Planning your trip

Going on a trip like the Loop can be intimidating if its your first time doing a motorcycle trip. While it certainly shouldn’t be underestimated, with a little planning and preparation can make the endeavor much less scary. We have collected below a few tips and suggestions from our trip on the Loop that we hope they help make your planning that much easier!

What should you bring on the Loop?

The Loop can be quite isolated at times, and you will be exploring caves and rivers along the way. Having the proper equipment, especially for emergencies, is very important to ensure your safety (and fun!). We recommend packing at least the following items:

• Headlamps: You’ll be exploring caves, and while none of them (that we visited at least) are too deep, a headlamp will make seeing where you are going way easier and save your phone battery. Speaking of that:
• Phone and SIM or eSIM: You have to have to have to have an phone with a working SIM card. You can either find a SIM card dealer in town, or get an eSIM if your card supports it. We used Nomad, however the connection was not fantastic. Normally when travelling we prefer Airalo, which sells both individual Laos eSIM’s as well as an Asialink regional pack which also covers Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, among others. If anyone tries Airalo, let us know in the comments below how the service is.
• External battery: This is especially critical if you use your phone for navigating, as most phones won’t last the full day. Don’t forget an outlet adapter!
• Downloaded map of the area: Even with a working phone, internet service is very spotty. We recommend pre-downloading the route in Google Maps or another navigating service. How to download offline maps in Google is always changing so we won’t explain in details here, but a quick Google search should get you everything you need.
• First aid kit with antibiotics: Unfortunately, a good percentage of Loopers injure themselves somewhere along the way, whether that’s in a spill on the bike, bumping their head in a cave, or in some other accident. A first aid kit with the essentials is highly recommended in case something unfortunate befalls your trip. Check out Nomadic Matt’s excellent blog post (written by travelling nurse Mike Huxley) on how to pack a professional first aid kit.
• Swim suits and towel: Many if not most of the Loop’s caves have water in them, and there are multiple opportunities to swim along the way. Definitely bring swim attire or you will find yourself next to a beautiful river regretting leaving it behind!
• Water resistant bag: A water resistant bag is essential for the Kong Lor caves, as you will be on a small canoe for a few hours in the dark. There are portions that involve getting out and walking short distances, and either tipping or slipping will not end well for any phones or cameras you bring along.

How many scooters/bikes should you take?

A question you may not immediately consider is how many bikes or scooters to take for 2+ people. There are actually pluses and minuses to each option

• One vehicle per person: Having one vehicle for each person provides the most flexibility in case something goes wrong with one bike. Of course, each person also gets to drive, which is always more fun than riding on the back 😊. On the other hand, there is twice as likely a chance that something gets damaged, and you ALWAYS have to be driving, which can be draining.
• Two people per vehicle: The benefits and drawbacks of taking one bike for two people are basically the opposite of the the first option: less bike to damage and you can take turns driving, but less flexibility in case something goes wrong. Of course, driving with a passenger is also more challenging. On the other hand, it can be helpful for one person to be able to be planning on their phone while the other is driving (if your brave enough to be on the phone on the back of a bike.)

In the end, we took one bike for the two of us and did not regret it. One of us could be taking photos or researching our next stop, and our scooter (125cc Yamaha Filano) had enough space in between the driver’s legs to comfortably set their backpack.

Whichever option you take, some tips for renting your bike are:

• Always check the Google reviews of the agency you’re renting from. Look for a good average rating, but also sort by lowest and look for red flags. Particularly, look for trends in negative reviews; one or two bad reviews are fine, but if 10 reviews say the agency charged them for damage they didn’t commit, stay away. Fortunately, in Thakhek, there are three quite reputable agencies to rent from, Wang Wang, Mixay, and Mad Monkey. Wang Wang and Mixay have phone numbers on their Google Maps and respond to Whatsapp.
• We recommend messaging at least both Wang Wang and Mixay a day or two before your trip to ask if they have bikes available. We were lucky in that someone returned a 125cc the day we starting, but availability isn’t guaranteed, especially if you show up day of unannounced.
• Rental agencies will tell you that a 100cc scooter is powerful enough to get you around the Loop, and maybe its true, but we wouldn’t recommend it. It is certainly a no-go if you want to take one bike for two people. Instead, go for the 125cc bikes; they are more powerful for getting you up the steep mountains, and more comfortable to boot.
• If you have a choice, don’t take a completely brand-new bike. There is a non-trivial chance you will return the bike with more scratches than you started with, but the rental agencies are generally pretty chill about it if the bike is already scuffed up.
• On the other hand, make sure you check the essentials before pulling away. This includes the brakes, tire treads, headlights (don’t forget the brights), turn signals, and oil.
• Before pulling away, take copious amounts of pictures of the current state of the bike, as well as a full-360 video. Critically, do this ALSO when you return the bike; there are many reviews of various agencies chasing down customers with a broken mirror in hand, blaming the customer for damage incurred after they returned their bike.
• Probably your bike will already have a mount for your phone, but if not, ask if the agency has one. These are lifesavers for navigating the Loop.

