Thakhek is a sleepy Mekong river town in central Laos, and it is the traditional starting point of the Thakhek Loop, one of the great motorcycle routes in Southeast Asia. The town sits on the Lao bank of the river, facing the Thai city of Nakhon Phanom across the water, a ferry ride or a short hop over the Friendship Bridge. Old French colonial shophouses line the riverfront in faded yellows and greys, a reminder of the time when this was an administrative outpost of French Indochina. In the evening the promenade fills with locals jogging, playing takraw and eating grilled fish.
The loop itself runs for roughly four hundred kilometres in a circle through Khammouane province, and most riders take three or four days. It starts on Route 13, then turns east on Route 12 into a landscape of limestone karst, tall grey and green towers that rise sharply from rice paddies. The road to Mahaxay and beyond is quiet and well surfaced, with sweeping views, and it leads toward the Nakai plateau and its huge reservoir, created by the Nam Theun 2 dam. The route then returns west through the village of Konglor, home to a river cave about seven kilometres long, where a boat takes you through darkness lit only by your headlamp.
Conditions vary. Some sections are good tarmac, others are patchy or have been damaged by rain, and landslides and potholes appear in the wet season. Fuel is available in Thakhek and in a few larger villages, but stations get far apart on the plateau. Carry some extra and fill whenever you can. Rental bikes are easy to arrange in town, from small automatics to trail machines, and many shops will offer maps and tips.
Food is simple and good: sticky rice, grilled chicken, laap, a minced meat salad with herbs and lime, and cold Beerlao in the evening. Guesthouses along the route are basic and cheap. The best season is November to February, when the air is dry and cool. From June to September the rains bring slippery roads and leeches in the forest.