11 days - 2200 km - start and finish in Vientiane

Highlights

This intense ride in the south of Laos rides along beautiful karst limestone valleys, along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, deep towards the Cambodian border, along challenging single track paths, through remote villages and combines highway runs and river crossings that will leave you wanting to ride them again.  The days, like most of our tours are relatively easy and have time built into them for stops and any unforeseen delays we encounter along the ride.  Your skills as a rider are put to the test sometimes as well as easy, enjoyable times in beautiful country.

 

Brief Itinerary:

Arrival Day Vientiane

Day 1: Vientiane – Nam Kading Protected Area

Day 2: Nam Kading  - Laksao

Day 3: Laksao - Villabury or Xepon

Day 4: Villabury or Xepon - Tadlo
Day 5: Tadlo – Bolaven Plateau - Pakse

Day 6: Pakse – Don Khong
Day 7: Don Khong – Kingfisher Lodge - Attapeu
Day 8: Attapeu – Paam – Ta Oi
Day 9: Ta Oi  - Villabury or Xepon
Day 10: Villabury or Xepon – Tha Khek
Day 11:  Tha Khek – Vientiane

Departure Day Vientiane

 

Day to Day Itinerary

 

Vientiane Arrival Day

Depending on your flight arrival, transfer to the hotel. In the evening, meet the guide and go

over the upcoming trip.  We’ll talk about safety and the ride as well as set you up with additiona

l gear for the following day

 

Accommodation: Lao Orchid Hotel

Meal plan: none

 

Day 1: Vientiane – Nam Kading Protected Area 210 km paved 4 km dirt

 

We depart after breakfast at your hotel and head south on Highway 13.  The ride is quite easy and we are on paved roads.  We’ll take stops as you like today since we have the time.  Lunch is in Paksan and we’ll continue along the Mekong River to Pakading and a short time later turn off to the Nam Kading Trainig Center outpost.

 

Accommodation: Nam Kading Training Center

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 2: Na Hin – Konglor Cave – Laksao 150 km paved, 4 km dirt

An early breakfast today and you are on a boat tour up the Nam Kading River into the Nam Kading Protected Area. It is an isolated area with no villages and only wildlife and forest.  You return around noon and we depart after lunch. We ride a little south and then turn east along karst limestone formations.  We stop along the way to check out the ‘bomb boats’ and should roll into the border town of Lak Xao late afternoon.  Dinner locally in this quite town.

 

Accommodation:  Lak Xao Hotel

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 3: Laksao - Villabury or Xepon depending on time 260 km mixed roads

Breakfast in Lak Xao, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup and we are riding south over the Nakai Plateau.  We’ll stop along the way to look over the resettlement villages from the massive hydro-electric project and have lunch in Gnommalat.  We ride east further towards the Vietnam border and then go south into Savannakhet Province.  We ride over the Ho Chi Minh Trail but it’s been upgraded and easy to ride but dusty.  We overnight in Villabury or Xepon depending on time.  A section of the day’s ride takes us on a 25 kilometer stretch of bad road and one river crossing by a remote village.  

Accommodation:  Xepon Hotel

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 4: Villabury or Xepon – Tadlo 210 km dirt road

Breakfast early today and we are riding by 08:00.  We ride to a river crossing where we take single passenger and bikes across the Banghiang River.  From here we start another section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the riding is sometimes difficult as there is no real road, only track.  Along the southern edge of the difficult track, we’ll stop at a remote village and spend a little time seeing how life stands still in Remote Asia. 

We continue riding south and the road conditions deteriorate.  We’ll encounter sand and deep powder dust for some time and several detours around bridges being constructed before coming to one last river crossing that we may ride or take stand up boats across depending on the water depth.  We have a lunch in the jungle and then continue to the sealed highway and a small eco-resort near Tadlo Waterfall for the night

Accommodation:  Tad Lo Ecolodge

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 5: Tadlo - Bolaven Plateau – Pakse 200 km

Late breakfast and a small sleep this morning and we are off to ride around the Bolevan Plateau and the coffee country of Laos.  On the road to Pakse, we divert south to Champasak and Wat Phou for a late afternoon visit to the temple.  We take a dirt road back to Pakse for the night.  We have a western meal and then Beer Lao local style along the Mekong tonight.

