Offroad Laos: 10-day Motorbike Tour in North Laos

For this Motorcycle adventure in Laos: Your accommodation is booked for the Lao Orchid Hotel.   At 18:00 at the hotel, go over the trip details and get to know one another.  We’ll  get to know each other and discuss trip safety and ride information will be on the adjenda  An introduction to the bikes takes place but the riding is done the next day.  Tonight we’ll adjust your bike to fit if you are a bit too tall or on the vertically challenged side.

Accommodation: Lao Orchid Hotel

We start a motorbike trip after breakfast and one final safety talk.  We drive outof Vientiane and then turn onto the Mekong River road and the next 150 KM will be on compressed dirt.  Lunch along the way at a local restaurant and we’ll take a side track or two before meeting up with a great 75 KM stretch of paved road leading over some small ridges.  A ferry crossing and we are in Pak Lay, our first night’s destination.  After dinner tonight, the guides will help you improve your riding based on today’s run.  Ride time will vary but we should be in Pak Lay well before sunset.

Accommodation: Doung Chia Phet Hotel   Meals: B/L/D

We get rolling after breakfast and ride north on route 4, and make a morning stop along remote areas with rolling hills and scattered rice fields.  Several schools are along the way and we’ll most likely draw some att ent ion, but we’ll try not to intrude upon them.  We’ll stop for lunch in Xayaboury and then carry on riding up to Hongsa.  Today’s ride is on all dirt roads ,with just a little paved bits around the bigger towns.  There are many beautiful scenic stops along the ride and you should be quite high on the photo count by the end of the day.

Hopefully we’ll pass some working elephants along the road.  Most areas will be sparsely populated areas and it’s a real taste of Remote Laos.  Depending on our arrival time in Hongsa, check into the hotel and we may get in a short elephant ride. The elephant ride is optional and only if we arrive early enough into town.  Dinner tonight at a local restaurant and a night in the quiet countryside. Ride time today will also vary but you should arrive well before sunset.

Accommodation: Hongkham Guesthouse    Meals: B/L/D

Today’s ride is not too long and we ride motorbikes in Laos, a Laos adventureare headed for Luang Prabang to the east.  We’ll depart and ride roads that are being improved.  We have another Mekong River crossing before Luang Prabang and our aim is to arrive in town by lunchtime.

You have a free afternoon here to soak up a little city life, get a massage, jump on email or simply relax along the Mekong River with a cold Beer Lao.  Dinner tonight for the group and after that we suggest a walk through the night market.  Any items purchased can be shipped to Vientiane.

Accommodation: Ban Lao Hotel     Meals: B/L/D Day

We will offer an early morning to those that would like to quietly observe the morning monk alms procession.  This happens at about 05:30 and our breakfast is a t 07:15.  We plan to depart Luang Prabang at 08:00.  The first 35 km are on paved road and then we take a turn northeast on a compressed dirt road.  We’ll have a break along the way ,as the ride is along the Nam Xeun River.

Our lunch is a mid way on the dirt road section and we’ll opt for either a picnic lunch or local place.  We’ll ascend into the mountains after Pak Xeng and come to what we call “Rock Star Highway”.  The children on the last 30 KM come out in force to greet and cheer us on.  It’s overwhelming and sure to make your ride day.  We’ll meet up with a rural paved road and ride 95 km to Vieng Thong.  Vieng Thong is a very small, out of the way town with limited services. Electricity in the town is sporadic and we’ll do the best we can to call ahead 10 Day Motorcycle Tour in Laos and have a few drinks put on ice for the group’s arrival.

There is an attraction in Vieng Thong and it is the working office for Wildlife Conservation Laos.  We’ll drop in for a look at the photo from the remote camera traps and learn a little more about the area. This is the most ‘rustic’ night we’ll have but the food is fine and we’ll watch the entire town get rolled up after sunset.  For those that like to experiment, the local restaurant has a selection of fermented rice wine, Lao Lao .

Accommodation: Sooksakhone Guesthouse  Meals: B/L/D

We start off early today and continue riding the remote rural road east.  We’ll cross several small Offroad Laos, motorbike tour Laospasses and be riding through the Nam Et Phouy National Protected Area.  The ride today is all paved, but the road conditions are less than perfect.

The upcountry roads are difficult to maintain and while in reasonably good condition, we’ll not be racing along as if on smooth blacktop. We’ll pass many villages along the way and by noon we’ll arrive in Xam Nua.  After a lunch, we check into the hotel, then we’ll ride east another 30 km to Vieng Xai for a tour of the Phathet Lao Hidden Cave City from the Indochina War. We’ll tour at least 3 of the caves with a specialist local guide from the area.  The caves are quite impressive and massive.

They survived repeated attacks from aircraft and ground forces, and served as the shelter for the founding fathers of the modern day Laos.  During this part of the tour, there will be some walking on uneven ground and reasonable footwear is suggested.  After the tour, return to Xam Nua for dinner and our overnight.

Accommodation: Xam Nua Guesthouse     

Meals: B/L/D

Early start and we are returning on the same mountain road we came into Vieng Xai on.  We’ll take a side diversion to Suan Hin Standing Stones mid morning and lunch will be in Nam Neun. We’ll be riding on a higher elevation road after lunch for the next 90 km/55 miles.  We  have a rest at Tam Piew Cave at the base of the high elevation road for a look at the view and learn a little history of the cave.  We are then good paved road into Phonsavan for the night with a late afternoon arrival.  Dinner tonight at a local restaurant and overnight in Phonsavan.

Accommodation: Nice Guesthouse (really – that’s the name!) Meals: B/L/D

We start the day with a ride to Site 1 of the Plain of Jars about 10 minutes out of town.  We will continue on to site 2 and 3 afterward.  From Site 3, we’ll loop around to Old Xieng Khoung for lunch and return via Phonsavanh, then take a dirt road loop around the north to some remote villages.  The area motorbike adventure laoswas heavily bombed during the late 1960’s and 1970’s and scattered bomb craters will be on the route. We will return to Phonsavan in the late afternoon and tonight we’ll take time to visit the MAG (Mine Advisory Group) offices to view a short movie about unexploded ordinance clearing in Laos.  Dinner and overnight in Phonsavan.

We are on the way to Vang Vieng today and, we’ll stop in a Buddha Cave for a small break slightly outside of Phonsavanh.  A little stair climbing but this cave is well lit and quite small.  We’ll continue on some excellent windy roads to Phou Khoun where we turn south on Highway 13.  Our lunch-stop is a fantastic hillside restaurant overlooking a deep valley.

We ride on and should arrive mid afternoon in Vang Vieng where we’ll stay for 2 nights.  Rest up after today’s long ride and dinner at Xayoh Cafe in Vang Vieng is sure to please – they’ve got really good Pizza! Dinner and overnight in Vang Vieng, as well as a chance to catch up on your email! Night in Ban Sabai Riverside Resort

Meals: B/L/D

1/2 day Kayak tour (optional)

In this morning, upon having breakfast at hotel, you’ll be at leisure in Vang Vieng till riding back to Vien Tiane.

End of your trip!