BRB, Going to Ride Around Central Laos! The Thakhek Motorbike Loop
September 5, 2013
Packing for a six day motorbike loop around central Laos. Malaria tablets, Bushman’s 80% DEET insect repellent, a knife, and a change of underwear. All we would ever need. đŸ™‚
How did you guys like the Tha Kaek loop? we are thinking of doing it in about a week. Also do you know if malaria is really a big threat around that area?
Hi Jenia, we loved the Thakhek loop. The road was quite an adventure as it would change drastically from bitumen, to gravel, to dirt without any warning! If it’s been rainy then riding along route 8A is not advised by the locals. That side is a lot nicer though than the highway on the left, as that’s the main road to Vientiane and there’s a lot of traffic and big trucks. Konglor Cave is pretty cool, and the flooded forest near Thalang was definitely the highlight.
We hired some shiny new bikes from Wang Wang Rental, opposite the fountain with no water, near the Mekong River. It’s run by a young couple with three cute children. They were really nice, and there was never a hassle with the bikes. They provide some good, padded, helmets! We also left our big bags with them. We got this map from our guesthouse.
We took anti-malaria tablets throughout our trip and definitely in Laos. I don’t believe it’s a problem in the main towns, but Thakhek and the surrounding villages are quite remote. We would also occasionally jungle bash and walk through rice fields to get a good photo so there was a higher risk of getting bitten!
2 Comments
Jenia from HTL
How did you guys like the Tha Kaek loop? we are thinking of doing it in about a week. Also do you know if malaria is really a big threat around that area?
emma
Hi Jenia, we loved the Thakhek loop. The road was quite an adventure as it would change drastically from bitumen, to gravel, to dirt without any warning! If it’s been rainy then riding along route 8A is not advised by the locals. That side is a lot nicer though than the highway on the left, as that’s the main road to Vientiane and there’s a lot of traffic and big trucks. Konglor Cave is pretty cool, and the flooded forest near Thalang was definitely the highlight.
We hired some shiny new bikes from Wang Wang Rental, opposite the fountain with no water, near the Mekong River. It’s run by a young couple with three cute children. They were really nice, and there was never a hassle with the bikes. They provide some good, padded, helmets! We also left our big bags with them. We got this map from our guesthouse.
We took anti-malaria tablets throughout our trip and definitely in Laos. I don’t believe it’s a problem in the main towns, but Thakhek and the surrounding villages are quite remote. We would also occasionally jungle bash and walk through rice fields to get a good photo so there was a higher risk of getting bitten!
Enjoy the loop!