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One of the most underrated countries in Southeast Asia, Laos holds so many exciting adventures for you to explore, one being the famous motorcycle loop through the scenic region of Thakhek! In this blog, we will be going into detail on our adventure and listing our recommendations, along with things to avoid to help ensure you have the best time! So without further ado let's embark on this incredible journey!
Where is Thakhek?
The town of Thakhek is located in central Laos, approximately an 8-hour bus ride away from the capital of Vientiane.
What is the Thakhek Loop?
The Thakhek loop is a 3-4 day adventure where you ride a rented motorcycle through scenic landscapes, creating long-lasting memories along the way. It's a self-guided route, so gathering information on where to stay, what to do, and where to go is essential before you begin. That's where our blog comes in handy!
When did we go?
We completed the Thakhek loop during the wet season, which presented some challenges. For one, some of the places we wanted to go were not possible due to flooding at the entry points. The weather also caused large mudslides which created blockages on the road, so we had to take an alternate route. Therefore in this blog, we will provide a comprehensive account of our experiences, including the places we managed to visit and those that were inaccessible for us to provide you with as much information as possible.
Day 1 - Arrive in Thakhek
How to get there?
There are multiple ways to get into Thakhek. For us, we took an 8-hour bus from Vientiane which let me tell you was one of the bumpiest rides we've ever been on! Laos is still an undeveloped country so some of the roads aren't that great. Don't worry though the roads for the loop are well maintained.
You can book your bus on '12Go' which is one of the best online transport booking websites to use when in South East Asia.
Where to stay?
We suggest spending a night in Thakhek before starting the loop to get organised and find a place to store your large luggage, allowing you to travel with just a small bag. Thakhek has limited accommodation options, but from our experience and research, the 'Naga Hostel' is the best choice for loop travelers, offering free luggage storage, laundry facilities, and breakfast. The hostel staff are friendly and well-informed about the loop, so they can help answer any questions you have and provide valuable information. The hostel also has a helpful picture visualising the loop to give you an idea on where to stay and what to visit:
It's a little hard to read but it gives you a rough idea of what the loop looks like and of course, once you arrive at the hostel you can have a better look yourself!
NOTE: the hostel only provides dorm rooms so if you want a private room then this may not be the best place for you :)
What to bring and where to get your motorcycle?
As previously mentioned you will want to store your large bag at the hostel and take a smaller one with you as it would be quite impossible to bring a suitcase along for the ride. All you need to pack are clothes for 3-4 days and other essentials like a toothbrush, toothpaste, water, and snacks.
You will also want to ensure you have a mobile phone with Google Maps and reliable internet to avoid getting lost along the loop. I would strongly recommend you look into getting an eSIM through the app 'Airalo'. Not only are they cheap and super easy to install but it also saves you the hassle of purchasing a local plastic SIM card at a store and potentially getting ripped off. Use the search bar below to browse through eSIMs of over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as you land.
Now for renting a bike, we followed the hostel's recommendation and rented ours from 'Mixay Thakhek Motor Rental'. The cost was 150,000 kip ($11 AUD) per day, and you just need to leave your passport as a deposit. The staff at the rental place were very friendly; they even gave us some water and snacks for the road!
Day 2 - Thakhek to Nam Theun
Today is the day your Thakhek loop adventure begins, with a roughly 2-hour and 15-minute drive to the Nam Theun area. We recommend spending your first night at 'Saibaidee Guesthouse', a popular spot offering both dorm and private rooms. They also provide options for dinner, breakfast, and alcoholic beverages, creating a great opportunity to connect with fellow travelers and gather more ideas for your journey.
As for the adventure side of the day, there are a few highlights to consider stopping at along the way. The first one is the 'Elephant Cave' which despite the absence of actual elephants inside :( was definitely a fascinating place to explore, and the entry fee is only 5,000 kip (36 cents AUD).
The next stop is the 'Xiang Liap Cave' which unfortunately was closed due to flooding when we visited, so we couldn't explore it further. However, we did discover a hidden gem during our trip that became one of the main highlights for us. This spot, called 'Khoun Nam Khamdib Tourist Site,' is not widely known by anyone completing the loop and it doesn't even appear on Google Maps! It's essentially a lagoon where locals gather to swim, socialize, and have a great time. To find it, just keep an eye out for this billboard sign when you're on the loop road:
Once you see the sign, simply turn and drive about 5 minutes along the road until you reach a gate where someone will be there to charge a small entry fee per bike. After paying the entry fee, just continue on until you see the lagoon! We had a fantastic time here swimming and relaxing, and the locals we met were all really nice. Some of them even invited Bree to join them for a few beers, which I definitely wasn't jealous about... There's also a café on site where you can order food, but it's not in English, so it's helpful to have Google translate handy. Overall, it's a great place to cool off and relax, and we highly recommend it!
