Most travellers arrive from Thailand via the Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, which connects Huay Xai to Chiang Khong across the Mekong. The crossing is straightforward: buses run from Chiang Rai's bus terminal to Chiang Khong, and shared songthaews shuttle between the Thai and Lao immigration offices on either side of the bridge. Lao visas on arrival are available for most nationalities.
Ban Huoeisay Airport (IATA: HOE) handles seasonal domestic flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang; schedules change and service can be irregular. The Laos-China Railway has a station at Boten, about 200 kilometres to the northeast, connecting to Kunming and the Chinese high-speed network — an increasingly popular entry route from southern China.
From Huay Xai, the primary onward route is by slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang (two days), or by speedboat (three hours, but significantly less comfortable and more dangerous).