Explore the Mighty Mekong River in Laos on a Mekong Kayaks’ kayak tour or river adventure cruise, with village home-stay, beach camp, or mountain biking

Live the Adventure

Explore the mighty upper Mekong River on a Mekong Kayaks kayak or cruise tour. Experience a Mekong Kayaks’ exhilarating river tour by kayak, riverboat or mountain bike, through a wilderness untouched by time, where you can really push your boundaries, as you follow in the footsteps of famous Lao explorers after whom our tours are named.

On a Mekong River kayak and cruise tour you can leave your 21st century chaotic, stressed lives behind and just chill out and immerse yourself in the majesty and serenity of the spectacular scenery, as you languidly kayak or cruise the world’s 12th longest river, as it snakes through jungle clad gorges below karst mountain peaks.  

Life here has been unchanged for generations, so step back in time and experience authentic, Lao riverside village hospitality and culture with crafted experiences for the sustainably aware adventurer. The river is the villagers only means of contact with the outside world, as there are no roads, cars, or distributed power. Even Google Earth doesn’t know many of the names of these villages along the river, they are so isolated.

From Huay Xai the Mekong first threads its way south, turns east then turns south west at the Nam Ou River confluence 
opposite the Pak Ou Caves before flowing towards the United Nation’s World Heritage city of Luang Prabang.

  The Choice is Yours

Choose a Mekong River tour from a 1 day Twin Rivers Explorer kayaking tour on two of South East Asia’s most famous rivers; the Nam Ou and the Mekong, to a 2 or 3 day exhilarating exploration of the Mekong River.

Or take a Mekong Kayak’s 300+ km 2 or 3 day boat cruise in VIP comfort from Huay Xai on the Thai/Laos border to Luang Prabang.

Or contact us for a multi-day, private, kayaking and camping expedition.

The choice is yours.

We donate US$10 to the Bridging the Gap Mekong Trust for every client that goes on an overnight tour

For every client on an overnight tour we donate US$10 to the Bridging the Gap Mekong Trust, who for the last 20+ years has been building  and sustaining isolated village schools along the river.

These donations fund the construction of new schools, builds hygienic toilets, and buys much needed desks, text books, pads, pens and sports’ equipment, etc.

The old school at Baan Lad Khammune was a dangerous wreck about to collapse

For the Curious:

Quest to discover the source of the Mekong River

The source of the Mekong River can be traced to the Lasagongma Spring, a glacial stream located on the slopes of Mount Guozongmucha in the Tanggula Mountains in Qinghai province Tibet, at an elevation of 4,900 meters. Surprisingly it remained undiscovered despite many expeditions to find its source. Finally, 25 years after men first landed on the moon the river’s source was finally discovered on the 17 September 1994 by Dr Michel Peissel’s expedition.

As it flows south east, it is first named the Za Que then the Lancang River, before becoming the Mekong meaning “Mother of Waters” in the Thai language. It flows for 4,909 kms through 6 countries China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia before discharging into the South China Sea in Vietnam, making it the 12th longest river in the world. 

The massive tonnage of freshwater fish caught, represents about 20% of the global fish catch. It’s the lifeblood for over 65 million people who are dependent on its flow of nutrient laden water for food and agriculture.

Their very existence and livelihoods are now threatened by dams, with many more in development. One fifth of all the Mekong River species are now facing extinction according to a new WWF report.

These dams will have dire consequences on breeding fish migration and the people that depend on the Mekong River for food, as it has the most concentrated biodiversity per hectare of any river in the world, surpassing even the Amazon. It is home to over 1,100 fish species and some of the largest freshwater fish in the world (see story on the 300+ kg giant catfish ).

The Mekong River is not just a natural resource. It is an integral part of the economies of the six countries it flows through, strengthening trade, fisheries, and agriculture. It is a critical economic lifeline connecting ecosystems, communities, cultures, employment and livelihoods. Yet it faces unrelenting threats from damming, pollution, and exploitation.

The ongoing, sustainable management of the river is now critically important.