Thakhek Loop Guide – Overview

The Thakhek Loop is one of the most popular motorbike routes in Laos, and like most popular motorbike routes in Southeast Asia, there are already about 9,000 guides online telling you how to do it.

I haven’t done anything amazingly different to all the other guides, but I did fit in more activities than most other people have and wanted to share this Thakhek Loop guide, showing you how adding an extra day (or more) to the loop can unlock a whole lot of extra value!

I did the Thakhek Loop over 5 days, typically it is done in 4 days 3 nights. It is possible to “do it” with only 2 nights if you’re in a rush – use this post to pick out the highlights if that’s the case. Personally, I’d not recommend that rushed a trip though.

Even with 5 days, I still did not see everything. That is probably the main thing I took away from the loop. You can absolutely ride it quickly, and plenty of people do, but if you actually want to visit every “activity”, then you’ll need more time.

So this Thakhek loop guide is not meant to be the perfect, definitive Thakhek Loop itinerary. It is my actual 5 day route, what I thought was worth it, what I would skip, what I missed, and how I would think about planning the loop if I did it again.

This is where Thakhek is – in central Laos.

*Affiliates Disclosure

Affiliate links are present on this page. Through partnerships with, but not limited to: Amazon, eBay and Commission Factory, I will make a small commission through qualifying purchases. This comes at no extra cost to you and is just a way for me to try and support myself and the blog.  Thank you.

Thakhek Loop Guide Video

The Thakhek loop is full of things to do, to write about each activity I did at length would make the Thakhek loop guide unreadable, for more detailed information see this video. Any questions then feel free to comment on the video as I don’t really check comments on this website.

What Is The Thakhek Loop?

The Thakhek Loop is a multi-day motorbike route through central Laos.

The trip starts and ends in Thakhek, people ride around and visit the numerous caves on offer, generally doing the loop in an anti-clockwise direction, with the famous Kong Lor Cave being the centrepiece of the loop and arguably the reason the loop exists.

Kong Lor cave is not the only reason to do the loop, there are plenty of caves on the loop that I found just as interesting. The scenery during the ride itself is great (see below) but the road conditions are hit and miss.

Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).

How Many Days Do You Need For The Thakhek Loop?

The standard answer is usually 4 days / 3 nights.

This is a good pace to go at if you want to skip a few things and will allow you to see most of the best stuff on offer. I added an extra day to this to unlock the time to visit more. But also I was filming and documenting the activities so needed more time to do so.

Even then, I still missed things.

3 days: possible, but rushed. Good if you mainly want the ride and Kong Lor Cave.

4 days: the common route. Probably the best balance for most people.

5 days: This was my choice and allowed me to both do more at The Rock viewpoint as well as free up the time to visit Tham Heup Cave.

6+ days: useful if you want to go slowly, see each cave in depth, stay longer in Kong Lor, or properly explore extra caves and villages.

Cycle through the images below – in order they show you the typical ride for days 1 through 4 (which is the same as my 5 day itinerary since the extra day is just spent in Na Hin / The Rock).

Thakhek Loop Guide – Itinerary

In this section of the Thakhek Loop guide I will show you what I did with each day, give a brief rundown of the highlights of each activity and touch on some alternative options.

Day 1 – Thakhek to Nam Theun

The first day of the Thakhek loop is the most activity packed day of the entire loop. This is the day that presents you with the most options of things to see.

Just outside of Thakhek is an area called Cave Alley due to its strong concentration of caves. You can spend hours looking at them all and find that you haven’t covered much distance yet to Nam Theun where you’ll be staying the night.

Recommend it?

No.

No.

Yes.

Yes

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Maybe.

Not if it’s dry season.

Maybe.

Tham Pa Seuam.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Cave Alley Summary

There are so many caves to choose from here and really all that’s worth doing unless you’re a completionist is: Tham Pa Seuam, Xieng Liap, Phaya In and Tham Nang Ene.

I visited Elephant cave but could only view it from a distance as the gates were closed. I wouldn’t hang around until 08:00 for it given how much stuff there is to see today. Elephnat cave is 10 minutes out of Thakhek so you can visit it when you get back, the day before or just don’t bother.

Tham Nang Ene also offers boat tours that will allow you to go deeper into the cave, but this will take more time. Phaya In is cool for the experience but more so for those who want to get photos of the beautiful reflections (see below).

