The Thakhek loop
I had mentioned in my last post that Luang Prabang just didn’t do it for me. And that I was happy to leave. In hindsight I left a bit too early, but I will explain later.
I arrived in Vientiane the capitol and immediately had a good feeling. Vientiane, this is the largest city in Laos, situated on the Mekong River and on the border with Thailand. It is the capital city of Laos. During the French occupation of Laos, Vientiane was an administrative centre, and the capital was Luang Prabang. There are some colonial French architecture buildings to be seen but also a lot of iconic Buddhist temples and Laos architecture. But my main objective was to arrange a bike.
Patuxay – Victory Monument.
The 3 Polish bikers, ready to depart. Garden Villa Hotel Vientiane.
I had chosen a hotel in the centre, that had a nice garden and swimming pool. The rooms were arranged around the garden so were quiet. When I arrived in the afternoon, I had seen 3 Honda CRF 150s parked in the reception. The next morning, I had a fantastic stroke of luck. I went to breakfast, and I was wearing my Vietnam bike T shirt, from my trip in Vietnam a year ago. It had the logo of the bike hire company, Style, on it. I was approached by 3 Polish guys. They asked me about my T-shirt, so I told them about the company in Vietnam. They said, “yes we know it they are also in Laos”. It turns out that they were just open and they have 3 shops, one in Luang Prabang, one in Vientiane and one in Pakse. They had hired the 3 CRF’s, in the lobby, from Luang Prabang. The shop there was not even open, and the bikes were brand new, if only I have had known. The shop in Vientiane was just around the corner from the hotel. So went up to my room, got my passport and ran straight there, there are some things that are more important than breakfast. I was really happy. It was a reunion in a way. The co-owner, from Hue Hin, was in the shop. Anyway, we struck a deal and I got a nice Honda CRF 150L Brand new. Ben, an English guy doing the computer and website set up for them had just ridden it back from a run down south. The day before I departed, they had a party in the shop. These guys are all bikers, and they really know how to party. It was really good. Also, a really good welcome to Laos and my journey, after Prabang Luang. Just a side note on renting motorcycles, a lot of trust is required by both parties. I am leaving a hefty cash deposit, and I need to know that the company is reputable. The hire company are trusting me with an expensive piece of machinery, and they need to know that all will be okay. That is why it can be difficult to do a long-term rental in Southeast Asia. Research and trust are important. Style is a well-established rental company in Vietnam and 100% trustworthy.
The happy staff, Style motorbike rental Vientiane. With in the back next to the co owner, two YouTube vloggers, Mitch and Martha. Beside them is travelling IT specialist Ben, currently working for Style.
I had made a kind of plan. But thanks to the party I left a bit later, but I really didn’t mind. I stopped at a crossroads town called Vieng Kham. This was a local town, but it was neat, and I really don’t think that anything actually happens here. I was on my way south to do the Thakhek loop. This is a 350km loop through rural Laos on small winding roads through some amazing mountains, rock formations, rice fields and jungle. Taking in caves and waterfalls along the way. For most people the loop starts and finishes in a town called Thakhek. Thakhek is 340km south from Laos. People tend to start the route from here because it has a large number of hotels and an even larger number of scooter rental companies. This is a major back packer thing to do, rent a scooter and head off in a t-shirt and shorts to do the loop, anticlockwise from south to north. That they have never ridden a scooter or don’t even have a license, makes no difference. I have seen this, also, in Vietnam and of course Thailand. But I have also seen so many young people walking around with bandages on their arms and legs. Coming off, even at slow speed, can leave some nasty torn skin that is inevitably infected with dirt and small pieces of gravel. In the biking world we call it gravel rash, and it is really painful. I was going to do the route from South to North, clockwise.
Harvesting cassava. Laos is a major cassava producer.
Left Vieng Kham early. I was heading to Kong Lor Cave, a distance of 79 km. I couldn’t find anywhere to eat breakfast, so headed off. First stop was The Rock Viewpoint, the doorway to the Phou Hin Boun National Protected Area. There, they had a restaurant, so I got a breakfast with a fantastic view. This is an amazing area of ancient karstic forests, breathtaking views, wildlife and an adventure park of ziplines, spider walkways and elevated bridges. I just did the walk. I could leave my helmet and jacket at the ticket office. The suspended bridges is a demanding walk up and down steps and along bridges, suspended high up between the peaks. It offers an amazing view of the rock formations. The ziplines and spider net walkways are really worth it as well. But I was short of time plus ziplining is not my thing, also, to do it properly, you would need to stay in one of the nearby hotels.
The Rock, doorway to the Phou Hin Boun National Protected Area.
The Rock, doorway to the Phou Hin Boun National Protected Area.
Then on to Kong Lor Cave. It was a short run, and I was making good time. I rented a little hut with a view of the mountains. I was early enough to be able to get to the cave in the afternoon. The Tham Kong Lo is considered to be one of Southeast Asia’s geological wonders. It is 7 kms from end to end. It was created by the Nam Hin Bun River. This river flows through the cave making it only accessible by boat. These are shallow draft long wooden boats with a longtail outboard motor. You have to buy an entrance ticket and a boat ticket. Once inside, you hand over your ticket at another office and you are introduced to your boatman and guide. The boat takes two to three people. If you are alone, you have to pay for the whole boat or try to find someone to share a boat with. I opted to try to share. As luck would have it, I found a group of Germans and was able to share with them.
