Thakhek Loop, Laos: The ultimate guide and itinerary

We drove the Thakhek Loop first hand at the beginning of 2024, so all the information in this article is valid as of January 2024. Please be aware that things in Asia can change quickly so if anyone finds conflicting information, please leave a comment.

The Thakhek loop is a breathtaking set of roads situated in central Laos that’s best experienced on a motorbike. This 450km loop can be completed over 3-4 days (or longer if you have the time and want to see and experience everything). 4 days of riding with the wind in your hair, flanked by towering limestone cliffs with occasional stop offs to swim in natural lagoons or delve deep into some of the most impressive cave systems you’ll find anywhere in Asia (especially Kong Lor cave, more info below).

Read our full article on Kong Lor cave here for more information.

This guide contains everything you need to know if you’re planning to undertake this adventure yourself including where to rent the bike (or car if you prefer), where to stay, what to see, where to eat and importantly, how much it should all cost.

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Getting to Thakhek

Chances are you’re following the traveller trail either north from Pakse and Cambodia, or south from Vientiane and Luang Prabang. It is also possible to pass directly into Laos at Thakhek from Thailand from Nakhon Phanom over the Thai – Laos friendship bridge.

Cheapest way to get to Thakhek

As is typically the case in Laos and other Southeast Asian countries, bus terminals for long-distance travel are often located 5-10km outside of the cities. Therefore, you have two options: you can either pay an inflated ticket price from a tourist office in the city centre and be shuttled to the bus station before your trip, or you can take a chance and hire a taxi or tuk-tuk to the bus terminal yourself to purchase the ticket in person.

Buying in person is usually the cheapest option, just be aware that finding up-to-date information about the bus timetables isn’t always the easiest. We bought our bus ticket from central Vientiane to Thakhek for around €15 that included transport to the bus station. However, when we arrived we saw the bus ticket price was only €7, making it far cheaper to take a tuk-tuk there and buy the ticket ourselves.

When booking train and bus tickets abroad, we always use 12go.asia. You can check timetables and prices online and it’s often cheaper than booking in person! Check our 12go.asia here.

From Vientiane

Buses depart daily from Vientiane Southern Bus Station for a variety of costs. We opted for the cheapest “local” bus that left around 9:00 am, cost €6 and took almost 10 hours in total (Laos roads aren’t the best).  Check ticket prices.

From Pakse

Buses to Thakhek from Pakse depart daily from the Pakse Northern Bus Terminal. The cheapest options are always the local buses; expect to pay around €6 for a 10 hour journey. Check ticket prices.

Sleeper buses are also available and more comfortable private minivans catered for tourists coming from either direction, but expect to pay much higher prices than the local buses, and in our opinion aren’t half as fun and authentic.

After arriving in Thakhek, you will be dumped out of the bus at the Inter Provincial Bus Terminal, about 5km outside of the main part of Thakhek town. Sadly your only option here is to take a tuk-tuk to the centre, just make sure you haggle with the drivers to ensure you get a good deal. The going rate seems to be 40k kip / €2 per person at the time of writing this article.

Cheapest places to stay in Thakhek

As budget travellers we usually gravitate towards hostels, but there are a number of cheap and cheerful accommodations in Thakhek that won’t break the bank.

We stayed in the Bami Thakhek Hostel, both before and after completing the loop, and tried both the dorms and private rooms. A dorm costs €5 per night per person, including breakfast, and a private double costs €10 per night including breakfast. They provide unlimited tea and coffee is available all day, and breakfast consists of either eggs and a french style baguette, or fresh fruit. Also the lady who runs the place is incredibly nice! We can’t recommend it enough.

Other hostels in town that we considered were Bed&Bike Hostel, that also offer bike rentals for the loop, or Naga Hostel & Cafe. All places are similarly priced!

Cheapest places to eat in Thakhek

Thakhek has a number of food offerings for the budget conscious traveller. Our favourite that we frequented most evenings, either for dinner, dessert or snacks, was the daily night market. Center Point Thakhek, is situated along the riverfront a short walk from the centre of Thakhek, and main meals can be had for as little as 20k kip, or €1. We recommend the coconut ice cream, served in a coconut shell, and the fresh fruit smoothies. 

Note: It’s often best to ask for prices before ordering any food to avoid any surprises. Sometimes the price presented on the menu at night markets is not the price you’ll be asked for after eating. Best to check beforehand with the stall owner explicitly so you don’t receive the “tourist” price!

One other place we frequented was Song Fang Khong Thai restaurant. Authentic and delicious Thai food for around €2-3 per meal next to the main square temple. 

