Motorcycle tours in Laos | Exploring Laos by two wheels
Motorcycle tourism is a form of tourism that is growing rapidly in other parts of Lao PDR and around the world, and for which information is often difficult to obtain. This article’s aim is to encourage travelers to be able to simply reading essential information that can substantially enhance the motorcycle travel experience, and so will benefit readers wanting accuracy as well as adventure from their holiday. By doing so, they will be providing valuable assistance to the backpackers and independent travelers whom Laos welcomes each year. Such people participate in sustainable tourism by living with and among the locals, who benefit both financially and by developing a better understanding of the visitors who become lifelong friends.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a small but geographically diverse part of Southeast Asia. It occupies an area somewhat larger than Great Britain, including the Lao high plateau, the western edge of the Annamite mountain range along with plains adjacent to the Mekong River not far from where the river crosses into Thailand, Cambodia, and a strip of land along the Mekong. The Mekong and Lao Mountain Ranges in western Laos are the result of millions of years of orogenic (continental) collisions that produced a spine of land reclining eastward from the edge of the Indian Plateau, with rifted basins and parallel hills that stripe the landscape. On the western edge of the mountains, the high altitude sector of world climate is controlled by two systems, in fact: the monsoon system (generally west-southwesterly airborne moisture) and high pressure in the interior of China during winter. Northern Laos is known for its harsh winter and a very dry climate, although the distance from any of the great oceans is at least 1500 km.
The most compelling portrait of a ride through Laos is of a traveler on the road, letting his perceptions define the journey. The roads themselves, less than two decades old, and the towns along the way are still in the process of revival from centuries of quiet isolation. The outside world is still at the rim of existence, beyond mountains that blocked the country in all directions but the Mekong River. Knowing a bit of the complex geography that isolated Laos from its neighbors and of the deep-rooted culture that united the people during a long period of stasis may lend an additional allure to a story of motorcycling the land, bringing the traveler’s perceptions of the people and places into even stronger relief.
While motorcycle touring in Laos is adventurous, it is not an activity that is limited to experienced riders. There are now an increased number of tour companies, both in and outside of Laos, who rent bikes and provide riders with the option of being accompanied by a guide and/or traveling with a backup vehicle. The specific points of interest may differ tour by tour, but the experience is fairly standard: mornings are spent riding between 100 and 150 km over varied terrains, and afternoons are given over to sightseeing and meeting the locals. A special trip-inclusive sight is riding on a local fishing boat constructed from small bits of wood lashed together. Most tours end with a refreshing swim in a waterfall before the day is done.
Motorcycle tourism in Laos has risen in popularity over the past several years as a way for adventure-seeking travelers to see more of the country than they might be able to by bus or by foot, exploring hidden areas not mentioned in traditional guidebooks, and becoming more acquainted with the local ethnic groups. Popular trips range from two or three days up to five days, offering motorcyclists an intimate view of rural life, along with picturesque views of terraced rice fields and magical scenery in three of the country’s most stunning regions for motorcycle touring.
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