Boat trip across Mekong into Laos, daytrip

[canuckamuck]

I have heard of a place where you can cross the Mekong into Laos for a short day trip on some kind of boat. It is somewhere in northern Thailand. And it is not an actual border crossing, meaning you just get to over to a certain area and then you have to go back.

Anyhow, I am looking for details as my friend wants to do it. Where is it? What does it cost? Do you need reentry permits? What can you do there?

Can a Thai citizen cross with just a passport? At Mae Sai they where asking my wife (Thai citizen) if she had a paper from her Amphur before they would let her cross. Is it the same there?

[Farma]

I'm not sure where you're looking at crossing.

I tried at Khong Chiam N.E. of Ubon. They had boats crossing into Laos there. A relative stationed long term with the Navy there asked his Immigration friends and was told Thai and Laos nationals only were allowed to cross.

[surinderek]

I'm not sure where you're looking at crossing.

I tried at Khong Chiam N.E. of Ubon. They had boats crossing into Laos there. A relative stationed long term with the Navy there asked his Immigration friends and was told Thai and Laos nationals only were allowed to cross.

you are correct in what you say,

[ChangNoi1]

There are a few places where you can go with a small boat at the Mekong River to "Laos" .... well actually just to a island in the river. The islands are big so you will not notice you are actually on a island. You will not need any passport or ID-card .... you are officially not entering Laos. So you cannot use this as a visa-run. I remember one place that does this at near the Golden Triangle (Chiang Rai).

There are also many places where small boats cross the Mekong River for locals only (Thai & Lao). Locals can cross the border with only their ID-card. At some of these places it seems also possible for non-locals to cross the river (and border). But that is illegal. I would not endorse that.

[canuckamuck]

Yes Chiang Noi I think you are onto it. I believe the crossing I am talking about is in Chiang Saen,

What I am looking for now is an exact location

[CNXSTEVE]

Yes Chiang Noi I think you are onto it. I believe the crossing I am talking about is in Chiang Saen,

What I am looking for now is an exact location

it's to Don Sao Island. Just ask in Chiang Saen, Plenty of boats

[canuckamuck]

Yes Chiang Noi I think you are onto it. I believe the crossing I am talking about is in Chiang Saen,

What I am looking for now is an exact location

it's to Don Sao Island. Just ask in Chiang Saen, Plenty of boats

Thank you

[Squeegee]

There's a boat that does it in Mukdahan, right near the market, but I think foreigners are charged quite a lot of money or not allowed, I forget which.

[Baa_Mango]

wow this sounds fun and exciting

[DEQ]

I have crossed the Mekong river by boat from Beung Khan into Lao, near the Lao town of Paksan. The boat fare is cheap. Foreigners need a visa to enter Lao and it is not available on arrival. But you can get a visa from Bangkok or Khon Kaen. Thai immigration will stamp you back into Thailand in the normal way. Thais can cross into Lao there without a passport but they need to show ID and they are limited to travel within a certain range once in Lao. This information may now be out of date as I did this a couple of years ago. I have fond memories of that trip. Also there is a delightful temple a few miles west of Beung Khan on a bend in the Mekong. There is a hotel attached to the temple which is a great place to stay. The temple is named Ahong.

[ChangNoi1]

CNXSTEVE is completly right, now I see the name I remember it and can trace it back.

The ferry (for cars & motorbikes and people I think) at Bung Khan to Paksan is a official international border crossing.

The boat in Mukdahan is a border-crossing for locals only, non-locals will have to take the bridge.

There are actually many boats / ferries as border-crossing between Laos and Thailand, I think all of them are for locals only. I know 2 ferries that are even for cargo only.

There are also a few Mekong cruises that you can make. Again at Chiang Sean but also at Chiang Khan and Khong Chiam.

And indeed Thai do not need a visum for Laos, they can just use their ID-card or passport.