Where to rent a motorbike for cheap in Thakhek

There are 4 motorbike rental offices in Thakhek at the time of writing this article. Prices range from €6 to €15 per motorbike per day, depending on the rental shop and the motorbike power. The cheapest place we found to rent a motorbike in Thakhek is Wang Wang Bike Rental. We paid 120k kip, or €6 per day to rent our Yamaha Grand Filano 125cc automatic motorbike (pictured below). We managed to haggle 10-20k per day off the price because we rented the bike for 5 days total, so don’t forget to try. It was plenty big enough for the both of us to share, with a large enough storage compartment for a medium sized backpack.

Travel insurance is a must for any holiday abroad, especially when doing extreme activities. Although problems rarely occur, it is better to be covered in case they do. We use SafetyWing and recommend it to anyone travelling the world. Check out SafteyWing here.

The rental office also allowed us to store our larger bags with them whilst we drove the loop and we ran into no issues upon our return.

Note: Technically you should have an international drivers permit to rent a motorbike in Laos, but we were not asked for ours at the point of booking, nor did we run into any police for the entirety of the Loop. But reader beware: if you have the chance to get one for peace of mind before your trip, and to avoid any unnecessary risks in the event of an accident, it’s probably best to do so.

List of motorbike rental shops in Thakhek

• Wang Wang Bike Rental
  • Seems to be the cheapest from our findings
  • Good selection of bikes and helmets
• Mixay Thakhek Motor Rental
• PokemonGO Motorbike Rental
• Mad Monkey Motorcycle
  • Biggest selection of bikes; manual, semi-automatic and automatic
  • Most expensive by a large margin (especially for manual bikes)

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Guide to driving the Thakhek Loop

Thakhek Loop: An interactive map

Which direction to take?

We drove the loop anti-clockwise and would recommend this for anyone else planning to drive the loop. The final section of the loop back to Thakhek on route 13 is a long, boring slog with not much to see or do, and is best saved for the end of the loop instead of the first day. Another alternative some people choose to take is starting the loop anti-clockwise until Kong Lor, then heading back the opposite direction from there, but unless you’re prepared to put in some serious distance on the last day, this would increase the length of the trip by an extra day.

Itineraries for the Thakhek Loop: How many days?

We drove the loop over 4 days, spending 3 nights in homestays along the loop. For us this was perfect as we had time to stop at 3-4 attractions each day, and we spent half a day in Kong Lor exploring the famous cave and the remote towns on the other side of it (more info on Kong Lor cave below).

If you want to take it really easy, or see absolutely everything that the loop has to offer, adding an extra day or two to your itinerary would allow this. 

At a minimum you need 3 days and 2 nights to drive the loop, but don’t expect to have much time for sightseeing, and expect to put in some serious distance each day on the bike.

A 4 day Thakhek Loop Itinerary

• Day 1 – Thakhek to Nam Theun (100 km / 2-3 hours)
• Day 2 – Nam Theun to Kong Lor Village (150 km / 4-5 hours)
• Day 3 – Kong Lor Village to Na Hin (50 km / 1 hour)
• Day 4 – Na Hin to Thakhek – (150 km / 3-4 hours)

This itinerary accounts for a half day spent at Kong Lor on the morning of the 3rd day giving you ample time to explore the cave and surrounding area without having to rush to drive a long distance. This is really the highlight of the loop so worth spending the extra time here. If  you wanted to spend an extra day on the loop taking the trip to 5 days, we would suggest spending it here.

A 3 day Thakhek Loop itinerary

• Day 1 – Thakhek to Na Hin (200 km / 5-6 hours)
• Day 2 – Na Hin to Kong Lor, and back to Na Hin (100 km / 2-3 hours)
• Day 3 – Na Hin to Thakhek – (150 km / 3-4 hours)

If you are rushed for time, or short of budget, this 3 day itinerary will work at a push, just be prepared to spend a long time in the saddle on days 1 and 3. This itinerary still accounts for a half day spent at Kong Lor exploring the cave but you stay in Na Hin the night before and after, and just drive the 50km in the morning to Kong Lor, explore the cave in the day, then drive back to Na Hin in the evening to spend the night before driving back to Thakhek the next day.

Where to stay overnight? Cheapest homestays on the Thakhek loop.

