Thailand Guide
The northeast: Isaan
Boat trips along the Mekong
If you opt to go upstream along the Mekong, you'll head west towards the lofty mountains of Khao Laem and Khao Ngu on the Thai side and Phu Lane and Phu Hat Song in Laos, gliding round a long, slow bend in the Mekong to the mouth of the Heuang River tributary, 20km from Chiang Khan, which forms the border to the west of this point; stops can be arranged to share the fine views with Phra Yai, a twenty-metre-tall golden Buddha standing on a hilltop at the confluence, and at Hat Sai Kaew, a sandy beach for swimming, fishing and picnicking. Upstream trips, costing around B1500 per boat, take three hours or so and are best undertaken in the afternoon, returning at sunset.
A ride downstream to Pak Chom will take you through some of the most beautiful scenery on the Thai Mekong: hills and cliffs of all shapes and sizes advance and recede around the winding flow, and outside the rainy season, the rapids are dramatic without being dangerous (best between December and April), and the shores and islands are enlivened by neat grids of market gardens. This jaunt costs around B3000 for the boat, and takes around six hours.
Most guest houses also offer a one-hour sunset on the Mekong cruise for about B750 per boat.