day out, and the best of each.