Thafalang is not a cave, it is like a day-stop area along the river with bungalows etc. Personally I’d invest more time into the caves, eat at a roadside restaurant somewhere (I ate at Thafalang, it was average) and just get the most out of the 4 caves mentioned above.

Xieng Liap is the most raw of all the caves here – no guide needed, not built out, no stairs, have to climb over rocks or wade through the river if you want to get to the other entrance. One of the best of the day, way less touristy.

Phaya In Cave.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

The rest of the road to Nam Theun

Pha Katai viewpoint is an abandoned and pretty unsturdy walkway up to the top of a limestone karst mountain range. It’s fascinating and very unique for the day, a welcome change to the caves. But not very safe and only going to get worse as the years roll on.

Song Sa waterfall has bad reviews in the dry season so I didn’t check it out.

I would have done the Orchid Viewpoint trail had I known about it, but there are also reports about bags being stolen when left with the scooters so in hindsight I am lucky I didn’t do it (I was travelling with all my gear unlike most people who just do the loop with a backpack).

Xieng Liap Cave.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Day 2 – Nam Theun to Kong Lor

Day 2 of the Thakhek Loop is one that I would do differently given my time again.

On day 2 of the Thakhek loop you can either ride to Na Hin, or ride into Kong Lor. I personally recommend people ride to Kong Lor.

There aren’t as many activities to do today and those that are on the way are pretty average, with the exception of Dragon Cave. Dragon Cave is a cave, with a small temple and a separate climb up to a lookout and it is well worth a stop.

Recommend it?

No.

No.

Yes.

Maybe.

No.

Phosy Thalang.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

If I could do Day 2 again

As mentioned above, Dragon Cave is the only must-see activity today, the rest are pretty meh. Although this is the case, there are no detours required to visit the Sandstone Buddhas, Wat Pa Pha Nang Rong or The Bomb Boat Viewpoint.

Because of this, you may as well stop, but don’t expect these things to take any more than 5 minutes to stretch your legs.

I skipped the Cool Pool due to reviews of kids stealing things, people playing loud music and plastic in the water. There’s more beautiful places in southeast asia, but if you want to cool off this is an option.

If I had my time again, I would spend more time at Phosy Thalang (pictured above) which was my accommodation in Nam Theun. They had free kayak hire – something that would have topped all of today’s activities except for Dragon Cave.

Unfortunately I didn’t know what I knew now, both how little interest today’s activities held and that it wouldn’t take that long to get to Kong Lor.

Having said that there’s no harm getting into Kong Lor village early to relax.

Bomb Boat Viewpoint

There are boats on the river made from discarded fuel tanks of bomber planes from the Vietnam War.

Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).

Day 3 – Kong Lor to Na Hin

Day 3 of the Thakhek loop is all about Kong Lor cave. Whether you spent the night in Kong Lor village or in Na Hin, today’s the day you visit Kong Lor cave and return to Na Hin for the night.

I also recommend visiting Nam Non cave if you have the time.

It is a lot better to have spend the previous night in Kong Lor, this gives you first access to start the Kong Lor Cave tour before it gets busy, leaving enough free time afterwards for Nam Non Cave.

If you made it to Kong Lor, you have a very short day of riding, just returning to Na Hin for the night.

Recommend it?

Yes.

Yes.

Day 3 – Two big caves

Day 3 has two of the best caves on the loop and each offers something completely different.

Kong Lor is the one most people know about. A 7.5km boat ride through a mountain out to a village and back again, read more about it here.

I think I preferred Nam Non cave. Watch the video at the top of the post to get an idea of the size of the place. It’s all untouched as well, not overdeveloped, no lights, no walkways, pure cave.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do Kong Lor, you absolutely should since you’ve come all this way. But do it early and save some time for Nam Non cave afterwards, remember there’s not much riding today.

The price of 50,000 ₭ mentioned is for the unguided option, there are also half-day, full-day and overnight camping options. These will all change depending on the season.

When I went (early Feb) it was dry and I could walk through the cave, but I have seen pictures of it full of water too.

Nam Non Cave.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link).

