Said to cover more than 40% of the Mekong 's catchment area, Laos has many excellent rivers that traverse dense jungle, deep gorges and sometimes flow through extensive cave systems. Near Vientiane try the challenging Nam Lik, Nam Ngum or paddle the Mekong if you wish. A bit north of Vientiane is the gentile Nam Song River that passes the amazing karst scenery and rice fields around Vang Vieng . Moving further north is the Nam Khan that empties into the Mekong within site of the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang. Up in Luang Namtha you can raft or kayak the Nam Ha or Namtha, where you will sleep in ethnic minority villages while passing right through the Nam Ha National Protected Area. Arguably the most intense and magnificent rafting trip available in Laos is on the Nam Fa River. This journey, loaded with rapids, wildlife and forest, starts in Vieng Phoukha and ends four days and 75 km later at the Mekong between Laos and Myanmar . South of Vientiane, kayak on the Hin Poun River right through the 7.5 km Konglor Cave in Khammouane Province.

Tour operators specializing in rafting and kayaking in Laos are Green Discovery Laos & Paddle Asia