Why this ride
On the way it passes Site 52, Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai, Site 12 and Site 1. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site 23 and Site 1
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 409 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 37
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Site 23
Nobody agrees on who made the stone jars of Xieng Khouang, or exactly why. They are scattered over a high plateau in northern Laos, thousands of stone vessels, some of them taller than a person, carved from rock and set in groups on grassy hillsides, dating from perhaps two thousand years ago. The usual explanation is that they were used in funerary rites by an Iron Age culture, and archaeologists have found human remains and burial goods near them, which supports that, but folklore says they were brewing vessels for a giant king's victory feast. The UNESCO listing of 2019 covers a number of different sites, and Site 23 is one of the smaller, less visited ones, so I can tell you about the region better than I can describe the exact spot.
Read the complete Site 23 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site 23 is where the day begins. Next is Site 52.
2. Site 52
On a grassy ridge in the highlands of Xieng Khouang Province in northern Laos, hundreds of huge stone jars sit scattered among the grass, some as tall as a person, some tipped on their sides and some leaning against each other. This is the Plain of Jars, and Site 52, also called Ban Phakeo, is the most dramatic of the places where the jars can be seen. It has several hundred jars spread over hillsides with wide views across the valley, and it is the one that most tour groups choose. UNESCO listed the Plain of Jars in 2019.
Read the complete Site 52 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site 52 comes up about 55 km into the recorded legs. Next is Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai.
3. Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai
Hundreds of huge stone jars lie scattered across the grassy hills around Phonsavan, some tall enough to hide a person, some tipped on their sides, some with stone lids lying beside them. Nobody is entirely sure who made them. Archaeologists date them to the Iron Age, roughly two thousand years ago or more, and connect them with burial practices, since human remains and grave goods have been found around them. Local legend has a more cheerful version, saying they were made to brew rice wine for a victory celebration of giants. Since 2019 the Plain of Jars has been a World Heritage Site.
Read the complete Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 104 km into the recorded legs you reach Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai. Next is Site 12.
4. Site 12
Imagine hundreds of huge stone jars scattered across a high plateau, some taller than a person, some lying on their sides, some cracked open by time or by bombs. That is the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang province, Laos, and nobody knows for certain who made them or why. Archaeologists believe they are about two thousand years old or more, and that they were connected with burial practices; local legend says they were made to brew rice wine to celebrate a great victory. Since 2019 a selection of the jar sites has been listed by UNESCO as the Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang. Site 12 is one of the smaller groups, out in the countryside some twenty-five kilometres from the provincial capital, Phonsavan.
Read the complete Site 12 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site 12, about halfway. Next is Site 1.
5. Site 1
If you only visit one cluster of jars, make it Site 1, which is the closest to Phonsavan and the largest, with more than three hundred stone vessels scattered across a broad grassy hill. Locals call it Thong Hai Hin. The biggest jar here is the star, a hulking block of sandstone taller than a man and said to weigh several tonnes, and it leans against a shoulder of the hill with a gentle air of fatigue. Around it, jars of all sizes lie in clusters, some standing, some fallen, some split along natural fractures. A few have rounded holes in their sides, perhaps from old damage or shelling.
Read the complete Site 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site 1 sits at 160 km, about halfway. Next is back through Site 12.
6. back through Site 12
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site 12 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Site 12 comes up about 253 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai.
7. back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 302 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai. Next is back through Site 52.
8. back through Site 52
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site 52 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Site 52, late in the day. Next is Site 23.
9. Site 23
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site 23 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 409 km.
Leg by leg
Site 23 to Site 52
Site 23 → Site 52 is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site 52 to Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai
Site 52 → Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai to Site 12
Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai → Site 12 is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site 12 to Site 1
Site 12 → Site 1 is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site 1 to back through Site 12
Site 1 → back through Site 12 is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site 12 to back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai
back through Site 12 → back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai to back through Site 52
back through Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai → back through Site 52 is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site 52 to Site 23
back through Site 52 → Site 23 is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Site 23 and Site 25 · 277 km
- Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plai and Site 23 · 216 km
- Site 23 and Site 2 · 256 km