Travelling to China from Northern Thailand by boat is unique in its rarity. It’s so rare that most locals outside of Chiang Rai and Chiang Saen have never even heard about the boat to China. Which, let’s face it, is part of the appeal. There are so many backpackers in Southeast Asia that it’s nice to find something unique to do. And travelling from Northern Thailand to Jinghong, China, in a boat, along the Mekong River, with Myanmar on one side and Laos on the other, is definitely unique.
In theory, the boat runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from June to April (the Mekong river runs low from March to May, which makes it difficult for the boat to make the journey). In reality, the boat trips are sporadic. When I took the boat in October, the boat only made five trips to China that month because there were not enough passengers. This makes it impossible to book ahead of time.