The core idea
Laos without a motorbike: how a route comes together
Almost everything people ride to in Laos can be reached another way.
Ways to travel
Ways to travel without a motorbike
The roads that scooters use are the same roads a car can drive, and trains and boats now cover legs that used to take days. These guides explain which option suits each part of a route.
Luang Prabang station on the Laos-China Railway, with minivans waiting outside
The building blocks
Five ways to move around Laos
Good routes combine them, leg by leg.
Train
Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang on the Laos-China Railway. Fast and comfortable; tickets can sell out.
Domestic flights
Vientiane or Luang Prabang to Pakse. Saves very long road days between north and south.
Private car with driver
Where public transport is thin: Kong Lor, the loop roads, multi-stop days on the Bolaven Plateau.
Buses and shared minivans
Main highways and popular routes, such as Pakse to the islands and Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw.
River boats
Nong Khiaw to Muang Ngoi, the 4,000 Islands crossings, and the boat through Kong Lor.
Route and transport guides
Transport
Private drivers in Laos: when they are worth it
A private driver in Laos is a car or van with a local driver for a transfer or a set of days.
Route planning
The Thakhek Loop without a motorbike
The Thakhek Loop is a circuit of roughly 450 to 500 km from Thakhek through the karst of Khammouane, usually ridden over three or four days.
Getting there
Kong Lor Cave trip: the options compared
There are three realistic ways to Kong Lor without riding: a private car from Thakhek or Vientiane with one night in the village; local buses and songthaews via Vieng Kham and Na Hin; or a multi-day tour that includes it.
Southern Laos
Bolaven Plateau without a scooter: car, tour or bus
From Pakse, a private car with a driver is the most flexible way to see the Bolaven Plateau: Tad Fane, Tad Yuang, a coffee farm and Paksong fit in one day, and an overnight at Tad Lo adds more.
Northern Laos
Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw: road, minivan or car
Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw is about 140 km by road and takes around 3 to 4 hours, sometimes much more, because the road is narrow and often damaged.
Rail
The Laos-China Railway in a motorbike-free route
The Laos-China Railway links Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, with fast trains taking about two hours between the capital and Luang Prabang.
Plan with Laos Explore
Tell us where you want to go, not how to get there
Share your dates, the places on your list and how you feel about motorbikes. We reply by email with a realistic route, and when you are ready, a written proposal with transfers, prices, inclusions and who provides each part of the trip.