Day 4 – Full day at The Rock

Generally day 4 on the Thakhek loop is the final day. You will wake up, go to The Rock Viewpoint, maybe do a 2-hour introductory or half-day zipline and then rush back to Thakhek.

Since this Thakhek loop guide adds an extra day, that allows us to explore more of what The Rock has to offer. The added benefit to this is that it’s a full day without any real riding to do.

The Rock Viewpoint is an adventure based activity built around the amazing karst limestone surrounds as well as some nearby caves.

There are 3 main offers from The Rock Viewpoint for more information on tours provided, this pdf document from Megaworld Asia has a good breakdown of what’s on offer.

Essentially there are 3 different varieties of zip lining – introductory, half-day and full-day.

Then there are two separate caving activities that can be done – Tham Pong and Nang Long.

I did the half-day zipline course and Tham Pong cave. You could potentially do Tham Pong and Nang Long if you only did the introductory zip line course, but you’d be spending a bucket load to do all 3!

Recommend it?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

*Note that these prices are for minimum 2 people. I actually paid $100 USD to do Tham Pong as a solo traveller – to do all 3 would be super expensive!

The Rock Viewpoint.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Flexibility on day 4

Today you can do a full-day of zip lining, half a day, 2 hours, pair it with one cave exploration or two.

Whatever you want, make sure you plan ahead though and visit The Rock the day before in the afternoon on the way to Na Hin (or stay at their cabins) or contact them via email/WhatsApp to ensure they will have the guides available.

The two cave exploration activities need some forward planning so the earlier you contact them the better.

Also note that pricing changes depending on how many people, you get discounts for booking multiple activities and discounts for staying at their accommodation too so to discuss exact prices is tricky.

If none of this excites you, day 4 could be spent with a full day inside Nam Non cave, allowing more time for deeper exploration, or to spend more time in Kong Lor on day 3.

Tham Pong.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Day 5 – Return to Thakhek

On the final day of the Thakhek loop, you have a long ride ahead of you, luckily it’s mostly on the good highway so the roads are good and you can make good time if you’re willing.

This will be the same for day 4 for people following a more typical 4D3N Thakhek loop guide.

Depending on whether you have to return the scooter that night, have a bus to catch to Pakse or Vientiane, or have another night in Thakhek to end the loop, then your timeframes on this day can vary quite a bit.

Generally on a 4D3N Thakhek Loop people will spend the morning at The Rock viewpoint and then head to Thakhek to finish.

Since this Thakhek loop guide is about what I did, which was a 5D4N Thakhek loop – then you have already spent the full day at The Rock Viewpoint yesterday.  This unlocks today to visit Tham Heup cave, read more about it here.

Alternatively you could do the last half-day cave exploration tour with The Rock at Nang Long cave.

Recommend it?

Yes.

Tham Heup.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Day 5 activities

Tham Heup cave is a walk-through cave, the costs I wrote above included a generous tip for the guides, the actual ticket is only 35,000₭. I am not suggesting that’s what you have to pay, I think I paid overs on that one.

The cave leads into a forested area, there are even more caves that can be explored using Maps.me or a proper caving map, but this would have to be discussed with the guides in advance – which will be difficult since they don’t speak English.

For most people though you will have had enough after Tham Heup and 5 days of riding.

After this you just ride back to Thakhek, there isn’t much to see on the way back.

Kong Lor Cave Entrance.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link).

Thakhek Loop Guide – Breakdown of the Loop

Just briefly as this post is getting too long already, but here is a quick breakdown of some of the activities and costs for the loop.

Best Stops On The Thakhek Loop

In no particular order:

• Kong Lor.
• Nam Non.
• Tham Heup.
• Xiang Liap.

These were my favourites if I had to pick, not based off value for money or anything, just which caves I thought were the best. They are all mostly stripped back, except Kong Lor which has some lighting in some sections but isn’t overdone.

The Places I Didn’t Recommend

The places I listed as “No” for my recommendations above are not horrible, I am just saying they’re not must-see things and you won’t regret skipping them.

It is more that the Thakhek Loop has a lot of stops, and if you try to do every single one, you may end up enjoying none of them properly. I won’t write them out again as the activities are mentioned higher up in the Thakhek loop guide.

Note though that although you can skip some activities and won’t regret it, some are literally right on the loop and you ride past them anyway. So you may as well stop.

