The Ultimate Guide to the Thakhek Loop (Laos Most Scenic Motorbike Journey)

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Nothing beats the freedom of the open road. Many of my favorite experiences in Asia were had on the back of a motorbike. & The Thakhek Loop is one of them. 4 days riding through green rice paddies, between towering limestone cliffs, dipping in refreshing lagoons, and spelunking in Laos’ impressive underground cave systems. The perfect salve to cure your itching need to get off the beaten path. Consider this your complete guide to the Thakhek Loop.

This guide was last updated with information from fellow travelers in March 2023! Things change in Southeast Asia. I would love if you reached out to me with corrections if you find that something on the road has changed.

Get ready to climb atop a plastic Chinese knock-off motorbike & have a real adventure. Exploring Laos at your own pace. The Thakhek Loop gives you a look at the agrarian side of Lao. A way of life still unchanged by westernization. For now.

Sitting about halfway between Laos hotbed of tourism in the North (Luang Prabang, Vientiane, & Vang Vieng) & the 4,000 Islands in the South, Thakhek makes for a perfect stop to break up the journey. Once arrived there are a few things you should know before you go.

Planning Your Motorbike Adventure

Thakhek Town

Having seen the stunning green landscapes we were bound for on the loop, I had anticipated Thakhek to be a small dusty rural town. But it was fairly bustling. It was a paved modern city with several restaurants–it even had a riverside night market. I can only assume the growing popularity of the loop is to thank for that.

Where to Eat in Thakhek

Six Friends Restaurant: This is the place to eat in Thakhek. It’s an outdoor restaurant covered in lights with a huge delicious menu & the cheapest beer in town.

Where to Stay in Thakhek

Thakhek is a small town with super limited accommodation options. I highly recommend booking a place to stay before you arrive. We didn’t & ended up wandering the streets for an hour looking for a room.

Bike & Bed: This is the most popular hostel in Thakhek. You’ll be sure to meet other travelers both returning & beginning the loop so it’s a great place to make friends. $6 for a dorm bed.

KGB Guesthouses: UPDATE. The guesthouse has permanently closed as of 2023. Don’t judge a book by its cover. From the outside KGB looks haggard. It has spray paint on the walls & the paint is peeling and aged. Don’t let that discourage you. We stayed here & the private rooms are pretty nice. As an added bonus, it’s directly above the best bike rental shop. Private rooms are $10.

How long does the Thakhek Loop Take?

That is entirely up to you.

My biggest piece of advice? Take it slow.

Even though it can be done in two days does not mean it should be. Three days is the minimum I would recommend, with 4-5 being ideal. You’ll want to stop off frequently so give yourself plenty of time.

2023 Update: The final day described in the itinerary below is on a pretty treacherous main road. I’ve been informed that it’s now more popular for riders to come back the way they came rather than make a full loop. If that is the case for you– make sure to give yourself lots of time.

Which Direction Is Better?

Counterclockwise. Head from the town of Thakhek to the floating village of Thalang.

The final 100 km of the loop (likely day 4) is just a straight uneventful stretch of highway where you’ll share the road with trucks & local buses. Starting with that stretch makes for a very long boring day one. Trust me & save it for last.

Finding Your Ride

There are several places you can rent motorbikes in town but the best bang for your buck is…

Wang Wang Motor Rental.

Not only are they the most reasonably priced rental option, but they also offer roadside assistance in case you break down along the way. They have great reviews & the bikes are in great condition. Bikes cost around $10 per day.

Before you ride off into the wind– Here’s a quick checklist to make sure your bike is good to go.

• Take a photo of your bike & all its imperfections. So you have a record of damages that were already there.
• Check lights, turn signals, horn, & brakes.
• Confirm you know how to open the storage compartment under the seat.
• Choose a helmet that fits comfortably. You’re going to be wearing it for the foreseeable future.
• Hold onto the map/roadside assistance phone number they provide just in case you get into a pinch.

If you would rather pay premium prices for a motorbike– Mad Monkey Motorbike is another reliable, albeit more expensive, option. It costs about $18/day.

If you’re looking for a challenge you can opt to do the 273-mile journey via bicycle instead. I met a couple who did it. It will take much longer & I can’t even imagine the literal pain in the ass of sitting on a bike seat for a close to 2 weeks–but I’m sure it would be an adventure.

Important Things to Know

TECHNICALLY you need an international driving license w/ motorbiking permissions to legally drive anywhere in Southeast Asia. Fortunately, Laos is still lax in enforcement. (Chiang Mai, Thailand, however, is a different story). You won’t encounter police on the loop & Wang Wang rentals instruct you on how to avoid them on your way out of town.