We stopped in Nam Theun on day 1 of the loop, after a drive of 100km. We stayed in Sabaidee Guesthouse for 150k kip per night, or €7.50. This place is very popular with people driving the loop and usually fills up by 6pm every day, so be warned it may be fully booked. Expect a fire, music and BBQ in the evening with your fellow travellers. Also in Nam Theun is Mind House Bungalow, which is also very popular.

On day 2 we stopped in the town of Kong Lor, staying at Kong Lor Eco Lodge. This place was 160k kip per night, or €8, with breakfast for a double room, and is walking distance (10-15 minutes) from the cave entrance. Kong Lor Cave Guesthouse is also well reviewed and popular with travellers in the town.

On day 3 we stayed in the town of Na Hin, in the Sanhak Guesthouse and Restaurant. Rooms were 180k kip per night, or €9, and they have a restaurant on site that offers meals and breakfast for an affordable price. There are a number of other guesthouses and restaurants in this town you can check out for yourself.

What to see on the Thakhek loop?

Caves, Caves and more Caves

For cave enthusiasts, the Thakhek loop route is littered with caves to explore and see. Personally for us, we only stopped at 2-3 along the route, mainly for cost saving reasons. Entry to these caves can range from 20k to 80k kip, or €1-4.

Some highlights (other than the epic Kong Lor Cave) are;

Tham Nang Aen Cave, with its colourful lights illuminating the massive space. You can pay an additional 150k kip, or €7.50 to explore a more remote, deeper section of the cave with road bridges and ziplines, but we decided against this.

Dragon Cave, which was massive, and took a few hours to walk around. Don’t forget to check out the viewpoint at the top too, it’s worth the extra climb.

Go bouldering and rock climbing at “Green Climbers Home”

People into rock climbing or bouldering should check out Green Climbers Home near the start of the route. They have a group of bungalows available to stay in, and the place is always full of climbers from all around the world looking to enjoy some of the limestone cliffs in the area. The owners were very kind in introducing us to the place and the various prices for the climb. If we had more time we would definitely have spent a day or two there! Climber friends of ours had been there and assured us it was a climbers’ paradise!

Take a refreshing dip in the “Cool Pool”

This was a highlight of the trip for us. Before turning off Route 8 to Kong Lor village, you can take a trip to the Cool Pool for a swim in the natural swimming pool. The road approaching the pool is a vast expanse of red dirt track that heads straight towards majestic limestone cliffs; completely different compared to the rest of the scenery of the loop. The emerald water is crystal clear and the perfect refreshing escape from the searing Laotian sun. Expect to pay 20k kip or €1 to park your bike and go for a swim, it’s well worth it. They also have clean and modern toilets and changing rooms, and a restaurant next door.

Spelunk in Kong Lor Cave

This is the main reason the Thakhek loop exists. Kong Lor cave is absolutely breathtaking from start to finish. Entrance costs 150k kip or €7.50 per group (of up to 3 people) which includes a private boat driver to navigate the cave. The cave is 7.5km long and takes around 45 minutes on a boat to go from one end to the other. At points the cave is 100m tall and bats swoop past your face in the dark. When we walked along it we were lucky enough to witness a Buddhist prayer inside, it was a truly magical moment!

Once you reach the other end of the cave you arrive at a very remote and peaceful part of the Laotian countryside. You can either rent a bicycle here or just do what we did and walk to some of the local villages for a taste of local life. After a 2 hour stay on the other side, you take the same boat through the cave again for another 45 minutes back to where you started. Don’t forget what your driver looks like! As you need to find the same one that took you through in the first place.

Visiting Kong Lor cave is a main attraction in its own right, so we’ve written a full guide on planning your visit to it. Read our full article about Kong Lor cave here.

Go ziplining at “The Rock” Viewpoint (or have a coffee with a view!)

For adrenaline junkies this place offers zip-lining, via ferrata and rock climbing experience days. Rates are in USD and start at $40 for 2 hours of activity, half day is $60 and full day is $90. Personally this was out of our budget, but we enjoyed a really good cappuccino in the cafe and soaked in the view for a few hours whilst the sun set behind the karst cliffs.

Is the Thakhek loop safe?

In general yes! As with all things involving motorbikes, you require some experience and common sense. Some parts, especially on the first day, require you to drive on the same road as large trucks going to and from Vietnam, so exercise caution. But if you are a semi-experienced and sensible bike rider, it is very safe.

Deaths and accidents are very rare, and with everyone we met and spoke to whilst riding the loop, we heard of very few accidents. None of which were serious.

Travel insurance is a must for any holiday abroad, especially when doing extreme activities. Although problems rarely occur, it is better to be covered in case they do. We use SafetyWing and recommend it to anyone travelling the world. Check out SafteyWing here.