The Rock Viewpoint Afternoon Panorama.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Things I Missed But Wish I Had Done

Even with 5 days, I still missed things.

Realistically the only one I’d probably like to have added to my trip would have been the boat tour in Tham Nang Ene. I did visit but only did the walking part for time constraints.

The other is the Nang Long Cave tour with the Rock. Again time constraints and cost were an issue here.

On day 2 I would have liked to have explored the nature reserve by kayak rather than see Wat Pa Pha nang rong or get into Kong Lor early, but not early enough to see Kong Lor.

How Much Does The Thakhek Loop Cost?

This will vary a lot depending on your bike, accommodation, food, activities and how much you do at The Rock.

Some other costs to think about are:

Motorbike rental

I paid for an automatic 125cc for added comfort and better speed. I do a lot of stuff with the filming and tend to try make up the time on the road. I also had my entire luggage with me and wanted the luggage rack.

Semi-automatics are cheaper at 150,000 ₭/day , but I paid 250,000 ₭/day which I considered a bit of a rip-off to be honest, despite the bike being brand new. This is about $16.66 / day

On the Pakse Loop it was 190,000 ₭/day albeit an older bike (same make and model).

I went with Mixay Motorbike 3 which is located at Villa Thakhek, because I was staying there it was more convenient.

Fuel

Total for this 5D4N itinerary was 264,000 ₭ ($17.60 AUD).

Accommodation

This can change a lot depending on where you stay and who you share with. As a solo traveller who wants private rooms my costs were:

NIGHT 1 – PHOSY THALANG
400,000 ₭ / $26.66 AUD

NIGHT 2 – KONG LOR CAVE RESORT-RIVERSIDE
350,000 ₭ / $23.33

NIGHT 3 & 4 – PHARMANVIEW GUESTHOUSE
300,000 ₭ / $20

There are more expensive accommodation options and there are cheaper ones, I won’t be covering every possible option here as it’s always subject to change. The highest costs on the whole loop are those at The Rock viewpoint.

Tham Nang Ene.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

What To Pack For The Thakhek Loop

I’m not going to list everything here, you’re an adult you can figure out the basics.

All I will say is that it can get cold on the bike so have a jacket. The faster or earlier you are on the bike the colder it will be.

There are caves with water in them even in the dry season, have some shoes and clothes that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty.

A head torch is especially useful as you can guarantee yourself a good one and not rely on renting them at the caves.

Most people travel with just a backpack, I took all of my luggage with me since my backpack was full of camera gear, but most people will just have a backpack of clothes which is good as it goes with you everywhere.

I often had to worry about my bag on the bike. Luckily nothing was stolen.

What are the road conditions of the Thakhek Loop

This might not mean much to some people but might help others:

Not as good as the Pakse Loop.

Better than the Ha Giang Loop.

Basically, ride cautiously as there’s always the possibility of animals wandering onto the roads. Trucks are everywhere on the Thakhek Loop and the roads have plenty of potholes that will wipe you out if you’re cornering too hard and hit them.

The worst bits are as you leave Thakhek. The portion from after The Rock back to Thakhek is basically brand new and as you head south that main highway 13 is in great conditon – I comfortably sat on 90+ km/h on that return trip.

Is The Thakhek Loop Safe?

It’s as safe as most other motorbike loops that you do.

I have seen Google Reviews of places like Orchid Viewpoint Trail and Cool Pool where people report things being stolen that were left either on their bikes, or on the banks of the pool as they were swimming.

All of the caves though where you pay an entrance generally have proper staff walking around and watching the bikes. If you travel with just backpacks, take them through the cave to be safe.

For reference though, I had my big bag tied to the back of the bike with ratchet straps (brought from home) and nothing ever got touched, but I never left my camera stuff anywhere and I didn’t do either of the two activities mentioned above.

As for road safety, move over for trucks, slow down when you can’t see the exit of the corner and just behave responsibly because medical help is far away.

Thakhek is not a big place with big hospitals and even if it was, you ride hundreds of kilometres away from it during the loop.

Is The Thakhek Loop Worth It?

Yes.

Obviously – that’s why there’s a million Thakhek loop guides on the internet.

Final Thoughts

Just do it.

Try not to rush it.

If you have the time to spare, take the extra days and see things in detail. Money dependant of course.