Heritage Line welcomes our guests at the Thai immigration office in the morning hours (please see details in our embarkation guide). Our team assists you with all immigration procedures on both the Thai and Laos sides and we take care of your luggage, which you may find later in your room on board. After all formalities, we transfer you to the ship, which is moored at Huay Xai pier on the Laos riverside. Upon check-in, get acquainted with the ship and settle in your room as we start our journey.

Enjoy your first hours onboard as we sail from the Thai-Lao border southbound. The river in this area is mostly wide, however our captain always has to watch out for rocks and stones or sandbanks in order to navigate safely - making the sailing an interesting one to observe from the open deck. After some hours the landscape and the river starts to change, becoming more mountainous and the river increasingly narrow.

Our first stop in the afternoon is Khon Teun, a relatively modern Laotian village showcasing various wooden sculptures and home to roughly 800 residents belonging to the Tai Lu ethnic minority. For a traditional Laotian greeting and to wish us a safe journey, the village elders welcome us with a time-honoured “Baci ceremony”. The villagers here practice long-held traditions and techniques of weaving handmade garments with distinguishing patterns. Making their living from it, the families here have passed down their weaving knowledge from generation to generation.

The village also has a lovely temple nearby in which we can arrange an optional meditation session (limited availability). Resident monks and novices (boys who typically pledge to adopt a monk’s lifestyle for at least a few months, but often much longer), are always eager to interact and socialize with visitors. After taking in a bit of ‘Zen’ the ship continues cruising to the overnight mooring spot. Our local expert guide hosts a lecture about Laotian elephants and their cultural importance in the past and the current situation which have brought them to the brink of extinction. A nice and interesting preparation, as tomorrow we will meet these fascinating creatures close up in an elephant sanctuary.

Dinner is served in Anouvong’s elegant De-Lagree Dining Hall. Afterwards you may like to while away some time in the bar or join our cinema under the stars on the open terrace deck. The movie named “Chang” (Laos and Thai, for “elephant”), was shot in this region in 1927, by the same producer as the first King Kong movie. Enjoy your first night’s sleep mid-river at a seclude sandbank in the middle of nowhere.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Wake up early to catch your first sunrise in Laos on the Mekong River. Early birds are welcome to join our daily morning exercise on the terrace deck (Tai Chi or Yoga). We think there is no better backdrop than the stunning river scenery to do some revitalizing morning exercise to start the day.

After breakfast, we arrive in the small town of Pakbeng. This riverside settlement is halfway between our embarkation at Huay Xai and Luang Prabang. Many locals also stop here when they travel or transport goods between these two “hubs” on the river.

Opposite of the town – so to say on the starboard side of cruising direction– is the country’s most sustainably managed elephant sanctuary. If we arrive early enough, we may still see elephants freely walking along the shoreline and taking a morning bath. To expand your knowledge from our lecture the day before about these majestic animals, we then visit the conservation sanctuary. All the elephants here used to work as logging elephants, after their time as working animals, they lack the ability to live and survive in the wild (there still exists very few wild elephants). The sanctuary is fully committed to the tenets of ecotourism and sustainability.

During lunchtime we continue our journey with stunning views of the shores from the comfort of the dining room. At a sandbank further down the river, the local ethnic Lao, Khmu and Hmong live in the tiny village of Kok Aek. At the riverside they have set up a little parcel of land as an organic garden, caringly maintained and enclosed by bamboo fences and growing organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Though these plots are unusable at certain times of the year due to flooding, the nutrient-rich Mekong irrigation promises bountiful annual harvests. As we get to know the villagers, be sure to sample a local specialty, kai paen, which is made of dried freshwater “seaweed” topped with sesame and vegetables.

Back on board, as we cruise for some more hours, lay back and take in the absolutely amazing scenery or enjoy some pampering time in our tucked away spa. We drop anchor to overnight near another small and secluded village. Subject to our arrival time and daylight availability, we may explore this tiny village of just around 300 inhabitants which is bereft of electricity or any semblance of modernity, but for sure not of abounding charm and warm-heartedness of the villagers.

