8 days 7 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
An eight-day private and small-group journey from northern Thailand to Laos: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, then two days on a Mekong slow boat with a night in Pakbeng, ending in Luang Prabang with the alms round and Kuang Si Falls.
From US$1,590 per person for the whole tour, based on 4 travellers sharing double rooms in 4★ hotels as listed (couples travelling alone pay a little more). It changes with hotel level, season and group size, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Chiang Mai, Ping River boat and khantoke dinner | Chiang Mai |
| 2 | Botanic garden, Doi Suthep and a monk chat | Chiang Mai |
| 3 | Craft villages, Singha Park and Chiang Rai by tuk tuk | Chiang Rai |
| 4 | Golden Triangle, Mekong boat ride and Mae Sai | Chiang Rai |
| 5 | Cross into Laos and board the slow boat to Pakbeng | Pakbeng |
| 6 | Down the Mekong to Pak Ou and Luang Prabang | Luang Prabang |
| 7 | Alms round, Royal Palace and Kuang Si Falls | Luang Prabang |
| 8 | Old town morning and departure | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 8 days / 7 nights · Chiang Mai – Mae Ping River – Doi Suthep – Singha Park – Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle – Chiang Khong – Huay Xai – Pakbeng – Pak Ou Caves – Luang Prabang – Kuang Si Falls
This Thailand and Laos tour crosses a border most travelers fly over. You begin in Chiang Mai with a longtail boat on the Mae Ping, the temple of Doi Suthep and a monk chat, then continue to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong separates Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
From Chiang Khong you cross the Friendship Bridge to Huay Xai and board a slow boat down the Mekong. Two days on the river, with a stop at a Khmu village, a night in Pakbeng and a visit to the Pak Ou Caves, bring you to Luang Prabang just as the travelers of old arrived.
In Luang Prabang you see the dawn alms round, the Royal Palace Museum and Wat Xieng Thong, and swim at Kuang Si Falls. The trip suits couples and active older travelers who enjoy slow travel, and families with children over 10.
Easy to moderate. The road transfers between Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the border take about two to three hours each. The two river days are long but relaxed, about seven to eight hours on the boat each day, with simple facilities on board. Walking is light throughout. Good for couples, active older travelers and families with children over 10.
Two nights at Eurasia Chiang Mai (Cottage room) or similar, two nights at SANN Hotel Chiang Rai (Superior room) or similar, one night at Le Grand Pakbeng (Superior room, half board) or similar above the river, and two nights at Le Bel Air Resort (Garnier room) or similar in Luang Prabang.
November to February is the best time, with clear skies and cool mornings in northern Thailand and on the river. March and April are hot and often hazy from agricultural burning. From June to October the hills are green and the Mekong is high and fast; boats run all year, on set days of the week.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request (subject to availability).
More ideas: All multi-country private tours · Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in 5 Days · Luang Prabang Beauties in 5 Days · Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi in 7 Days
Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ – เทวประภาส มากคล้าย, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ddalbiez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Your guide meets you at Chiang Mai airport and takes you for a lunch of khao soi, the northern curry noodle soup. Ride a longtail boat along the Mae Ping River, past wooden houses and gardens, and stop at a farmer's home. Walk through Warorot Market, the city's oldest, and in the evening enjoy a khantoke dinner with Lanna dances.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: L, D
Drive north to Mae Rim and the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, with glasshouses of orchids and a canopy walkway. In the afternoon, wind up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, visit the forest temple of Wat Pha Lat beside a waterfall and sit with monks at Wat Suan Dok to learn about Buddhist life.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B
Visit the handicraft villages east of Chiang Mai, where artisans paint paper umbrellas, carve wood and weave silk. Drive about three hours to Chiang Rai, stopping at Singha Park, an estate of tea plantations, lakes and flower gardens. In the evening, a tuk tuk takes you past the golden clock tower to the night market.
Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B
Drive to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet on the Mekong, and visit the House of Opium museum. Take an hour-long boat ride on the river, have a Thai set lunch and continue to Mae Sai, Thailand's northernmost town, before returning to Chiang Rai.
Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B, L
Leave Chiang Rai at dawn for Chiang Khong, about two hours, and cross the Friendship Bridge to Huay Xai, where the boat team helps with Lao visa formalities. Board the slow boat for a day on the Mekong between forested hills. Lunch is served on board, with a stop at a Khmu village of around ninety families. Arrive in Pakbeng before dark; dinner at your lodge.
Overnight: Pakbeng · Meals: B, L, D
Continue downstream after breakfast. On board, learn to prepare a Lao dessert and drink, then stop at Ban Baw, a riverside village known for rice wine. In the afternoon, visit the Pak Ou Caves, filled with thousands of Buddha images, and arrive in Luang Prabang before 4:30 pm. Your private guide meets you at the pier.
Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B, L
Rise early to watch the alms round, then browse the morning market. Visit the Royal Palace Museum and Wat Xieng Thong, the most graceful temple in town. In the afternoon, swim in the pools of Kuang Si Falls and visit the Bear Rescue Centre, with a stop at the Ock Pop Tok weaving center on the way back.
Overnight: Luang Prabang · Meals: B
Take a last walk through the old town with your guide, past Wat Mai and the French-era houses along the Mekong, perhaps with a coffee on the riverbank. Then transfer to Luang Prabang airport for your onward flight.
Meals: B
No. The two river days are on a comfortable shared boat run by an experienced Lao operator, with its own English-speaking guide on board. Your private guide and driver look after you in Thailand and again from the pier in Luang Prabang. A private boat can be quoted on request.
The boat departs from Huay Xai on set days of the week, more often from October to March. We plan your dates around the sailing days and confirm them in your quote.
Yes. You cross the Friendship Bridge at Chiang Khong with your Thai guide, and the boat team meets you in Huay Xai and helps with the Lao visa on arrival. Bring passport photos and US dollars in cash for the visa.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese (subject to availability): tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the December to April high season.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
Save the itinerary to share with your travel companions
Save the itinerary to share with your travel companions