• Do hit the ATM before you leave Thakhek. You will find a few scattered along the way but it’s a rare occurrence. We brought about $55 per day for the two of us to cover food, lodging, & gas.
• Gas is available both at stations and at the small fill-up spots typical of Southeast Asia. Don’t be afraid to fill up from the glass liquor bottles.
• You can ride the loop year-round now that the entire roadway is paved & sealed. I would avoid the rainy season from May to October.
• No need to pack food with you (aside from a few snacks). There are plenty of local restaurants along the way.
• A rain poncho, swimsuit, & sunscreen will cover all the potential weather hazards you’re likely to encounter.
• Bring a filter water bottle like Lifestraw to refill along the way.

Guide To The Thakhek Loop

The loop can be completed in 3 days by combining the last two into one long drive day. It’s a lot of ground to cover and makes for a miserable last day on the road. Four days is the typical route & the itinerary I’ll be outlining below.

Day One: Thakhek to Thalang

63 Miles/101 km, 3 hours drive time

Best Stops

Tha Falang Swimming Hole

Interested in a morning dip in a blue-green lake framed by lush vegetation? This is the first potential stop but we opted to skip it. Being so close to Thakhek it is often crowded & recent development has taken away from the natural feel of the lake.

Tham Nong Pa Fa (Buddha Cave)

The start of “Cave Alley”. This stretch of road is lined on both sides with an abundance of mountainside caverns. Some more impressive than others. This particular cave is surrounded by a lovely little lagoon & if not for the wooden walkways and neon lighting inside the cave–would have been absolutely beautiful. A neat first stop.

Xieng Liap

One of the few attractions improved by the rainy season. When the water is high enough you can go for a swim in this river-filled cave.

Tham Nang Aen (Ene)

The last cave I’ll recommend on day one is also the most impressive. Fairly developed & fortunately well-lit you can climb through the cavern to marvel at its sparkly stalagmites & stalactites.

Pha Katai Viewpoint (Golden Rabbit Viewpoint)

Just off the main road before you hit the river you’ll find one of my favorite viewpoints. But be prepared to climb some steep rickety metal stairs haphazardly attached to the rocky mountainside. At the peak, you’ll get to look out across the scraggly black limestone tips at the valley around you. Well worth the extra effort.

2023 Update: This viewpoint is apparently now closed. The stairs were rickety when I was there in 2019 so I can only imagine the state they are in now.

Ghost Boat Restaurant

Although not actually a functioning restaurant itself, you’ll find plenty nearby in the town of Nakay (I recommend Sern Sap Restaurant). This ship sits on an eerie beach filled with sunken trees poking out of the water.

Where to Stay

Sabaidee Guesthouse: Cheap wooden bungalows facing the river with a great bonfire spot to warm up during crisp evenings. The owners here are so kind, provide a delicious breakfast, & have loads of Beer Lao on hand. This guesthouse is included on every guide to the Thakhek Loop for good reason.

Alternative Route: Since it was our first day on the road & we had gotten an early start we arrived in Thalang early in the day. Feeling full of energy we continued on to Lak Xao. The town itself is nothing spectacular but I liked that it was off-the-beaten-path & we were the only tourists in sight. It also shortens your drive the following day.

Day Two: Thalang to Kong Lor

94 miles/151 km, 5.5 hours drive time

Be sure to look for the binoculars symbol along your route in Maps.me. It means there is a worthwhile viewpoint in this area. There are quite a few on days 2-4 as you gain elevation.

This is where a lot of older guides to Thakhek loop fail you. Previously, this section of roadway was unpaved & an absolute disaster. With any amount of moisture, the road became thick red mud that slowed you to a crawling pace.

But as of 2017, the entire loop is one smoothly paved road.

Leaving Thalang, you’ll pass through what is known as the “drowned forest”. Charred tips of trees, stumps, and full leafy jungles poke out of the surrounding lakes. It’s a very weird stretch of scenery.

Best Stops

Sandstone Buddha Rock Sculptures

About 20 km north of Thalang, painstakingly carved into the sandstone cliffside are several standing Buddha images. A great place to stop & stretch your legs.

 Dragon Cave (Mangkone Cave)

This was one of my favorite stops along the loop. A short hike crawling over felled trees and rocky outcroppings leads to a hidden away cave. You can either walk 15-20 minutes through the main cavern or opt to hike deep into its depths on a long 2-hour loop. Caves make me uneasy, so we chose to do the short loop. The restaurant near the parking lot has some killer tea & coffee as well.