As we remain here at the sandbank overnight, kick back with an aperitif while being serenaded by some local villagers who have come onboard to perform on their ‘Khene’ – a handheld, ancient instrument made of bamboo and originating here in Laos. We end the day with a culinary highlight, as we dine tonight on the terrace deck, with the sights and soothing sounds of nature all around us.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, our morning lecture provides you with interesting insights and facts relating to the Laotian culture of the diverse tribes living along the upper Mekong. We arrive at a very rural and utmost charming village inhabited by Khmu people. The village also has a small primary school for the few kids residing here remotely with their families. We take a leisurely walk into the surrounding neighborhood of the village. In the simple bamboo huts built on stilts and scattered across rice fields the local people today still perform all work manually which basically consists of processing agricultural products.

We walk further through the fields to a nearby waterfall. The sheer serenity and beauty of this place does not need many words. Some locals may accompany us explaining their daily life, crops and harvest methods to make us understand better their life and living.

The journey continues further down the river into the golden evening sun. If we arrive on time before the sun sets, we will have time to stroll through another local gem of a village. A mixture of Lao Loum and Lao Theun (lowland and midland Laotians) reside in this idyllic riverside settlement. The locals earn some of their livelihood with basket weaving – also an old traditional local handicraft. The village does have a Buddhist temple – though many of these tribes and ethnicities in the Golden Triangle are not religious and follow beliefs in ancestorship and nature.

Meanwhile our culinary team is in full preparation of a very special event for the evening. On a nearby, very beautiful peaceful sandbank our chefs invite to a farewell BBQ dinner. Some villagers join to entertain us with some classic traditional dance performance. Have a grand time together with newly made friends and soak in this truly unique atmosphere of dining on a remote little sandbank in the midst of Laos.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today - on your last day of your cruise through the Golden Triangle of Laos - some final highlights await. After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, we offer a unique activity to experience the calmly flowing lower Mekong from a different perspective.

Hop in a kayak and paddle along on your own in total symbioses with the peacefully flowing stream. Feel the waters of Mekong carrying you downstream with almost no effort, relax and enjoy the passing natural beauty and immerse yourself in this very special trip. You may like to paddle all the way to the famous caves of Pak Ou, which is our next stop and highlight to come (or return back on board). We stop close to Pak Ou, and go ashore where we will meet the local “medicine man” who takes us on a jungle trek explaining various interesting facts and astonishing things about the flora and the nature in this area. In the village we may one more time be able to observe local weaving, and find here as well ‘the art of local whisky distilling’. (Kindly note a basic fitness level is required for the approx. 45-minute trek which is relatively easy walking but does involve some uphill terrain; guests may opt to stay on the ship to reach our next stop, the Pak Ou caves).

The trekking group reaches the caves via the “backdoor”. The famous Pak Ou Caves are located directly on the Mekong’s rocky shore and opposite the mouth of the Ou River. There are two limestone grottoes which house approximately 4,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images ranging in size from mere centimeters up to 2m (7ft) in height. We arrive first at the upper cave and then take steps down (approx. 200 steps) to the lower, most impressive grotto.

Once back on board you can refresh yourself and lunch is served afterwards. From Pak Ou we have about three more hours to sail. During this time, meet Mr Francis Engelmann, who used to work for UNESCO on heritage preservation projects. Born in Paris in 1947, he has lived in Laos for over 20 years and knows Luang Prabang like the back of his hand. Join his fantastic presentation, in which he shares some of his expertise of the country’s and Luang Prabang’s rich cultural heritage and fascinating history.

