Central Laos

Many travelers give central Laos a miss. It's understandable but not completely fair. There are a few things worth to visit. And when you are cycling in Laos from north to south or the other way around, it's good to give these places a short visit.

To start a journey in central Laos, you will start in Vientiane. It's 154 km to Pakxan. The only town of any size in between is Ban Thabok. The road however is flat and easy. Even if you are not an experienced cyclist, it's possible to do it in one day. Just after the airport you may want to visit the Buddha park or Xiang Khouan. It's a nice stop on the way south. The park is 26 km away from Vientiane.

Ban Thabok and the Phou Khao Khouay

Ban Thabok may at first glance not too much of interest. However, it can be a good base to explore the mountain to the north. Phou Khao Khouay is a Nature Reserve. The Reserve covers three provinces. Phou Khao Khouay is stretching over about 80 kilometers from west to east and up to 40 kilometers from north to south. The area covers about 2000 square kilometers. The highest mountain peak is 1671 meters high.

Buddha Park (Xiang Khouan) near Vientiane

Unfortunately the mountains have been heavily logged but there's still a lot to explore. The park is a great place to spot wild elephants. There's two different groups living in the park which apparently do not mingle or interbreed. The park is also well known for birds and butterflies.

To get in the park you need a guide. Booking guides can be arranged in Vientiane. Accommodation will be arranged through the agencies in the local villages. There's no descent roads to cycle in the park.

Pakxan to Savannaketh

Highway 13 basically follows the Mekong, the border with Thailand but you won't see the river much until you reach Pakxan. There's a few good, clean and comfortable guest houses in Pakxan though there's not really a reason to stay there longer then a night.

90 km further on the road is Nam Thone. It's no more then some houses but if you are going to Vinh in Vietnam, this is where you have to follow highway 8 which leads to the Vietnamese border. There's a guesthouse at the junction. In Muang Khammouan you will find again a place to stay. Again it's basic and when I was there, it wasn't too clean too. This town is the junction for highway 12 which leads to Hue in Vietnam. Not far from the junction there are several caves to visit. If they are worth a visit depends solely how many other caves you have seen. Personally I wasn't very impressed. There's a ferry service to Nakhon Pathom in Thailand.

Savannaketh, at the Mekong river is another 100 km south. The city is the second biggest in Laos behind Vientiane. There's still a sort of French feeling around. Many houses stand since the colonial times. The streets are wide and it's not too busy. Although Savannaketh may not have to offer much, it's a pleasant place with good food (try the duck pate) and nice sunsets over the Mekong.

There are daily ferry services to Mukdahan in Thailand in case you're out of visa. It's also the most convenient town to cross the border from Thailand into central Laos and many travelers use this border crossing to go straight to Vietnam Highway 9 connects Laos with central Vietnam, basically Hue.

The road is on many places in bad condition. The mountains make a descent bike ride difficult but not impossible. Make sure you have some cash dollars with you as there is no ATM at the border but you will be able to change some money with locals. Pakse is another 200 km further south. For me it was the only time I camped out in Laos.

There's a few little towns in between Savannaketh and Pakse but I haven't seen any guest house. However, people are usually friendly and I spoke to others who cycled who stayed with local families on the way. Ask around. In the last 100 km or so, you will cross a hill range. It never goes up steep or high. Once you arrive in Pakse, you will see the Mekong river again.

Vientiane to Pakse can be cycled in 6 to 7 days. The journey can be longer depending how many stops you make and how long you are willing to stay in that part of Central Laos.

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