Enjoy an early morning breakfast at your hotel. Then travel about an hour and a half to Laos, passing through Chiang Khong. Cross the Mekong River and be met by your Laotian guide. Enjoy a Mekong River cruise for seven hours, discovering the banks of the Mekong, the mythical river that crosses China, separates Laos from Burma and from Thailand, plunges toward Cambodia and emerges in Vietnam. The landscape is splendid. As the main entry to northern Laos and Luang Prabang, it’s a busy route bordered by villages all along the way. You’ll stop in a village bordering the river, enjoy lunch onboard the boat, and arrive at Pakbeng towards the end of the afternoon. Check in to the lodge and then discover this area on foot. Located halfway between Houeixay and Luang Prabang, it is a mixing point for local hill tribes including H'Mong, Lue, Khamou, and many others. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.