In the morning we start our Motorcycle Tour of Vietnam Thailand & Laos. The first part will be on the main road, an enjoyable ride with nice twists and bends, perfect to get the feel of your 'new' motorcycle. We ride in the NE direction, passing the Doi Luang National Park, hot springs.  In Chiang Rai, we will visit the White Temple, one of north Thailands' main attractions. In the early afternoon, we ride along the magic Mekong River (mother of all rivers), which in this area makes the border between Thailand and Laos (We will meet the Mekong River often during our tour!). Towards the end of the day, we arrive at Chiang Khong a town on the river and our destination for this riding day. We park our motorcycles and enjoy the river view and Laos on the other side. Overnight in Chiang Khong.

(300 km/186 miles)

A bit earlier start today, the goal is to be at Thai Immigration when they open at 8 am. After clearing the Thai border formalities, we cross the Thai – Lao Friendship Bridge. On the Laos side our Lao tour guide greets us and assists with the border formalities. The immigration- and customs procedures are always an experience. It simply just takes time, so relax, be patient.

Don’t forget! In Laos, we drive on the right side of the road! 

Immediately in Laos you will notice (and feel) the change of pace and surrounds compared to Thailand.

We have lunch at a local restraunt with great views  and then continue the remaining stretch to Luang Namtha . The road is quite good and the scenery is great as we are passing through a couple of villages, where  the local children are always smiling and waving at the "big" bikes.

(190kms - 118 miles).

Today we have a shorter riding distance  than average. This is planned for 2 reasons:  The road today is more provincial, with plenty of curves and villages. Part of this stretch can have many trucks due to the high-speed railway construction between China and Vientiane, thus we can take our time to navigate some possible extra traffic and road damage. The other advantage of the shorter riding day is we arrive at our lovely overnight accomodation just outside the city of Oudomxai with time to enjoy the relaxing tranquility of this unique jungle resort.

(135 kms - 84 miles)

*Once the high-speed train is in service this part of Laos will change a lot, especially Luang Prabang

Our motorcycle tour  continues in an eastern direction on low density, provincial roads to the Vietnam border. The first stretch we enjoy the scenery while riding along the Nam Phak River. At Pak Nam Noy we start climbing up the mountains towards the Vietnam border. This is a remote area of Laos, the scenery is spectacular, not many villages. Not much is happening at the Lao / Vietnam border, that said, it can still take some time to process the paperwork. Our Vietnamese guide will wait for us at the Tay Trang border crossing and together we will ride to Dien Bien Phu. You will notice how things have changed once crossing into Vietnam, different landscape, more people, busier traffic (and the frequent use of horns from every vehicle!).

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist-nationalist revolutionaries. We have the chance to visit the Dien Bien Phu Museum, the notorious hill A-1 battlefield, the former French command post and a captured tank. Overnight in Dien Bien Phu.

(230 km/143 miles)

Today we have quite a long (and enjoyable!) ride ahead of us, we will pass endless villages, with plenty of photo opportunities.  After an early breakfast, we follow the NR12 to Muong Lay, then head up to Taphin plateau to conquer a scenic and stunning road through the Sin Ho Valley. In the afternoon we start climbing up the mountain and the scenery gets more spectacular by the hour. Through Lai Chau and upward to Sapa there are several points from where we have a spectacular view of Phan Xia Pang, 3143m South East Asia's highest mountain. In Sapa, there are plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops and bars, something for every taste. Overnight in Sapa.

(300 km/186 miles)

Today is a rest day. Sapa is a mountain tourist town in Northwestern Vietnam, blessed with a cool climate throughout the year. The Hoàng Liên mountain range dominates the area with a dramatic backdrop for many scenic treks.

There are many things to do in Sapa. You can do an optional ride in the area or simply chill out with an exploring stroll around town. For a remote small town Sapa is surprisingly modern. It offers a great variety of gastronomic options – from local street food and Vietnamese specialities to high-quality Italian restaurants and wine bars. Not to mention the many local cafes that serve super robust Vietnamese coffee. If you are up to it, take the tram-cable car journey to the top of Phan Xia Pang. Overnight in Sapa.

With newly “charged batteries” our journey takes us in southern direction. We decsend the mountain on good quality roads to Nhiah Loh. During the whole day, we pass through endless villages, tea plantations and terraced rice fields. There are countless photo stops and possibilities to “mingle with the locals”. The closer we get to Nghia Lo the more spectacular the landscape becomes. The road is especially scenic between Than Uyen to Nghia Lo. We can take a narrow local road to a fantastic vantage point of the rice paddies. Overnight in Ngiah Lo.

(245 km/152 miles)

Today's ride brings us south to the Ninh Binh province, passing Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam (but we stay far enough away to avoid the city bustle).