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Thakhek Loop full cost on a budget

We drove the loop at the start of 2024, and this cost breakdown is for 2 people sharing 1 motorbike, and sharing a bedroom each night, so solo travellers can expect to add 50% to the total cost.

• Motorbike Rental 120k kip x 4 days = 480k kip / €25 euros
• Gasoline 50k kip x 4 days = 200k kip / €10 euros

Thakhek to Nam Theun – Day 1

• Breakfast included in our stay at Bami Thakhek Hostel – free
• Tham Nang Aen Cave 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Lunch 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Coffee 20k kip per person = 40k kip / €2.1 euros
• Dinner 50k kip per person = 100k kip / €5.25 euros
• Night in Sabaidee Guesthouse 150k kip for a double room / €7.9 euros

Nam Theun to Kong Lor Village – Day 2

• Breakfast 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Dragon Cave 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Lunch 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Cool Pool 20k kip to park the motorbike €1.05 euros
• Dinner 50k kip per person = 100k kip / €5.25 euros
• Night in Kong Lor Eco Lodge 160k kip / €8.40 euros

Kong Lor Village to Na Hin – Day 3

• Breakfast included in our stay at Kong Lor Eco Lodge – free
• Kong Lor Cave 150k kip / €7.9 euros
• Lunch 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Dinner 50k kip per person = 100k kip / €5.25 euros
• Night in Sanhak Guesthouse and Restaurant 180k kip / €9.45 euros

Na Hin to Thakhek – Day 4

• Breakfast 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros
• Cappuccino at The Rock Viewpoint 30k kip per person = 60k / €3.15 euros
• Lunch 40k kip per person = 80k kip / €4.20 euros

Total cost = €124.3 euros or €62.15 euros per person. 

	Euros	British Pounds	US Dollars
Total	€124.30	£107.99	$134.44
Per person	€62.15	£54.00	$67.22
Per person / Per day	€15.54	£13.50	$16.81

That’s an average cost of €15 euros per person per day. This price will increase depending on the amount of sights you see, how much you budget for food, as well as snacks and coffee breaks etc. But as you can see, you can ride the Thakhek Loop for very cheap!

When spending money abroad we always use our WISE international debit card. You can withdraw up to 200 euros in cash per month free of charge and won’t pay any conversion fees on transactions. Check out the WISE international debit card here.

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Safety, Concerns and Useful Information

• The best time to drive the loop is the dry season in Laos, which runs from November to March. 
• When picking up your bike, especially during peak times of the year, get to the rental shop as soon as it opens. This is usually around 9am. Otherwise you can be caught out with no bikes left to rent, or just the more expensive ones.
• Allow at least 3 days for the loop, ideally 4 if you don’t want to rush.
• Bring sunscreen and apply liberally, as it can be hard to tell on the bike when you’re getting sunburn. Bring mosquito repellant for the evenings.
• When you find a gas station, it’s advisable to fill up the tank to full. There are large stretches of the loop without regular gas stations.
• On the first day be careful around the trucks that drive to and from Vietnam, they can be dangerous. Luckily after the first day the trucks are few and far between.
• Bikes can be stolen if left unattended overnight in easily accessible places. We recommend using the wheel lock at all times when not using the bike (you should be provided one by the rental company) and parking within the confines of your homestay overnight.
• Travel insurance is a must for any motorbike rentals abroad, especially in south east asia. Although problems rarely arise, you want to be covered in the case that they do. We use SafetyWing and recommend it for anyone travelling around the world.
• When spending money abroad we use the WISE international debit card. You can withdraw up to 200 euros in cash per month free of charge. After that, you only pay a very low withdrawal fee.
• If you don’t have your accommodation booked make sure you arrive at your intended homestay as early as possible, as place book up quickly on the loop in the evenings. Best to book before you arrive to avoid any issues!

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Thakhek Loop or the Bolaven Loop (Pakse Loop): Which is best?

This is a tricky question as both loops in Laos have a lot to offer. If you’re travelling through Laos and have time to do both, you should; that way you can decide for yourself which one is best.

For us personally, we preferred the scenery and pace of the Thakhek loop more, and Kong Lor cave really isn’t to be missed. The Bolaven loop was great and filled with breathtaking waterfalls and coffee plantations to visit, but the scenery along the roadside was more impressive for the Thakhek loop.

If you think otherwise then leave us a comment below; we’re interested to hear what you think on the matter. Check out our complete guide to the Bolaven Loop (Pakse Loop) here.