Nagi of Mekong River Cruise – Slow Boat in Laos – TREKwithBECK

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The Nagi of Mekong Cruise is a tour which brings comfort to catching the Slow Boat into Laos. If you don’t want to be squished on a boat for 2 days and want to be able to enjoy the sights, then I would highly recommend looking into this tour. 

I found out about the Nagi of Mekong Cruise through a travel blog I read a few years ago. After research and watching multiple videos on social media channels, I decided this was a much better way of completing the slow boat journey. The boats looked comfortable and spacious; they also didn’t fill them up with as many people as possible! All things that I knew would make this journey more comfortable. Yet, still give me the experience of sailing down the Mekong. 

If you want more information about catching the slow boat into Laos, you can read my quick guide here. 

What was the cost? 

Now as this is technically a cruise or a tour, it is a bit more expensive than completing this journey via the public long boats. I think the price was worth it, as you are technically stuck on a boat for two 8-9 hour days. And being comfortable is worth the price. 

The cruise cost me $140 USD for just the cruise. I booked my own accommodation prior, during and after the tour. If you choose these options, it will be more expensive – but it does take the hassle away of organising it yourself. 

A run-down of the tour 

The tour starts by picking you up from your accommodation in Chiang Khong or Huay Xai and transferring you to the border. If you are already in Huay Xai, you won’t need to worry about the border crossing. Nagi of Mekong help with immigration and entering Laos, by providing your visa forms to your hotel, the night before you start the cruise. This saves time while crossing the border. 

Once you’ve crossed the border, you will be transferred via private van to the Pier. Here, you will catch the private slow boat which is fitted with comfortable seats and tables. You then cruise down the Mekong for two days, same as the local cruise. 

There are a few differences between this one and the local slow boat.

  • You receive lunch and drinks for both days 
  • They have free fruit 
  • The boat is not packed and there are tables 
  • There is a clean bathroom on board. 
  • Nagi of Mekong make it easier to cross the border
  • Transfers are included in Thailand and Laos 
  • Nagi of Mekong can also help organise accommodation in Pakbeng (where you stay overnight on the cruise) 
  • You can buy a SIM card and exchange money on the boat. 

The Transfers 

We had a transfer organised to pick us up from out hotel in Chiang Khong at around 7.45am, the transfer was very on time. We then made a quick stop at 7-11 via request. The Van on the Thailand side was very clean and comfortable, the drive was about 5 minutes to the border crossing from our accommodation. 

The transfers in Laos were also very comfortable and the vans looked brand new. Once we got through immigration, there were several vans waiting to take us to the pier in Huay Xai. Similar, once we arrived in Luang Prabang, vans were waiting to take us to the main town or our accommodation. All of this was included in the price of the cruise.

There were transfers to your hotel for the one-night stopover in Pakbeng included, only if you booked accommodation with Nagi of Mekong tours. 

Crossing the border from Thailand into Laos was extremely easy. The whole process isn’t too much of a hassle to do alone, but having a guide there definitely makes it easier. They also handle all your luggage, so you don’t need to worry about dragging a big suitcase or backpack around. If you have any questions too, simply ask your guide. They will also give you the immigration forms the night before, to make passing through much quicker and easier. 

It took me about 30mins to cross the border completely, and I had to use zero brain cells – which is sometimes nice when you are solo travelling. 

The Boat 

The boat was a lot more luxurious than the local boat. When we rolled up to Pakbeng and I saw the other boats, I was happy I spent the money of this cruise. The while boat is carved from wood, with very unique details. There were 10 tables with 4 seats around each and 6 long couches. We had 17 people on the boat, and all were spread out, where this boat could easily fit 40 people. 

The seats were extremely comfortable to sit on for long hours and I loved how there was a table, which made it great to do some work or play some cards. The lounges were also a good touch because it meant you could have a nap or lay down if you really wanted! There was plenty of space to move around, which made it a very comfortable journey. 

There was also a bathroom on board and small shop to buy some snacks or drinks. You could also buy a Laos SIM card and exchange money which was very handy and saved a lot of time!  The boat also featured tarps on the sides if it rained, curtains, power points at each table and blankets if it got cold. 

The Food 

Each morning and throughout the day you have can help yourself to the free coffee or tea and fruit. The fruit was either bananas or some interesting looking mandarins. 

The food was buffet style and had 6 different dishes to choose from. They do also cater to vegetarians and gave a few vegetarian options which is always good! The food was delicious, and very filling. It was very nice to have a mixture of dishes with lots of vegetables in. The dishes included curry, rice, omelette, stir fry and fruit. There was plenty of food to go around, so you could easily get more than one serving. 

This was a great introduction to Laos food! 

The Experience 

The experience is like the local slow boat, except you make a few touristy stops on this trip – which I don’t think you do on the local boat? The first day, we cruised down the Mekong, after leaving the pier at around 9.30am. Lunch was served around 11.30-12pm (it was delicious). We had one short stop at a local village around 2.30pm for an hour, where we walked around the village and visited the school. We found out this is where sticky rice is produced, in local villages like this and learnt a bit about the culture. 

I will be honest…. this stop at the local village probably didn’t need to happen. We were there for about 30-45mins, and it didn’t feel like we were contributing much to the village being there. In fact, it seemed like we were inconveniencing them in a way. I guess it was a short stop just so people can stretch their legs after being on the boat for a couple hours? 

The second day was much the same, except we made some other stops to the Pak Ou Caves. These caves are noted for their miniature Buddha sculptures, hundreds of them laid out on shelves. We had 4 minutes at this stop before heading off to Luang Prabang, which took a couple of hours.  

We were then picked up at the pier and taken to our accommodation in Luang Prabang, and that was the end of the tour! 

My Final Thoughts 

Even though I have never travelled via the local/public slow boat, I am extremely happy that I booked this private/luxury cruise instead. The whole experience was extremely enjoyable from start to finish. The fact I could take in the sights comfortably, but also do some work, was a match made in heaven. Talk about an office view?!

If you want to complete the slow boat journey from Thailand into Laos in comfort, but still not lose that experience – this cruise is perfect. I’m happy I spent the money and would recommend it to backpackers or more upmarket travellers. 

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