After relaxing it's time for a hike up to the 'Pha Katai Viewpoint' but don't worry it's not too difficult and there's an ice cream shop nearby for you to reward yourself afterwards (it's called "I'm in café" for reference). The views from the top are incredible and it was definitely one of our favourites in Asia! There's also what looked to be an abandoned water part right next to it which of course we explored so you can do that as well for some added adventure!
Day 3 - Nam Theun to Na Hin
Alrighty, hopefully you've recovered from a big day yesterday and possibly a big night as we've got another day full of adventure. We will be leaving Saibaidee Guesthouse and driving another 2 hours and 15 minutes to the area of Na Hin. For the place to stay we would recommend the Sanhak Guesthouse and Restaurant. They have dorms and private rooms with fan or aircon options. They also serve dinner and breakfast so you won't have to worry about finding somewhere to eat.
Now for the day's journey, our first stop we would recommend is the Sandstone Buddha Rock Sculptures. They are just off the side of the main road so it is hard to miss and it's a great first stop to take some pictures and have a stretch. Next up is the Dragon Cave which unfortunately for us was flooded in so we can't make any further comments but do let us know if there are any dragons when you visit ;) The final activity is the 'Cool Pool' which of course was also flooded...yay but we did hear from many people that it's a must visit highlight on the loop so be sure to visit if you can. Afterwards, it's off to the town of Nah Hin where we tuckered in for the night! Although, this was not quite the case for our journey. If you like to read about the crazy adventure we took part in then click here to skip to it. However, if you'd like to read what a normal day should look like on the loop then continue reading from here.
Day 4 - Nah Hin to Thakhek
The last day on the Thakhek loop doesn't have much on offer but it includes Bree and I's favourite activity which was ziplining through the rocky mountains at a place called 'The Rock Viewpoint'. This is about a 15-minute drive from Nah Hin and the place not only offers a zipline course but also a restaurant where you can sit and eat while looking over some incredible views. But of course, we are mainly here for the zipline, now there are a few options, you can either do 2 hours, half a day or a full day priced at $30, $60 and $90 USD respectively. Or you can do a 20-30 minute style canopy walk for 50,000kip ($3.60 AUD). We chose the 2-hour option which was more than enough time to soar through the impressive rocky mountains and also have the opportunity to lay down on a rope canopy to further enjoy the views. If my words haven't convinced you enough then I'll let the images below do more of the talking:
After 2 hours of fun, we grabbed a bite to eat before embarking on a 2.5 hour drive back to Thakhek as there's unfortunately nothing else to see or do after the zipline. Once we arrived back, we then returned our bike and stayed one more night at 'Naga Hostel'.
Summary
That's it, that's everything you need to know about the Thakhek Loop. We hope we have given you the inspiration to take on this adventure as it was most definitely one of Bree and I's favourites! If you have any questions please feel free to comment at the bottom of the blog or head to our contact page and we will do our best to respond as soon as possible.
To learn more about the adventures we've been on follow our TikTok and if you enjoyed the blog please like and share it!
Now if you've got the time I would really recommend reading on to find out exactly how the end of our Thakhek loop went and let me tell you, it was crazy!
Our Crazy End to the Thakhek Loop
End of Day 3
Now this story takes place after our disappointment of not being able to visit the cool pool. We made it about 6km out from the area of Nah Hin before reaching a roadblock which was caused by a large mudslide. However, we were convinced by our enthusiastic Kiwi friend, in which we were travelling with, that it wouldn't be that hard to drive our bikes through the mud. Granted he did show it was possible however we all weren't as confident in replicating his manliness so he had to walk back through the mud and drive our bikes one by one. Which also meant we had to walk through the mud to the other side which we all got stuck in multiple times. However once we made it to the end, our Kiwi friend assured us that this was the only muddy part and it was smooth sailing ahead... which of course wasn't the case. After about a 2-minute drive, we ended up reaching an even bigger mudslide on the road where massive trucks and diggers were also blocking the way. So safe to say we weren't making it through there alive so back through the mud we go.