Cool Springs Lagoon

By now it will be around lunchtime & just warm enough for a dip in the revitalizing turquoise lagoon. The water here is crystal clear.

2023 Update: This lagoon may also be closed. Look instead for Lagoon #6. Or hopefully, this closure was seasonal and it will reopen again soon.

Thabak Bomb Boats

After getting hammered with cluster bombs dropped by the US during the Vietnam War, Laos has crafted many creative ways to use the shrapnel. For example, bomb boats. The hulls of these canoes are actually the jet fuel canisters dropped from planes above. We didn’t do the boat tour because of the cost & for us, it was enough to see the boats from the bridge in the river below.

Cut in to Kong Lor Village

Detouring from the main road, the route to Kong Lor village is unpaved & bumpy at times. Make sure you have allowed ample time for this last 40 km or so. You’ll also have the pleasure of crossing 4 wooden bridges. Take them slow & stick to the wheel paths they constructed. Unfortunately, they are typically in states of disrepair so be extra vigilant here.

Kong Lor was my favorite stop on the route. You should definitely plan to take some time here. Even add an extra day if possible. We played with puppies, ate at a restaurant with a rescued hornbill, & watched the workers harvesting in the fields. The town is startlingly beautiful & surrounded on all sides by imposing limestone cliffs.

Where to Stay

Konglor Eco-Lodge: It’s not actually eco-friendly in any way as far as I could tell. But it is conveniently located on the main road in town & the closest accommodation to the Kong Lor caves.

Thongdam Guesthouse: These little bungalows have the best reviews in town & they sit smack dab in the middle of the rice fields. Only $10 a night for a private bungalow.

Day Three: Kong Lor to Nahin

26 miles/42 km, 2 hours drive time

Backtracking this stretch of road marks the shortest travel day. This gives you ample time to explore the village of Kong Lor before you set out & catch a boat ride through the subterranean Kong Lor cave.

Kong Lor Cave

The cave’s last boat tours load up at 3:30 PM, which means you’ll likely miss it on the evening you arrive in Kong Lor. Get up early and arrive at 8 AM for the first tours of the day.

I’m not someone who is particularly fond of caves, but this one is well worth donning your headlamp & exploring. The cavern is massive tunneling deep into the limestone mountainside. Hop into a long tail boat with your mandatory park guide & he’ll take you on a journey up the flowing river inside the cave itself. Pitch black, aside from our faint headlamps, it takes 20 minutes to skillfully maneuver the boat to the village within the mountain on the other side. Here, you can explore for as long as you like before returning back through the cave.

Where to Stay

Sanhak Guesthouse: Comfortable rooms with a tasty restaurant. Owned by the same family as Sabaidee Guesthouse in Thalang. $10 for a room.

Day Four: Nahin to Thakhek

90 miles/145 km, 4-5 hours of drive time

This day is the most difficult. The first 45 km wind up into the mountains. Your 110cc motorbike will not appreciate the stiff increase in elevation. Ours refusing to travel faster than 15km/hour during some stretches. Thankfully, the many spectacular viewpoints of the valley below you make up for the gas-guzzling ride.

This is the portion of the route that may be dangerous for inexperienced drivers and should be avoided even if it means backtracking as of 2023.

The 100 km after than are painfully boring. Once you hit the main road you’ll be competing with traffic, traveling at high speeds, and ready to just get back to Thakhek already.

Stop for lunch before reaching Route 13 (the main hwy). Food is limited here & pretty subpar.

Best Stops

Limestone Peaks Lookout

A series of switchbacks lead to the highest point in the surrounding cliffs. Here a small restaurant & zipline course have been constructed overlooking the dramatic black spires of limestone capped mountains. The restaurant is pricey but it makes for a good leg-stretch spot on an otherwise long day of riding.

& Woo Hoo You’ve Made It Back to Thakhek!!!

Cost of Thakhek Loop

So how much does this all cost? (Our costs are for two people) Here’s a breakdown of exactly what we spent on the road.

Total Spent on Gas: $11

Average Food Spending/day: $11.50

Average Accommodation Costs/night: $9

Costs of activities:

• Tham Nang Aen: $3.30 per person
• Kong Lor Cave: $7.20 per person
• Dragon Cave: $3 per person
• All others were free or about $1 per person

Our daily budget was about $42 for the two of us. (Not including the $9 motorbike rental). Which put our total at $51 per day.

Should You Ride the Loop?

If you’re looking for serene nature, an authentic taste of Laotian culture, & to embark on a true adventure then YES. During the month I spent in Laos, this was my absolute favorite experience & a rare look at rural life.

& with this essential guide to the Thakhek Loop, you’ll be completely prepared.

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