The Mikong River

Hi folks,
At the end of this year I will be traveling the Indochina loop + some more. I wanted to spend maybe a day floating up the Mekong River but I don't know which section is the best.

My itinerary will be something like;
KL
Singapore
Phuket
Bangkok
Chiang Mai
Louangphrabang
Vientain
Ha Noi
Halong
Hong Kong
Ha Noi
Hue Denang
Nha Trang
De Lat
Ho Chi Mihn City
Phnum Penh
Siem Reap
Pattaya
Bankok
India
Sri Lanka
Home

If there are any particularly special parts of the Mekong River near those destinations (or if you have written about it in your blog) please point me in the right direction! =)

Thanks,
Renee
Reply to this

What country will you be in when you do this??? Reply to this

After checking out a map of the Mekong River I see 4 possible routes:

1) Luang Prabang --> Vientiane (Laos)
2) Vientiane --> Luang Prabang (Laos)
3) Some where near the Vietnam/Cambodia border --> Phnom Penh (Vietnam/Cambodia)
4) Some where near the Vietnam/Cambodia border --> Phnom Penh --> Siem Reap (Vietnam/ Cambodia)

Can someone tell me if they have experienced either of these routes??

Thanks,
Renee Reply to this

Hi Renee,

I spent a bit of time on the Mekong in Laos -- rowing, floating, paddling and ferrying. The part that I considered the most scenic was the thousands islands near the Cambodian border. It's a pretty straight forward trip there because the highways south of Luang Phrabang are great.

You can also go part way by bus and then the rest of the way by boat. A group of five of us hired a boat for two days for the trip down and I watched the scenery float by from the comfort of my hammock.

The water at the thousand islands was crystal clear -- rather a contrast to the murk upstream -- and great for swimming from the sandy beach of my hotel. There are also some waterfalls to have a look at... and have a slightly riskier swim! Reply to this