Scheduling your Loop trip

The wonderful part about taking a motorcycle or scooter to do the Loop is you get to set your own pace and path for exploring. There are a few options for how long and in what direction you can take on the Loop.

How long should you spend on the Loop?

In terms of length of time you should allot for the trip, most people tackle the Loop in 3, 4 or 5 days.

3 days

3 days 2 nights is the minimum amount of time needed to even make it around the Loop, which is around 540km in circumference. Unfortunately, you will have to skip quite a lot on your way around as well. We did the Loop in 3 days, and if we had to do it again we would certainly spend an extra day to be able to move at a more relaxed pace.

4 days

This is the amount of time most people take for the trip. 4 days allows you take your time seeing everything and not feel like you have to be driving dangerously to make it to your next accommodation before dark.

5 days

A 5 day trip allows for the most flexibility and leisurely way to explore the Loop. Consider 5 days if you want to spend more time in the towns on the far side of the Kong Lor caves, or you want to do the half or full day zipline tour at The Rock.

Check out our list of Things to see here to help you make decide what you want to see and how much time you need! 😊

What direction should you go in?

Once you’ve decided how long you are going to spend, you have to think about in which direction you are to go. There are four options: clockwise, counterclockwise, boomerang, and through the Kong Lor caves.

Clockwise

If you check out the map of sights see we’ve compiled, the glaring lack of attractions on the west side of the Loop is immediately obvious. This is because west side of the Loop is a ‘highway’ and not in the sense that it is fast and paved, but that it is the busiest and most dangerous part of the Loop. At the time of writing (2023) it is currently under renovation, which hopefully means future Loopers will have a more pleasant experience, but currently means that the many construction sites make the stretch even harder to navigate. The main reason for taking the clockwise route is to get this stretch out of the way at the beginning of your trip; on the other hand, taking the boomerang route as described below avoids this part of road entirely, and is what many people (including us) do.

Counterclockwise

Of course, the opposite of the clockwise is counterclockwise. This will bring you to the Loop’s attractions immediately, so take this direction if can’t wait to get going. The other benefit of this direction is that you save the most exciting sites (Kong Lor, Dragon Cave, the Rock) for the end of the trip; otherwise, the (still awesome) sites on the south side of the Loop may seem less impressive 😅.

Boomerang

The third option is to go counterclockwise until Kong Lor Caves and then return the way you came. This is less boring than you might expect, as the views are incredible in both directions, you will see things at different times of day, and you can visit anything you skipped the first time. This is what we did, and we would recommend it over driving the boring western stretch of the Loop. Do note however that the route down from the Rock to Lak Sao is extremely steep in the clockwise direction; we were pretty uncomfortable on that section, to the point that we almost wished we’d risked the highway.

Through the Kong Lor Caves

The final option that some more adventurous (or foolhardy) Loopers take is to have their bikes transported through the Kong Lor caves by canoe to the other side then return to the south side of the Loop by back road. This route is pretty controversial, as it is quite risky, with the very real possibility of your canoe flipping, losing the bike and risking your and your guide’s lives. Indeed, a guide drowned a few years ago to such an accident. Further, the roads beyond the caves consist of 40km of unpaved dirt roads, requiring good skill and a good bike to navigate. We certainly don’t recommend this choice, however, all of the locals we spoke with about this option were very chill about it, and it is even drawn on the maps of the Loop available in hostels, so do what you will with that information.

Whichever route you take, make sure that you leave enough time each day to get to your next accommodation. You do NOT want to be driving through the Laotian countryside after dark. Your speed on the Loop will depend on your comfort on a scooter, so we can’t suggest how long each leg will take. We own a motorcycle and are comfortable driving it, and were within 10-20% of the time suggested by Google Maps, but your mileage will vary.

Conclusion

We hope these suggestions help when it comes to planning your own trip around the Loop. Don’t forget to check out our list of sites on the Loop, and leave comments below with any suggestions or corrections from your experiences!