Lunch is served before we finally arrive at the enchanting town of Luang Prabang in the afternoon (approx. 15:00 o’clock). Our team assists with your check-out and helps with your luggage. We thank you very much for cruising with Heritage Line on the upper Mekong in Laos and bid you farewell, wishing you a pleasant onward journey.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Heritage Line welcomes our guests at the Thai immigration office in the morning hours (please see details in our embarkation guide). Our team assists you with all immigration procedures on both the Thai and Laos sides and we take care of your luggage, which you may find later in your room on board. After all formalities, we transfer you to the ship, which is moored at Huay Xai pier on the Laos riverside. Upon check-in, get acquainted with the ship and settle in your room as we start our journey.

Enjoy your first hours onboard as we sail from the Thai-Lao border southbound. The river in this area is mostly wide, however our captain always has to watch out for rocks and stones or sandbanks in order to navigate safely - making the sailing an interesting one to observe from the open deck. After some hours the landscape and the river starts to change, becoming more mountainous and the river increasingly narrow.

Our first stop in the afternoon is Khon Teun, a relatively modern Laotian village showcasing various wooden sculptures and home to roughly 800 residents belonging to the Tai Lu ethnic minority. For a traditional Laotian greeting and to wish us a safe journey, the village elders welcome us with a time-honoured “Baci ceremony”. The villagers here practice long-held traditions and techniques of weaving handmade garments with distinguishing patterns. Making their living from it, the families here have passed down their weaving knowledge from generation to generation.

The village also has a lovely temple nearby in which we can arrange an optional meditation session (limited availability). Resident monks and novices (boys who typically pledge to adopt a monk’s lifestyle for at least a few months, but often much longer), are always eager to interact and socialize with visitors. After taking in a bit of ‘Zen’ the ship continues cruising to the overnight mooring spot. Our local expert guide hosts a lecture about Laotian elephants and their cultural importance in the past and the current situation which have brought them to the brink of extinction. A nice and interesting preparation, as tomorrow we will meet these fascinating creatures close up in an elephant sanctuary.

Dinner is served in Anouvong’s elegant De-Lagree Dining Hall. Afterwards you may like to while away some time in the bar or join our cinema under the stars on the open terrace deck. The movie named “Chang” (Laos and Thai, for “elephant”), was shot in this region in 1927, by the same producer as the first King Kong movie. Enjoy your first night’s sleep mid-river at a seclude sandbank in the middle of nowhere.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Wake up early to catch your first sunrise in Laos on the Mekong River. Early birds are welcome to join our daily morning exercise on the terrace deck (Tai Chi or Yoga). We think there is no better backdrop than the stunning river scenery to do some revitalizing morning exercise to start the day.

After breakfast, we arrive in the small town of Pakbeng. This riverside settlement is halfway between our embarkation at Huay Xai and Luang Prabang. Many locals also stop here when they travel or transport goods between these two “hubs” on the river.

Opposite of the town – so to say on the starboard side of cruising direction– is the country’s most sustainably managed elephant sanctuary. If we arrive early enough, we may still see elephants freely walking along the shoreline and taking a morning bath. To expand your knowledge from our lecture the day before about these majestic animals, we then visit the conservation sanctuary. All the elephants here used to work as logging elephants, after their time as working animals, they lack the ability to live and survive in the wild (there still exists very few wild elephants). The sanctuary is fully committed to the tenets of ecotourism and sustainability.

During lunchtime we continue our journey with stunning views of the shores from the comfort of the dining room. At a sandbank further down the river, the local ethnic Lao, Khmu and Hmong live in the tiny village of Kok Aek. At the riverside they have set up a little parcel of land as an organic garden, caringly maintained and enclosed by bamboo fences and growing organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Though these plots are unusable at certain times of the year due to flooding, the nutrient-rich Mekong irrigation promises bountiful annual harvests. As we get to know the villagers, be sure to sample a local specialty, kai paen, which is made of dried freshwater “seaweed” topped with sesame and vegetables.

Back on board, as we cruise for some more hours, lay back and take in the absolutely amazing scenery or enjoy some pampering time in our tucked away spa. We drop anchor to overnight near another small and secluded village. Subject to our arrival time and daylight availability, we may explore this tiny village of just around 300 inhabitants which is bereft of electricity or any semblance of modernity, but for sure not of abounding charm and warm-heartedness of the villagers.

