Laos - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 656

www.vietnamairlines.com ) flies to both Siem Reap (codeshare with Lao Airlines) and Hanoi
daily.
BOAT
For slowboats to Pak Beng (110,000K, nine hours, 8am), buy tickets from the navigation of-
fice ( 8-11am & 2-4pm) behind the Royal Palace. Through-tickets to Huay Xai (220,000K,
two days) are also available but you'll have to sleep in Pak Beng; curiously it's slightly
cheaper to pay the fare to Pak Beng, then buy the onward section there. The main slow-
boat landing is directly behind the navigation office but departure points can vary accord-
ing to river levels.
The more upscale Luang Say Cruise (Mekong Cruises; 071-254768; www.luangsay.com ; 50/4
Th Sakkarin; cruise US$362-491 depending on the season, single supplement from US$67;
9.30am-9.30pm) departs on two-trips rides to Huay Xai from the Xieng Thong jetty opposite
Wat Xieng Thong. Rates include an overnight stay at the Luang Say Lodge in Pak Beng.
Fast but uncomfortable - and seriously hazardous - six-person speedboats can shoot
you up the Mekong to Pak Beng (250,000K, three hours) and Huay Xai (400,000K, seven
hours). Boats leave from around 8.30am every morning. The jetty is around 5km north of
town: turn west off Rte 13 beside the Km 390 post then head 300m down an unpaved
road.
Numerous boats for the Pak Ou Caves depart between 8.30am and lunchtime. A single
boat to Nong Khiaw (110,000K, six hours) departs around 8.30am assuming enough
people have signed up. Buy tickets at the easily missed little longboat office (Th Khem
Khong) .
BUS & SŎRNGTĂAOU
Most interprovincial buses and sŏrngtăaou heading north depart from the Northern Bus
Station, while southbound vehicles use the Southern Bus Station, 3km south of town. On
all these routes the durations can vary wildly during monsoonal weather.
A better option is the Naluang Minibus Station ( 071-212979; [e-mail] ; Rte
13, 800m past Km 382) - opposite the Southern Bus Station - which runs minibuses to Nong
Khiang, Vang Vieng, Phonsavan, Luang Namtha, Hanoi and Kunming. Although you can
travel with one or two people and just turn up in the morning, for less than double the bus
fare a great option is to gather your own group and rent a comfortable six- seater minivan.
Directly booked through the minibus station, prices are about 1,000,000K to Phonsavan or
Vang Vieng and 500,000K to Nong Khiaw, including pick-up from your guesthouse.