3 Day Itinerary: The Thakhek Motorbike Loop
- Martha Pillin
- Aug 22
- 8 min read
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Watch the full Thakhek Motorbike Loop Video below:
Our Chosen Route: Kong Lor Cave Loop
The route we chose to do was the Kong Lor Cave Loop which involves taking your bike on a small boat through Kong Lor Cave. It does include the risk of getting it damaged or lost in the water, however we were reluctant to ride a route that doubled back on itself. The staff at the cave were also very used to riders coming through the cave and took care of everything from carrying the bike on and off the boat to keeping it safe on the rapids. This route allowed us to see something new each day and also meant that we could see more rural areas of Laos (especiallt along the track from the cave to the main road). We rode this route in 3 days, however I would recommend allowing 4 days to reduce the driving time.
Thakhek Loop Route Map
Day 1 Overview: Thakhek → Thalang
Distance: ~110 km
Drive time: ~3 hours (with stops)
Accommodation: Sabaidee Guesthouse
Main highlights include:
Tham Xang (Elephant Cave): 10,000 LAK (~£0.35)
Tham Pha Fa (Buddha Cave): 5,000 LAK (~£0.20)
Song Sa Waterfall: 10,000 LAK (~£0.35) + optional swim
Day 1 Itinerary:
Pick up your bike in Thakhek early (8 – 9 am) – Wang Wang or Mad Monkey are the most popular rental shops. Expect to pay around 100,000 – 130,000 LAK/day (~£5–6.50/day) for a semi-auto or automatic bike. Ask for a helmet, phone holder, and bungee cords for your backpack.
Leave the town and stop at some of the caves along Route 12. Most are signposted and easily accessible with a short detour. Take it slow and enjoy the landscape – karst cliffs and dusty roads feel like another planet.
Elephant Cave
This cave has a 10k entry fee (about 35p). To get to this cave from Thakhek, don’t trust offline maps - it took us the completely wrong way off road down some tiny dirt track. Whilst google maps can be unreliable sometimes, make sure to have the directions loaded before leaving the town.
Elephant cave is a medium sized cave covered in Buddha statues. You would spend probably around 10 minutes here.
Viewpoint Cafe (Viewtheum Cafe & Restaurant)
This is a great stop to break up the drive for today. Grab a coffee and some cheap food. The shop has fans and air con to cool down, however the toilet is a basic squat with no toilet paper. The cafe is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Thakhek.
Song Sa Waterfall
15 minutes on from the cafe you will pass a visitor centre on the rigth hand side, just before a bridge. Once you will cross the bridge, look out for a small dirt track turning off immediately on the right hand side. Follow this track for a couple of minutes and you will come to the parking area. It costs 10,000 LAK to park. In dry season water level is pretty low, so whilst you can swim it’s not very deep. There is better area for jumping in and swimming about a 2 minute walk past the little shop selling drinks and food. The toilets are okay but make sure to remember toilet paper.
Sabaidee Guesthouse
After a refreshing dip at the waterfall, your accommodation for the night is about a 48 minute drive from here. By mid-afternoon, you’ll arrive in Thalang, a peaceful village on the reservoir. You can stay at Phosy Thalang Guesthouse or Sabaidee Guesthouse (private bungalow ~80,000 LAK / £4). I would recommend staying at Sabaidee Guesthouse - they offer an all you can eat BBQ at 7:30 every evening for 120,000 LAK / ~£4. There is a social atmosphere here with lots of other riders. There is a bar, a cafe across the road and they have lots of information about the loop.
We left Thakhek at 9am and arrived in Thalang around 15:30.
Day 2 Overview: Thalang → Kong Lor
Distance: ~140 km
Drive time: ~4.5 hours (with stops)
Accommodation: Thongdam Guesthouse
Main highlights include:
Dragon Cave and Viewpoint Hike: 50,000 LAK (£1.72)
Limestone Forest Zipline Adventure: 650,000 LAK (~£23)
Day 2 Itinerary:
Have breakfast at the guesthouse and then set off on Day 2 of the Thakhek Loop. I would recommend leaving around 9am. The first thing you'll pass today are the big Buddah rock statues on the side of the road that are about 23 minutes into the journey. These happen to be on the corner of some tight bends in the road so if you want to stop for some photos just be careful of other drivers.
An hour from the guesthouse is Lak Sao. To be honest, there isn't much going on here. If you want to stop for fuel or water then this is a good pit stop.
Dragon Cave
About 25 minutes from Lak Sao is Dragon Cave. I highly recommend visiting this cave, it was much bigger than the previous ones on the route and it has an optional 500m trek to a viewpoint of the surroundings. Tickets cost 50,000 LAK / £1.72. The hike to the top of the cliff was fairly strenuous and steep and involves climbing up rocks rather than it being a footpath. It was definitely worth it though! After taking in the views and climbing back down, there is a cafe with cheap food, coffee and WIFI that makes a great lunch stop. There are fish ponds and toilets (rememebr to take loo roll).
Cool Pool (Not Recommended)
About 15 minutes after Dragon Cave lies a 'cool springs' where tourists sometimes go for a quick swim. It is on the right hand side before you arrive in Phontan. We chose not to go here after hearing and reading some bad reviews. Apparently it is quite common for children and locals here to steal tourists belongings whilst they are swimming. People we spoke to said whilst it is a pretty place to visit, it is very risk to leave your things unattended. For this reason we skipped stopping here.