So with no way through to the next destination (not even a back road, we checked), we had to drive 2 hours back to Saibaidee guesthouse but not before we got some lunch. We tried a local convenience store/ restaurant which of course everything was in Laos so we had no idea what to order. We ended up just buying snacks and I got a cup of noodles which was more like a cup of sh!t, it was disgusting. With our bellies still unsatisfied we carried on until god shined a beautiful white light on a billboard sign stating that a nearby resort had a reputable restaurant...we were saved! After devouring some food and mucking around on their abandoned looking Ferris Wheel (random!) we continued back to the guesthouse and we'd be lying if we didn't say we were driving in darkness towards the end. But alas we made it back alive and were hopeful that the worst of our luck was behind us...
Day 4.... what could go wrong?
For the day's plan, the 6 of us (forgot to mention we were with 4 others for the duration of the loop) decided to journey 5 hours in the opposite direction, around the loop to reach the area of Nah Hin. Now I know what you're thinking, we probably should have cut our losses and headed back to Thakhek but no. Bree and I were hell-bent on wanting to do this amazing zipline through the scenic mountains as it was one of the main reasons why we wanted to do the loop. We convinced the others of how awesome this zipline course would be and then started our long journey to get there.
All was going well until a member of the group stumbled upon a billboard (Laos loves their billboards) which had a map indicating somewhat of a shortcut to Nah Hin. It seemed promising, and the map gave us the impression that we would only drive for a little bit until we got on a ferry to take us across the river.
Now of course we didn't want to trust our cartography skills and just drive for ages and for there not to be a ferry so we asked some locals nearby in the best way we could. Safe to say they had no idea what we were saying but with some pointing and Google Translate we got the thumbs up that we should be able to get to Nah Hin by boat. So our new plan was in motion, however we weren't 100% convinced yet. We decided that we will only drive for a little bit to check it out and if it was to expensive or closed then we'd turn around and still have enough time to continue with our original plan. So off we went, however, a seemingly quick 2-minutes drive swiftly became a 2-hour one as there was still no sign of a ferry. Don't ask me why we carried on, I think we just had faith in the locals and the more we drove, the more it started to become too late for us to turn around. Now the roads we were driving on can best be described as a bunch of dirt, rubble and mud along with few flooding roads to keep us on our toes. It was super sketchy and we felt quite unsure the whole drive. I even fell over on the bike due to the bumpiness of it all. After about 3-4 hours of straight driving, we arrived at a small village in desperate need of food. Luckily for us, there was a convenience store so we loaded up on snacks. In the meantime, one of the group members decided to march on ahead to see if we were close to the river as we all thought it shouldn't be to far away now. However about 30 minutes went by and he had not returned, so another one of us decided to drive ahead to see if he could find him. However he returned with no sight of him which caused us to start panicking, a lot! We started having thoughts of asking locals if we could stay the night at their house as it seemed like our only solution at that point. However, hope was restored as about 10 minutes later our hero returned with great news. Not only did he get in contact with the company who organises the boats that take you across the river but he also ensured us that a nearby resort had food! Filled with newfound belief we traversed through more muddy roads, dodging a few wild bulls here and there until eventually arriving at the resort. Excited by the prospect of a meal that wasn't a cup of noodle, we went to order. But as luck would have it they weren't serving any food as apparently they weren't officially open :) But it was okay, we still had the confirmation of the boats which made us feel a lot better that we didn't just waste the last 4 hours of our lives getting here. So we brushed ourselves off and followed a local who guided us to our boats.
Now this is where we thought the stress of the journey would end as we sailed across the river and through a 17km cave in a sturdy ferry that would safely carry 6 people and 5 motorbikes. But we thought wrong, as soon as we arrived at the river we were greeted by about 20 locals asking us to pay for a ticket which you know is fair enough but it was 400,000 kip per person ($33 AUD)! Luckily we had cash on us but if we didn't I would've lost my sh!t! Now of course we thought they were scamming us but he showed us somewhat of an official ticket with the price so we paid him. Now off to the ferry we go... or should I say a skinny ass longboat! We all looked at each other and we were in disbelief at how they were going to fit our bikes on there and also if they did, we wondered how on earth it was going to stay afloat! The locals comforted us in the fact that they've apparently done this many times in the past and before we could think, they started loading our bikes onto the boats.