Our morning drink break can be taken at some local stalls setup on the roadside of beautiful tea plantatins at Đồi Chè Thanh Sơn.

After lunch in Hoa Binh we contimue south and back to more rural areas until arriving at the Hoa Lư Ancient Capital historical site, set amongst the limestine mountains and waterways of this region it was the Vietnam capital from years 968 to 1009. 

The road after this photo break takes us cruising through the limestone features all the way to our hotel at Ninh Binh with plenty of foreign styled bars and eateries within walking distance.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

(300 km/186 miles)

Today we continue to the Nam Can border gate and check out of Vietnam, back into Laos. The last part of our riding in Vietnam passes through valley roads and villages before we climb up the mountain range creating the natural border with Laos. *We better be there on time as at 11:30 the immigration office will take their rather long lunch break!. After the immigration process, we ride to the town of Phonsavan. Again you will notice the change in landscape, fewer villages and slower pace once in Laos. We stay overnight in Phonsavan.

(270 km/168 miles)

Phonsavan is home to the famous “Plain of Jars”, a megalithic archaeological site that we will visit in the morning - a must-see stop which also recounts the tragic destruction of this region during the USA-Vietnam war. After this cultural visit we are back on the bikes and back to the twisty roads, winding our way NW towards Luang Prabang. Some stunning mountain trails give way to a wide-open track through the beautiful countryside with remote villages along the way. Luang Prabang with its gleaming temple roofs, fading French architecture and stunning mountain backdrop has been claimed by the UNESCO to be ‘the best-preserved city in South East Asia’. In the evening we have many dinner options nearby our riverside hotel. Also the night market is within walking distance. We stay overnight in Luang Prabang.

(265 km/165 miles)

This is a rest day to enjoy at your own pace.

In the morning you will have the option to rise early to view the procession of monks on their daily outing collecting alms, a practice that dates back centuries. It is done early, as the monks cannot eat anything after midday.

You may also want to visit the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls. It’s possible to swim in the lagoons so take your swimming gear. 

Another option is a boat ride cruising a couple of hours on the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. Shorter sunset boat tours are also available and we can arrange any of these for you.

In Luang Prabang city you can visit the major temples, including the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, which nestles at the meeting of the Mekong and the Nam Khan Rivers, and Wat Wisunalat, which is the oldest temple in the city. Along the walking street you find plenty of antique shops, bakeries, bars etc. 

Whatever you choose - Enjoy! We stay another night in Luang Prabang.

Today we must leave the lovely LPB and first up we board the vehicle ferry close by out hotel and cross the river. From the other side we start riding in southern direction to Xayaburi. The road heralds the start of a 170 km stretch of highway along steep ridges and around hairpin bends, with headlong views of rugged valleys and remote mountains as far as the eye can see. From Xayaburi we take the narrow and winding local road passing a couple of remote villages to Hongsa were we enjoy lunch. Last part of the day we ride to Pakbeng. Pakbeng is a colourful village situated at the junction of the Mekong River and the smaller Beng River, hence the town’s name ‘Pak’ meaning ‘mouth’ in Lao. The scenery is stunning, the pace is slow. The town is a transit point for many backpackers travelling by boat on the Mekong River between Luang Prabang and Huay Xai. Enjoy the view from the hotel's infinity pool. Overnight in Pakbeng.

(280 km/174 miles)

Today is our last day in Laos on our motorcycle tour. We back track down the mountain top hotel road and only a short ride to the Huai Kon border point with Thailand. Normally the border formalities leaving Laos and entering Thailand are rather straight forward. Once in Thailand, we are in Nan province, one of the few remote areas left in Thailand. Enjoy the road 1081 south towards Bo Kluea. At Bo Kluea (salt well) we stop for lunch and visit the salt well where we will experience old traditional salt extraction. Back on the road, we continue a great winding and scenic road towards Nan, the capital of this province. For centuries Nan was a separate, autonomous Kingdom with few relationships to the outside world. Now, the city is a beautiful town with many well-preserved temples. For local bikers, the area is a treasure of perfect mountain curves. Overnight in Nan.

(220 km/137 miles)

After breakfast, we ride from Nan in a western direction. We once again will cruise hilly roads via Phayao to Chiang Mai. In Phayao we enjoy lunch by the famous city lake before we take the final scenic riding sections and arrive back at Bike Tour Asia Service Center (Chiang Mai) in the afternoon. Transfer to your hotel and get ready for our farewell dinner. 

We end the day together with our new friends, sharing good riding memories and pictures from our adventures. overnight in Chiang Mai.

(310 km/193 miles)

This amazing trip ends with transfer to the airport or your holiday extension. 

Hope you enjoyed !

Farewell & Thanks from the BTA Team