The Tham Kong Lo. Shallow draught boat.
We were issued with flip flops, lifejacket and a headlamp and then our boatman took us on a hike to the mouth of the cave. Inside the boats were moored up. Gradually the daylight faded away and we were in total darkness. Some parts of the cave were lit up. At one of these lit up places we disembarked and walked along a lit-up walkway to the different viewpoints. This cave was spectacular. Then we met up again with the boat and continued, sometimes in total darkness and sometimes a lit-up area would appear. We had to get off the boat once more to enable the boatman to drag the boat up over the rapids. Then once again total darkness, just the lights from our head lamps. Then gradually a glimmer of light appeared in the distance, getting brighter until the exit was in sight. We passed through the exit into a jungle clad ravine…. A fantastic sight. Then on to a settlement on the banks, this was a small village. Here the locals were selling food, drinks and souvenirs. After a relaxing break it was once again back to the boats to return. All in all, a really good experience and well worth the money.
Kong Lor Cave.
Kong Lor Cave.
Kong Lor Cave.
Kong Lor Cave.
The next morning I left early, unfortunately it was burning season in Laos. This is when the farmers burn off the fields. The sad result is a smoky haze that limits vision of the mountains. The first section the road was really bad. Major road works for about 20 km.
I made a stop at Dragon cave. This is a nice little cave, no way spectacular, there are other caves on the route that are better. But I kinda liked it. There are some nice Buddha sculptures carved into the cliff face and a nice little temple, then the cave complex itself. First was a series of stairs leading to the entrance. Then a really low passageway where you had to crawl through on all fours. This was along an underground river, leading to an underground lake. The river was full of fish; you could see them splashing around. One of the things to do here is to buy fish food at the entrance and feed the fish. Then the cave opened out and it was impressive in it’s own way. The exit was via steep steps and loose rocks to a viewpoint, I decided to turn back. I didn’t feel comfortable doing it. I was wearing my Kevlar reinforced bike jeans with body armour, and was severely impeded in my agility, plus it was hot. So back to the cave, nice and cool and exit the way I came in. Leaving the scrambling over loose rocks whilst, perilously, clinging to the mountainside for the shorts and tee shirt scooter brigade.
Dragon Cave, really low passageway.
Dragon Cave.
Dragon Cave. Buddha carving.
The road continued on through rice fields, jungle clad mountains, past some really nice Buddha faces sculptured into the limestone face of a mountain and then a surreal submerged forest. This was a forest of dead trees sticking out of a lake. My next stop for the night was in a small town called Nam Theun on the banks of the liked named river. There are not many options to sleep in this town but one of the best was Sabaidee Guesthouse. This place excels in it’s friendly, laid-back vibe. Every evening they have a barbeque, where for a fixed price you can eat as much as you want…. Meat that is. I am not a meat eater but there was a whole vegetarian ala cart menu. They also have a large bonfire lit in the evening where everyone sits around and share stories. The atmosphere is really good. Breakfast is also really good here and thus fortified for another day on the trail I headed off.
Buddha faces sculptured into the limestone face of a mountain.
Our travel companion, Honda CRF150L
A surreal submerged forest.
Evening communal dinner at Sabaidee guesthouse, around the fire.
The first part was still through the submerged forest. I had seen a symbol for a big wooden boat on the map and decided to go have a look. This is a two-deck large wooden ship that has been abandoned on the shores of the lake. It was locally built and the craftmanship that went into it is remarkable. It has been stripped and left to rot. But you can still walk around inside of it. The area around here forms part of the Nakai-Nam Theun National Park. The next stop was the Tham Nang Aen Cave. This is another impressive cave and well worth a visit. Once again, an underground river runs through the cave, and you can take a boat to get deeper in. I opted to just walk around and explore the parts reachable on foot, and I was not disappointed.
Abandoned wooden ship.
Tham Nang Aen Cave.
Tham Nang Aen Cave.
The Thakhek loop.
Then onto Thakhek. This is an old former trading port on the banks of the Mekong River. It’s old center has a large number of French colonial buildings. It is a small laid-back town. I found a nice local hotel with secure parking and booked two nights. That evening, I went for a walk along the Mekong and ate at the local night market. On the way in I saw a mobile telephone repair place. The screen of my telephone had come loose plus it was cracked in places. They told me to come back the next day. The next day he said that he could not get a replacement screen and sent me to another shop. They also shook their heads. So, I told them to just glue the screen back in again. This they did and charged me the princely sum of the equivalent of 0,75 euro cents. That screen is still in the phone to this day. This was a really nice little ride around one of the nicest areas in Laos, well worth the effort. But next time I will do it slower and spend more time exploring.
The Thakhek loop.
Thakhek.
Thakhek.
Thakhek. The Mekong.
This was all about the ride and the scenery. I also have a Facebook blog with a photo album from this loop on it. The link is here below. But first I want to apologize for the quality of some of the photos. Particularly from my action camera. Somehow the settings and the lens angle changed. The photos are all angled a bit sideways. Also, I had a lot of haze caused by the burning fields. But it will still give you a rough idea of the ride and the countryside.
Laos 21-03-2025 to 25-03-2025 South Laos Thakhek loop
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog and being a part of my journey
Bye bye until next post. Have fun and stay safe.