Joanna James
A Mekong River cruise is one to savour; relish the thrills of a relaxing sail as you glide along the lazy waters of the historical river. In this article, you will be given the best tips for travelling the Mekong for a magical experience as you discover an enchanting land.
One of the best Mekong Cruises to savour is the Luang Prabang cruise; the ancient city located in north Laos occupies a vale where the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers meet. The heritage city rich in history was the seat of royalty up to 1975. There you will be treated to sights of gilded temples, vintage Buddhist shrines and historical wats dating back to the 1600's. As you can imagine a cruise of the Mekong River from Luang Prabang is quite the experience; drifting past these iconic attractions and mystical mountains of north Laos. If you choose a Luang Prabang tour of the Mekong select only the best tours; many like Mekong Kingdoms, go the distance to offer tourists tailor-made cruise packages to the most popular sites such as the enchanting Kuang Si Waterfalls and Pak Ou Caves.
Go with the flow and reserve an entire day for the experience, landing at certain places and how fast the cruise goes all depends on the tide and since you cannot control this natural phenomenon, you must practise patience, lean back, relax and enjoy your time on the water.
The Mekong Delta can be quite humid and hot, take along plenty of sunscreen to avoid nasty burns, as well as a hat to keep your head cool. Since deltas are generally home to swamps, you can expect lots of insects; hence a can of bug spray will turn out to be pretty useful in making the journey a non-itchy pleasant experience.
Travelling in the heat means you will soon get dehydrated, and it's important to take along plenty of water to stay hydrated. If you have booked a luxury cruise from Luang Prabang which could also be a dinner cruise on the Mekong River, chances are you will be well taken care of and lugging around water on the cruise will not be necessary. In the event you are on a regular cruise, a backpack with a few bottles of water will prove to be very useful.
The weather being quite conducive all-year round, it's easy to plan a cruise of the Mekong at any time; however, if you are looking for the best experience choose the beginning of the rainy season which falls between April and early June. The heat is much less with light showers keeping the climate cool and fresh. During this time you can experience a few festivals too, such as the Crop Season Opening Festival and Cholchonam Thomay the ancient Khmer festival.
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