“Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.”
-Confucius
To Thakhek we go! Wait. Where is that?
I had always planned on going to Laos but didn’t know exactly where to go. That’s the beauty of it though. A few weeks ago we heard talk of a popular 450 kilometer motorcycle journey called the Thakhek loop that takes you through the rural provinces of Khammuan and Bolikhamsai. Caves, remote villages, waterfalls, wild life – we were immediately captivated!
Coming from Cambodia you would think, ‘easy peasy’ (logistically speaking). But in reality getting to this small town in Central Laos was quite difficult. One plane ride from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand another plane to the small border town of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand and an hour bus crossing the border into Laos to Thakhek, and voila we’ve made it!
We immediately went to the most popular motorcycle rental shop, Wang Wang rentals (known for their cheaper prices).
While it is indeed the road less traveled among travelers, there are only 2-3 main shops for motorcycle rentals. Arriving midday Friday didn’t help our cause. All motorbikes were sold out for the day. Apparently everyone bombards the rental shops early mornings to snatch a motorcycle. After asking for two motorbikes for the next day, we were only guaranteed one. While I was looking forward to having my own motorbike, with the scarcity of motorbikes available I was grateful we would even get one!
We spent the night in a cozy guesthouse in Thakhek.
It was conveniently right next to a night market so we grabbed some street dinner – tofu on a stick and bag juices, then sat along the river to watch the sunset. Sitting in Laos watching the sun set over Thailand.
Day 1. Saturday morning we picked up our motorbike first thing then began our journey. A paper map was provided by Wang Wang rentals due to lack of service on the loop.
The sun was shining, and the breeze was perfect as we rode through the valley with tons of beautiful rock formations that house multiple caves.
Couldn’t pass up a little detour to refresh at the Song Sou waterfall.
Stopped in a small town for lunch. It was so delicious!
The landscape changed so much throughout the day. At one point I was reminded of the bayou scenery I’m used to in Louisiana.
We thought it’d be more fun to stay the night in an unknown town rather than the two guest houses most loop travelers stay at. It was an extra 40 km but we figured it’d be nice to have a head start for the following day anyway. We found a solid guesthouse along the 3 block strip of the town of Laksao that allowed us to take our motorbike inside as it was recommended to do due to the high theft of motorbikes in the area. We were excited to find a small market of street food down the street only to find out it was mostly meat (which we do not eat), so fried rice for the second time today it is!
Day 2. We woke up and it was overcast and chilly as we jumped on the road. First stop was a beautiful lagoon with clear turquoise water. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw a truck full of 5-6 Buddhist Monks arrive with a speaker, soda and food. Ready to enjoy a proper Sunday Funday at the lagoon!
As accommodation in the Konglor village fills up quickly we wanted to arrive before the masses. After a pothole heavy 40km road off the loop we arrived early to the Konglor village that houses the famous Konglor Cave. We scored an amazing bungalow at Koun Mee Guesthouse for 8USD overlooking the green fields and limestone mountains.
There were a handful of guest houses with restaurants nearby so I was happy to have more food options but can you believe I still ordered fried rice? I just can’t get enough!
The Konglor Cave was a three minute walk from our bungalow. We went around 4pm which turned out perfect because there was absolutely no one else there. It was shocking for such a popular attraction. We hired a guy through the recreational park desk to bring us in his long boat through the 7.5 kilometer long cave. The ride in the cave was pitch dark except for the head lamps all three of us were wearing.
We stopped in the middle of the cave and were able to walk around a bit on a path they created.
The view as we came out of the 7.5 dark stretch.
Even passed some water buffalo bathing. They are so funny.
Konglor is by far the biggest cave I’ve ever been in! So fascinating to see how this cave was naturally formed thousands of years ago.
Day 3. We woke up and couldn’t help but have a slow morning enjoying our balcony and view til check out.
We hit the road with plans of stopping by one waterfall before heading on the highway portion of the loop back to Thakhek. To our surprise we somehow managed to take a turn that wasn’t on the paper map we were given that lead us on a long, windy road toward the highway. By the time we realized it, it was too late to return to the waterfall. Oh well, onto the long highway stretch back to Thakhek. At this point I was happy to be passenger on the motorbike so I could snooze on the back. Just kidding. That’s not a thing at 70km or probably ever!
The most pleasant surprise of riding the loop was passing through the villages and having the kids frantically wave and yell, ‘HELLO!!’. Without fail I don’t think there was one child where we didn’t mutually wave to eachother. Adorable.
Besides all the cute children we saw along the way, they were outnumbered by the masses of cows, waterbuffalo and goats.
What a great mini road trip through the Thakhek loop! Such a great way to explore Laos and it’s beautiful array of landscapes and villages.
Recommendations.
Motorcycle Rentals
- Wang Wang Motor Rental starting at 70,000kp
- Mad Monkey Motorcycles
- Travel Lodge Thakhek
Accommodation on the loop
- VachongVue Hotel. Lak Sao. 80,000kp
- Phosy Thalang Guesthouse. Nam Theun.
- Koun Mee Guesthouse. Konglor. 80,000kp for a bungalow
Accommodation in Thakhek
- Souksomboun hotel. 100,000kp