 

Accommodation:  Pakse Hotel

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 6: Pakse – Don Khong 130 km paved

Breakfast and we’re on the road south towards the Cambodian border and our destination is the 4000 island region.  We go a little further than the island to visit the Mekong waterfalls at Khone Phapheng.  We return up the road and arrive for lunch on this island and then take an afternoon boat trip.  This is one of the only places to see Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins in Southeast Asia and if we’re lucky, a sunset ride back to the island on the boat.  Dinner tonight on the island.

 

Accommodation:  Don Khong Guesthouse

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 7: Don Khong – Kingfisher Lodge – Attapeu 100 km paved, 116 dirt

Departing the island early we are on the way to Phou Asa and the Elephant reserve for a short ride and visit to the protective area.  Lunch is at Kingfisher Lodge and we then get ready for the jungle track and many water crossing along the bottom road of Laos to Attepue.  This is one of the most enjoyable and challenging rides with good tree tunnel cover, multiple water crossings of various depths, remote villages and finishes with a ride through the Xe Nou River.  Check into the hotel and get our boots washed and set up to dry.  Dinner tonight is at the best restaurant Remote Asia has found in Laos – a gem among many and outstanding Papaya Salad.

Accommodation:  Attapeu Palace Hotel

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 8: Attapeu – Paam – Ta Oi

We depart Attapue over the Xekong River and ride through Paam where we’ll check out a war relic, a SAM 2 missile left behind by the Vietnamese.  We turn north and ride dusty roads and have a lunch in Salavan and then take on a 3 hour ride to Ta Oi.  Today’s rides will touch paved road for a while but the majority is dirt road and bull dust roads.  Our overnight in Ta Oi is a little remote and quiet as not much happens here.  We need a good rest for the morning as we’re headed up a difficult portion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

 

Accommodation:  Ta Oi Guesthouse

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 9: Ta Oi  - Villabury or Xepon depending on time 120 km dirt

We depart Ta Oi and encounter a few nice challenges while riding like water crossings and a bamboo bridge.  We’ll stop along the way for an explanation of the US bombing of the area during the American War in Vietnam.  Lunch is in the jungle and this ride is one of the most challenging of the trip.  We end up back on firm roads later in the day near the Vietnamese border and make a short stop at a museum of war junk being put together in Dong.  We overnight in Xepon or Villabury.

 

Accommodation:  Villabury Guesthouse

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 10: Villabury or Xepon – Tha Khek 160 km + dirt 50 paved

Departing early we are on the way to Thakhek and retrace a little road we did on the way down but it’s remote and scenic.  We pass again over a different section of the Xe Nou River and then along a nice stretch of road to Xaybuathong and a side track not on most maps taking us back to Highway 13(note: this portion of the ride is not always open and is dependant on rainfall).  We arrive in the Thakhek area and take a small off road ride to see a smaller but non-tourist laden Buddha Cave carved into the Karst.  We arrive in Thakhek and enjoy cold beers on the Mekong followed by dinner in town.

                                                                                                                             

Accommodation:  Mekong Hotel Thakek

Meals: B/L/D

 

Day 11:  Tha Khek – Vientiane 340 km paved

Breakfast and we are on Highway 13 north.  We make stops along the way to break up the highway and maybe rip up a little mud if we can find some.  Lunch along the road and our destination is Vientiane where upon checking in, relax and enjoy a beer or two.  Rest up after your trip and enjoy a quiet night in the city.

 

Accommodation:  Lao Orchid Hotel

Meals: B/L

 

Note on accommodation and services – Some locations we stay overnight are somewhat limited on services but we stay and eat at the best possible places.  All locations have been scouted by Remote Asia staff several times for quality and service.  A guest commented on an overnight stay to his friends at home he “was in a No Star Hotel but it was great to sit on the terrace and watch the cows wander around the town like they owned the place”.  Every hotel will have a comfortable bed and hot water for showers.  Meals will be large and keep your energy levels up for the day’s rides. 

 

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