What You Need To Bring

What you need to bring for Cruising & Kayaking overnight tours

  • Travel insurance for all tours is mandatory. If you turn up at any of our tours without travel/medical insurance you’ll not be allowed on the trip. It may then be difficult and expensive for you to get back down the river to Luang Prabang
  • Sun hat, sun screen, mosquito repellent cream or spray as a precaution when sitting outside in the evenings
  • Swim suit (Ladies – please respect the conservative Lao village culture where swimsuits or sarongs are worn rather than bikinis)
  • Soap, towel and loo paper
  • Flash light, torch or phone light
  • Mosquito repellent and a long sleeved top and jeans for the evenings, as it can occasionally get cold at nights if traveling between Nov to Feb, and there are sometimes mosquitoes about in the evenings during the rainy season (Jun – Oct)
  • We carry a comprehensive first-aid kit, but for any prescription medication bring with you, as it will not be available on the tour

What extras you need to bring for Kayaking

Optional:

  • Lip balm, sunglasses, camera, book, etc

Food & Drink:

  • Please advise any special dietary requirements at least 2 weeks in advance. Meals are lots of fruit and fresh vegetables, plus eggs, chicken, fish and pork
  • There are no spirits, wine or mixers on the cruise, just fabulous Beer Lao. Let us know if you need any mixers on board a few days before we depart, and we’ll organise along with fresh limes, so you can enjoy that G&T on the deck while watching the sun set

Gifts:

  • Gifts for the local schools – we always take with us lots of text and exercise books, pens, pencils, soccer balls, skipping ropes, books etc, which are very much appreciated by the children. We can show you where to buy them in Chiang Mai at very cheap prices
  • If you do have any old children’s picture books, they are great for teaching English in the schools (Dr Seuss, Tin Tin, etc are especially good). However, they must literally be “the cat sat on the mat” in content and the more visual the better
  • Old reading glasses are also always welcome with the old villagers, if you have any unwanted, used pairs lying around
  • Should they ever ask you, please do not give the village children money

What To Expect

Please be aware that villages along this isolated stretch of the Mekong have no road access, and are extremely isolated from western tourists, and the villagers have had no exposure to our culture, or how we think and behave.

On several occasions in the past, we were the first westerners to ever visit some of these villages, and on our arrival the villagers would run away. Today it is very different, they are very warm and accommodating and will welcome you with open arms.

Immigration advice for Laos Visa on Arrival:

  • Laos Visa on Arrival (VOA): You are responsible for ensuring that you qualify for a Lao VOA prior to your departure for Laos, as not all nationalities can obtain one. UK, EU, Kiwis, Australians, and Americans are all eligible for a Laos VOA. To see if you qualify for a VOA go to Tourism Laos
  • VOA visa costs vary depending on your nationality but typically ~US$30. Use US$ to pay for it, otherwise you may have to pay extra if using another currency
  • Passport with a minimum of 6 months before the expiry date
  • 2 passport sized photos
  • One blank passport page for your Lao visa
  • Ziploc bag to protect your passport
  • Scan your passport, photo, air tickets, insurance, etc and upload to the cloud in case they are needed for any emergencies
  • Lao immigration form and arrival/departure card we will supply or you can download here the Lao Immigration Visa entry form for Huay Xai. After completing you’ll need to trim it to 150×260 mm

Immunisation and medical advice for Laos:

  • Our immunisation and medical advice for Laos is just check that you’ve been vaccinated for Hepatitis A & B and also Tetanus for any travel in SEA. Your doctor will try and load you up with a truckload of unnecessary meds, from rabies, dengue and malaria, but from our experience they are totally unnecessary. The only one you need to watch out for is dengue, which is across all of South East Asia. Bring your mozzie repellent for the evenings, along with a light, long sleeved top and long pants and you should be fine
  • Any personal meds bring with you, as you’ll probably not be able to buy them after Chiang Mai or in Luang Prabang
  • Should you become ill or be unlucky enough to have an accident, the only way out is by riverboat. We have an evacuation plan in place should the need ever arise. We carry a comprehensive first aid medical kit for emergencies and have been trained in emergency first aid. Mekong Kayaks is now contracted to an international insurance company to conduct river rescues on its behalf for its clients, as few people know the Mekong better than Xangnoi and his Team

Phone & Power Requirements in Laos & Thailand:

  • For part of the river trip you’ll be unplugged from the 4G network with no phone or internet, get a digital detox and relax and enjoy the fabulous scenery, or catch up on some reading or music. Or you can write a novel using the Mekong as inspiration, like one of our guests, a best selling author did recently
  • Bring your camera and phone charger but make sure it can handle the 220V Laos and Thai electricity supply (same as UK/Australia/NZ). Plug adaptor for sockets types A, B, or C, are used in both Laos and Thailand
  • If you have a 12 volt car USB charging adaptor and lead, you can charge your electronics on the boat


Currency Conversion and ATMs:

  • ATMs & Currency Exchange: – not many places accept credit cards, mainly just the international hotels and restaurants
  • Can freely use Thai Baht, US$ or Kip in Luang Prabang. Best to carry lots of small denomination Baht or US$ notes, as otherwise most vendors will not have change. You’ll receive your change in kip
  • There are many currency exchanges in Luang Prabang and now also several ATMs dispensing Lao Kip or LAK. You’ll become an instant millionaire as the maximum you can withdraw at one time is 1,000,000 kip and up to 10,000,000 kip per day.

 

Please go to Village Etiquette Guide for a Happy Stay and download. This etiquette guide will give you some cultural Do’s & Don’t tips on how to behave respectfully in a Lao river village, as their culture is so very different to ours and quite conservative.