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RTW Trip Day #48: The Shompoo Cruise (Day 1) Slow Boat to Pak Beng
- andrewsco3
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
15 November 2025
Steps: 3,098
Today was a very early start, as we were being collected from our hotel at 6.30 so we could catch the slow boat at 7am from town.
The Shompoo Cruise Slow Boat
Today we boarded the Shompoo Cruise slow boat, and the boat itself is very comfortable, with plenty of space to sit, lie down and relax.
The cruise is definitely on the higher end of the price range, but we’d read some pretty rough reviews of the cheaper public slow boat and decided that if we were going to spend eight hours a day for two days on board, it was worth paying extra.
The cruise started with breakfast, which was an omelette and toast with jam. We didn’t eat much of it though, as the Namkhan had given us takeaway boxes with club sandwiches, which were fantastic and far better. There’s a small bar on board where you can buy drinks and snacks, and there’s also free coffee, tea and water.
It was a lovely morning with the sun rising and a cool breeze coming off the river. We all lay down to relax, and Jessica even fell asleep under a blanket on one of the daybeds.
Pak Ou Caves
After about an hour we reached the Pak Ou Caves. There’s a lower cave as well as an upper cave that requires climbing around 200 steps to reach.
Inside the lower cave there were lots of Buddha statues, and our guide explained that there is a Buddha pose for each day of the week. For example, the Monday Buddha is for stopping fighting, which felt like a very fitting one for our kids!
At the upper cave there were more buddhas inside, plus a large “happy Buddha” by the entrance to the cave.
It reminded me a little of a smaller version of the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, just without the monkeys. Caves clearly hold an important place in many Asian cultures, as there are many temples or religious statues inside caves throughout the region.
Back on the Boat
We got back on the boat for the long seven-hour stretch, so we spent most of the time relaxing.
I worked on writing blog posts, Susie read her book and listened to podcasts, Jessica worked on her CapCut project for school, and Evelyn was determined to finish all the math questions Pops had sent her.
Pops, we definitely need some harder maths questions next time!
Lunch was served around 12.30 as a buffet-style platter, and it was really good. There was fish cooked in banana leaves, chicken wings, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried vegetables (my body is seriously craving veg), rice, and a huge plate of fresh fruit.
Evelyn devoured the chicken wings, and Jess ate two whole bowls of fruit, so we were all pretty happy.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the boat and taking in the surroundings. It was interesting to see small villages along the way and observe life along the Mekong.
There was also a live cooking demonstration showing us how to make banana sticky rice in banana leaf parcels.
After the demonstration, we all had a go, but Jess ended up making quite a few and became the local expert by the end. She might have a new career!
The Sanctuary Hotel, Pak Beng
We finally arrived in Pak Beng at around 5.15pm, and the Sanctuary Hotel sent a driver to collect us and take us to our hotel. The boat driver sleeps on the boat, so we were able to leave our two largest bags on board, which was nice.
The hotel itself wasn’t anything special, but it was perfectly fine for one night and had some nice views over the river.
We had a quick dip in the pool before heading to the hotel restaurant for dinner. The food was okay, a little overpriced, but we didn’t feel like walking into town to find something else, especially with a 6.30am start the next morning.
We tried to get some sleep, though the music from the ‘Happy Bar’ had other ideas until almost midnight!
Previous Day #47: Relax and Recharge Day at the Namkhan Hotel
Next Day #49: TBC
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