Limestone Viewpoint
Drive 1 hour from Dragon Cave to the Limestone Viewpoint Centre. Here you can choose to have a bite to eat and drink or if you are feeling adventurous, you can book onto an adventure course through the limestone cliffs. We booked a 2 hour zip line tour which cost $30 (£23). You will need closed toe shows or shoes that will not fall off (e.g. flip flops). They have shoes to buy for cheap if you do not have any. There are also lockers to keep your belongings in. We were given a safety briefing and fitted with appropriate gear before starting the tour with a 480m zip line across the landscapes. After this, the course included via ferrata, various bridges, a spider net, several more zip lines and small hike through the forest. I would recommend arriving here at a cooler time of day as it gets very hot and sweaty, especially with all the equipment on (helmet and gloves).
Thongdam Guesthouse
Drive just under 1 hour to Thongdam Guesthouse, ready to go through the cave on Day 3. The drive after turning past Na Hin is pretty straight open road so its a pleasant drive. I would advise leaving enough time throughout the day to drive this bit before it gets dark.
The guesthouse is spacious but cosy with the most beautiful view of surrounding mountains and crop fields. We had a hammock to relax and drink a beer in. There is also a small restaurant to enjoy dinner. A private room cost us 180,000 LAK / £6.20 a night.
Day 3 Overview: Kong Lor →Thakhek
Distance: ~168 km
Drive time: ~4.5 hours (with stops)
Accommodation: Bike & Bed Hostel
Main highlights include:
Kong Lor Cave: 200,000 LAK (£7) per person and per bike.
Rural Scenic Drive
Day 3 Itinerary:
Have breakfast at the guesthouse and then set off on Day 3 of the Thakhek Loop. I would recommend getting up and leaving around 8 - 9am. Today is the longest leg of the journey with fewer stops and more driving.
Kong Lor Cave
When you arrive at the entrance of the cave site you'll need to stop and pay the fee for you and the fee for the bike. It was 200'000 LAK (£7) for each when we were there in 2024. The tour guides and staff will take the bike and ride it to the entrance of the cave and then put it on the boat for you. You'll then get on the same boat as the bike and youll be taken through the cave, stopping a couple of times to get off and walk around. Aside from the head torches given to you, the cave is pitch black so it is very hard to see. The sites you walk around have lights that come on as you pass the stalegmites and stalegtites. There are occassional rapids in the water as you go through the cave which gave some excitement.
The whole distance through the cave is about 7.5km. At the other end there is a rocky rapid section that is unsafe to go through by boat. So you'll be asked to get out whilst the guides pull the boat (and the bike) through on a rope. Once back in the boat you exit the cave into a river where you may spot children and locals playing and fishing. The guides will get the bike off the boat and up the embankment and then you will have arrived at a little village that sells food, snacks, drinks etc. We stopped here for some noodle soup.
There is a very basic squat toilet here, with no loo roll or bum gun - I would recommend heading to Nantane Resort for a proper toilet and more food/drink options and WIFI. I would suggest picking up some water and snacks for the next leg of the journey as there is almost nowhere to get anything until you get back on the main road (about 2-3 hours time).
If you wanted to break up the journey, you could choose stay here and spend day 4 driving back to Thakhek.
Rural Drive to Nakai
Once refreshed, hop back on the bike to start the drive back towards the main road. The dirt track takes about 3 hours at a steady pace. Despite negative reviews of this road, it wasn't as bad as we expected. Yes, it is not tarmaced, but aside from a steep hairpin bend that was covered in sand, it was absolutely driveable. It is bumpy and quite undulated but if you drive slow and steady then it is fine. Watch out for cows and children crossing the road as you go through villages - they are not used to people driving through so don't expect it.. they come out of nowhere!
We stopped every 30 minutes to have a break from the sun and to drink some water. After 3 hours driving at about 30kmph, we made it back to the main road. The last 30 minutes of the track were by far the worst.
After 50 minutes driving on the main road back towards Thakhek, we stopped off at the Viewpoint Coffee House for some food. Then it was an hour drive back to Thakhek. Once back in Thakhek return the bike to the rental place and check in to your accommodation. We chose to stay at Bike and Bed Hostel - they allow you to securely store your big bags here whilst you drive the loop.
Notes I Made Whilst Driving the Thakhek Loop
Take plenty of water
Take good suncream
Take a long sleeved top
Take bug spray
Take decent closed toe shoes
Take a day pack rather than a big travel bag
Drive within your limit - The safer you drive the less chance of an accident (animals on road/ pit holes/ gravel/other vehicles)
An automatic bike will get you around the loop just fine
Take enough cash for the first day (there are ATMS all around the loop)
Sabidee Guesthouse - BBQ 120k but totally worth it after a day on the road
Download offline maps and get a SIM card before you start the loop
Take sunglasses - dust and bugs fly into your face a lot (visor or scarf is recommended)
Make sure to wear a helmet!
Riding the loop in 3 days - saves money and ensures you see every major site. however, on day 3 there is more driving.
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