[Assurancetourix]

Where there are bridges over the Mekong it's forbidden for farang to cross on a boat;

they ( we, I'm a farang) must cross and go to Lao by the bridges.

Be careful about the islands; there is a convention between Thailand and Laos; all the island are in Laos, even they are closer to Thailand than to Laos and if a farang is on an island without a visa....He will have some problems....

About the question up; there is a place where u can do what u are asking; I did it maybe 6 or 7 years ago;

it's in Sop_Ruak a little bit north of Chiang_Sen ; road 1290 ;

there u have two opium museum;the little one is very interesting; entrance 50 baht with a free post card

and the boundary stone "golden triangle "

And u can take a boat with which you will go to Lao for about half an hour;

don't need to show your passport

[rak sa_ngop]

Generally the thalweg, or deepest point in the river, demarcates the boundary between two territories separated by a river.

But I am pretty sure that in the case of the Mekong river the treaty between Laos and Thailand was made to define the international boundary by the Thai river bank line. So that all islands, including any other islands that appear during low water levels, in the Mekong are considered to be Laos terrritory.

[canuckamuck]

Ok we did the trip two days ago, It was 500 baht for a little speedboat to run the five of us up the river to Burma, and then across to Donxiao or Don Sao Island. It was fun because we went with people who hadn't seen much of Asia before. It might not be so cool for old timers.

They gave us about 30 minutes to shop the market on the island, There are lots of handbags there, and some assorted other predictable market stuff, and Beer Lao.

I didn't have a passport with me so I paid an extra 100 baht. Perhaps that was just a scam, whatever.

Thanks for all the posts that were accurate, and for those that made their best guess. It was one of the more interesting things I have done in a while.

[Lancashirelad]

Hi, I realize it comes too late for the OP. I did this cross Mekong trip in February as part of a full day mini van tour from Chiang Mai. Unfortunately I can't remember the actual name of the place we departed from, but its at the Golden Triangle?

At that time the only thing I had available to take pics with was a cheap Chinese tablet computer, so the quality is poor and I didn't take many.

You come ashore in Laos to a small shopping/market area - near where the Mercedes was parked. You do not need any paper work, its like a free zone.

Above is where we set off from. Seems to be just south of the Buddha in Assurancetourix's photo.

Laos side, boat come back to pick us up.

[Lancashirelad]

ok, ok, yeah I know its not a Mercedes. Stupid edit limit time expired!

[thefactoryoutlet]

Ok we did the trip two days ago, It was 500 baht for a little speedboat to run the five of us up the river to Burma, and then across to Donxiao or Don Sao Island. It was fun because we went with people who hadn't seen much of Asia before. It might not be so cool for old timers.

They gave us about 30 minutes to shop the market on the island, There are lots of handbags there, and some assorted other predictable market stuff, and Beer Lao.

I didn't have a passport with me so I paid an extra 100 baht. Perhaps that was just a scam, whatever.

Thanks for all the posts that were accurate, and for those that made their best guess. It was one of the more interesting things I have done in a while.

Where did they ask you to show your passport ? I have read that Thai have to show their ID card so maybe it's true ?

[canuckamuck]

I am sorry, but I was still trying to park the truck when my friends were out finding out how it all worked. By the time we hooked up again They already had it figured out. My friends did have to hand their passports in at one of the window booths near the dock, and from there some life jackets appeared. But since I had no passport with me, I had to pay a 100 baht instead and that was all I had to do.

Anyhow, once you are there, there are plenty of people to ask and they seem happy to oblige.

[Robby nz]

Did a trip several years back on a boat from that went down the river from Thailand to Luang Prabang, got of at Pak Beng and went to the north of Lao.

Putting together an itinerary for some friends who would like to do that trip and cant remember where the boat left from in TL, anyone help, and idea of cost please?

I am presuming Chaing Seang, if correct could they get a Lao visa on arrival there ?

Edited February 26, 2015 by Robby nz