Luang Prabang to Nong Kiau by boat

Hi Judy,

My info may be outdated but might give you at least a vague idea. I was there two years ago. If the boat runs, it is (was) something like 10 USD per person. There were several travel agencies in LP that will sell tickets. However, I was warned that they may sell you a ticket and when you show up at the jetty and not all seats on the boat have been sold, the boat driver might refuse to go. So you then have a choice of turning around (and probably losing your money), or chartering the whole boat for something like 100 USD.

I travelled to and from Nong Khiao by bus, which was considerably cheaper than the boat. On the day I took the bus back to LP, this couple had been told the boat would go - they went to the jetty and it didn't go, so they ended up on the bus with everyone else.

My guess is that if you go in high season (the higher the better), you have a better chance of being able to catch the boat. I was there in early November when it was still relatively quiet.

Happy travels.
Julia

My suggestion is to go up by bus and come back on the boat. The current is strong enough that going upstream is a much slower trip.

My suggestion for lodgings is Non Kiau Riverside (approximately). Across the bridge and down footpath on left. Great food and lovely accomodations. (best views in #1 or #2, best showers in #8)

Say hello to Mr Noy.

Lew

The good Dr. gives good advice.

I second Nong Kiau Riverside. Stayed there last March. Great, comfortable place with a nice restaurant and great view of the river and huge karst across the river for about $22 per night. It's relatively new, and by far the best place in Nong Khiaw.

And downriver is much faster than upriver. Get 5 people together and charter a boat. It'll be about $20 per person, but you'll have a much more comfortable journey. I spent most of my time on the boat standing up in the back looking around rather than sitting under the roof on the small chairs.

Thank you everyone for your responses...I have a reservation at Riverside ..So looking forward to our trip

Judy

I was in LP a few weeks ago, and they had no boat for NK (not enough people at that time). They told me to show up in the morning to see if I could gather enough people, but I couldn't.

Watch they don't overload the boat. I just took the one hour trip from Nong Khiaw up to Muang Ngoi and it was pretty uncomfortable. One hour isn't long but 8 hours moight be a bit of a chore. From Muang Ngoi north we chartered a local boat so not crowded, more relaxing.

WeiLong in Laos