As we remain here at the sandbank overnight, kick back with an aperitif while being serenaded by some local villagers who have come onboard to perform on their ‘Khene’ – a handheld, ancient instrument made of bamboo and originating here in Laos. We end the day with a culinary highlight, as we dine tonight on the terrace deck, with the sights and soothing sounds of nature all around us.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, our morning lecture provides you with interesting insights and facts relating to the Laotian culture of the diverse tribes living along the upper Mekong. We arrive at a very rural and utmost charming village inhabited by Khmu people. The village also has a small primary school for the few kids residing here remotely with their families. We take a leisurely walk into the surrounding neighborhood of the village. In the simple bamboo huts built on stilts and scattered across rice fields the local people today still perform all work manually which basically consists of processing agricultural products.

We walk further through the fields to a nearby waterfall. The sheer serenity and beauty of this place does not need many words. Some locals may accompany us explaining their daily life, crops and harvest methods to make us understand better their life and living.

The journey continues further down the river into the golden evening sun. If we arrive on time before the sun sets, we will have time to stroll through another local gem of a village. A mixture of Lao Loum and Lao Theun (lowland and midland Laotians) reside in this idyllic riverside settlement. The locals earn some of their livelihood with basket weaving – also an old traditional local handicraft. The village does have a Buddhist temple – though many of these tribes and ethnicities in the Golden Triangle are not religious and follow beliefs in ancestorship and nature.

Meanwhile our culinary team is in full preparation of a very special event for the evening. On a nearby, very beautiful peaceful sandbank our chefs invite to a farewell BBQ dinner. Some villagers join to entertain us with some classic traditional dance performance. Have a grand time together with newly made friends and soak in this truly unique atmosphere of dining on a remote little sandbank in the midst of Laos.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today - on your last day of your cruise through the Golden Triangle of Laos - some final highlights await. After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, we offer a unique activity to experience the calmly flowing lower Mekong from a different perspective.

Hop in a kayak and paddle along on your own in total symbioses with the peacefully flowing stream. Feel the waters of Mekong carrying you downstream with almost no effort, relax and enjoy the passing natural beauty and immerse yourself in this very special trip. You may like to paddle all the way to the famous caves of Pak Ou, which is our next stop and highlight to come (or return back on board). We stop close to Pak Ou, and go ashore where we will meet the local “medicine man” who takes us on a jungle trek explaining various interesting facts and astonishing things about the flora and the nature in this area. In the village we may one more time be able to observe local weaving, and find here as well ‘the art of local whisky distilling’. (Kindly note a basic fitness level is required for the approx. 45-minute trek which is relatively easy walking but does involve some uphill terrain; guests may opt to stay on the ship to reach our next stop, the Pak Ou caves).

The trekking group reaches the caves via the “backdoor”. The famous Pak Ou Caves are located directly on the Mekong’s rocky shore and opposite the mouth of the Ou River. There are two limestone grottoes which house approximately 4,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images ranging in size from mere centimeters up to 2m (7ft) in height. We arrive first at the upper cave and then take steps down (approx. 200 steps) to the lower, most impressive grotto.

Once back on board you can refresh yourself and lunch is served afterwards. From Pak Ou we have about three more hours to sail. During this time, meet Mr Francis Engelmann, who used to work for UNESCO on heritage preservation projects. Born in Paris in 1947, he has lived in Laos for over 20 years and knows Luang Prabang like the back of his hand. Join his fantastic presentation, in which he shares some of his expertise of the country’s and Luang Prabang’s rich cultural heritage and fascinating history.

Lunch is served before we finally arrive at the enchanting town of Luang Prabang in the afternoon (approx. 15:00 o’clock). Our team assists with your check-out and helps with your luggage. We thank you very much for cruising with Heritage Line on the upper Mekong in Laos and bid you farewell, wishing you a pleasant onward journey.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch