Why this ride
The stops in between: Site 42, Site 52 and back through Site 42. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Site 23 and Site 52
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 118 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 34
- 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 42.
2. Site 42
Northern Laos is a country of steep green ridges, and then, near the town of Phonsavan, the mountains open into a high rolling plateau of grass and pine, the Xiangkhouang plain, where hundreds of huge stone jars lie scattered across the hills. Site 42 is one of dozens of clusters of jars that make up the Plain of Jars, inscribed by UNESCO in 2019, and it lies north-east of Phonsavan in remote country.
Read the complete Site 42 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Site 42 comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Site 52.
3. 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
about 59 km into the recorded legs you reach Site 52. Next is back through Site 42.
4. back through Site 42
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Site 42 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Site 42, late in the day. Next is Site 23.
5. 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
Back at Site 23. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Site 23 to Site 42
Site 23 → Site 42 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site 42 to Site 52
Site 42 → Site 52 is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Site 52 to back through Site 42
Site 52 → back through Site 42 is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Site 42 to Site 23
back through Site 42 → Site 23 is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Site 42 and Site 52 · 165 km
- Site 52 and Site 23 · 125 km