My Egg Noodles

I’ve just spent a couple of weeks exploring southern Laos on a motorbike, which has ended up being one of the most raw, exciting, rewarding and cultural trips I have made during 5 years of travel in South East Asia.

I wanted to share some tips, thoughts and ideas that will hopefully help people who are considering doing the same. I also wanted to keep this post open as a Q&A – so if you have any questions or need advice, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.

The Route

Savanakhet (2 days)
Driving down to Paske (8 hours due to heavy rain)
Paske & Waterfalls (3 days)
Khon Phapheng Falls and the 4,000 Islands (2 days)
Kiet Nong + Elephant Trecking (2 days)
Don Daeng (1 day)
Wat Phou & Champasak (1 day)
Paske (1 day)
Savanakhet

The route I recommend

The only reason I started the route in Savanakhet was due to needing to come back to get a Visa for Vietnam. If you’re onward travel includes either Vientiane, Thailand or Cambodia, I would recommend skipping the Savanakhet to Paske leg as there’s not much to see or do, and starting the tour in Paske.

After spending a few days exploring Paske, I would head out discovering the many waterfalls, rural life and coffee plantations around the Bolaven Plateau.

I would then head south to Don Daeng and base myself at the excellent La Fuli hotel for a couple of days while exploring Wat Phue and Champasak.

After the luxury of staying at the La Fuli Hotel on Don Daeng, I would make my way down to 4 thousand islands, stopping off at the Khon Phapheng Falls (it’s around an additional 20km from the turning you need to get the boat opver to 4,000 islands) and ruff it in a couple of dollars a night river side bungalow for a few days while chilling out in your hammock, checking out near by islands and canoing.

On the return trip back to Paske I would stop of at the KingFisher Eco-Lodge, live with nature for a day or two and take the one day Elephant safari.

Driving a motorbike in Laos

Most guest houses rent out motorbikes and are happy storing your belongings while you embark on your journey. Although, don’t expect any insurance or RAC cover. If you have an accident or the motorbike incurs a problem while it’s in your hands, you’ll have to folk the bill.

For the most part, driving a motorbike in Southern Lao was a piece of cake. Outside of the main towns, the conditions of the roads are excellent and are virtually empty, which make for a nice relaxing drive while you take in the views, bamboo huts and river streams.

The most changeling part of the whole trip, in terms of driving, was this little hill that lead down to the boats that would take us over to the 4,00 islands.

The down side to driving on a motorbike in Laos is the blazing sun, the animals (pigs, cows, goats and dogs) that run out into the middle of the road, and the way the Lao’s drive themselves. Lao drivers seem to only care about what is in front of them, and they expect you to do the same. This can prove a little tricky if you were taught to be aware of what’s going on all around you while you drive.

Luckily, every town, big or small, will have repair shops. I had to take my bike into 3 different repair shops spread out over the 14 days and luckily all 3 repairs cost less than $10 to fix.

What to bring

I strongly advise packing light. In fact, the lighter the better! We took 5 pair of shorts and 5 t-shirts each – along with some toilitaries. You’ll only need one pair of flip floops – I can’t speak highly of the North Face collection. Also, a good quality bag is highly recommended as we bought a bag here in Laos that fell apart on the first day… so a quality rucksack bought outside of Laos is recommended.

Sun cream is a must – Sun cream hadn’t touched my skin since my mum slapped it on my arse during our annual holidays to Spain when I was a kid. It works, and with the blazing sun beaming down on your forearms and back of the neck while driving, this can really save some sleepless nights.

Guide book – I bought a 2nd hand copy of the Lonely Planet Laos when I was on Don Khet for a couple of dollars, which was printed 2 years ago. Most of the hotel and restaurant info was incorrect, but obviously the sights are still in the same locations so it’s worth getting a guide book just in case you decide to venture of course.

How much did it cost?

The motorbike cost just under $10 a day, and the friendly owner gave us one day free when we returned the bike. – so try your luck! Food and accommodation in Laos is peanuts – very similar to anywhere other than Bangkok in Thailand.

Got any Q’s?

Fire away!