Now of course, while this was happening a million thoughts were running through our head like, "are they going to steal our bikes" or "are we going to die" you know the normal things you would think about in this very normal situation. So once our bikes were loaded onto the boat of death, we hoped on in but Bree and I's boat was a little heavy with both of us in it. So one of the locals told me to go on a separate boat. Now this was a blessing as I had a boat with no motorcycle so I had the stress-free relief of not worrying about sinking. Which can't be said about Bree, she was freaking out along with the others. Now I am probably the only one who can say this out of the group but the journey through the 17km cave was truly breathtaking. It was so surreal, I was truly in awe the whole time. For reference the cave is called 'Kong Lor Cave' and it was impressive but be careful and plan ahead if you are wanting to go there yourself.
Now upon arrival at the end of the cave, the locals helped carry the motorbikes out of the boat and up stairs until parking them on a beach. Now apparently, that wasn't the end. We had one more small boat journey to the other side of the river to then get back to mainland. So as we were waiting for the locals to put our bikes on another boat to take us to the other side, one of them who spoke the best English out of the lot, informed us of some slight change in plans...
So apparently we had to pay for this next boat transfer across a 50m river because according to them it was not part of the ticket. They demanded we pay an extra 250,000 kip each! Not only did we have no cash at this point but they also lied to us at the start saying they were going to take us all the way to the mainland. Of course we were angry, a few of us scared and upset in the fear they were going to leave us on this island with no way for our bikes to get to the other side. Which meant I can say goodbye to getting my passport back and be stuck in Lao for longer than I wanted to be. However with a lot of arguing and back and forth, some young locals who weren't part of the discussion started loading out bikes onto the boats. We quickly noticed this, first reacting as if they were going to steal our bikes but soon realised they were wanting to do the nice thing and help us get to the other side. Even though this seemed to be the case we couldn't feel relief yet until all of us were on the other side, bikes intact and waving these locals goodbye. So after about 30 minutes of panic and stress, we finally made it to main land, Woohoo!
At this point, we were past the point of hunger and were all extremely exhausted but our day's journey was not done yet. We still had an HOUR drive to go until we reached our next accommodation. Morale was low, energy was down but we persevered and eventually made it to 'Sanhak Guesthouse and Restaurant' right before the sun went down. We paid for our room and headed straight to the restaurant and ordered ourselves a well deserved 3 course meal. After our bellies were full we reminisced on the day's crazy adventure and then headed to bed.
Day 5 - The home stretch At last, the day has come when we finally get to do this zipline course that Bree and I have been looking forward to for the past 5 days. However of course we wouldn't be following script if we didn't hit a snag first thing in the morning. So during yesterday's adventure, the group noticed that my back tyre on the bike had a nice big bulge on it. This of course was a big worry as the last thing I needed was my tyre to explode. Luckily there was a tyre shop nearby so that was our first stop. We also managed to contact our bike rental place and explained to them that this wasn't our fault as we've been driving on very safe flat roads so it must have been a past issue... They agreed with us and said that they would pay us back the money it would cost for us to get the tyre. So 30 minutes later at the shop I had a brand new tyre and we were ready to continue on.
Now our first stop was of course 'The Rock Viewpoint' where our zipline awaited. Now there are 3 options for the zipline, you can either do 2 hours, half a day or a full day costing $30, $60 and $90 USD respectively. Or you can do a 20-30 minute style canopy walk for 50,000kip ($3.60 AUD). We chose the 2-hour option which was more than enough time to sore through the impressive rocky mountains and also have the opportunity to lay down on a rope canopy to further enjoy the views. If my words haven't convinced you enough then I'll let the images below do more of the talking:
After 2 hours of fun, we grabbed a bite to eat before embarking on a 2.5 hour drive back to Thakhek. Nothing interesting to note on the drive back (Thank god!) just the typical gravel road and potholes to avoid before eventually making it back to our starting point. We returned our bike (got our money back for the tyre) and stayed one more night at 'Naga Hostel'. We then said goodbye to our Thakhek loop travel buddies who I am sure will also never forget this crazy experience we shared together.
Summary
So that's it, that was our Thakhek loop adventure! I hope our story has given you a bit of a laugh and also showed you what to do and possibly what to avoid, unless you love a super crazy adventure! But despite all the ups and downs we experienced we could not recommend the loop highly enough. It was such an incredible experience and was made better by the people we did it with. So start planning your trip now and the least I can guarantee is that you will create many memories to share from your adventure.
To learn more about the adventures we've been on follow our TikTok and if you enjoyed the blog please share it by clicking the button below it really means a lot.
If you have any questions as well please feel free to comment below or contact us directly and we will respond as soon as possible.
Until next time, goodbye
Bree & Aiden
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