We spent 5 weeks in Laos, with no particular route in mind. Some guy we met at the motorbike rental company in Vientiane told us about irresistible rock climbing down South. This was the direction we wanted to head to anyway and we even got more curious now. We’ve never imagined Laos a climbers paradise but we were ready for a nice surprise. Once we approached the area down South, it was clear that sooner or later someone had to have the idea to open up a place for rock climbing. We came across this really amazing lodge just off the main road, located in a small valley: the Green Climbers Home. We almost missed this place; only out of curiosity we turned right off the main road coming from Thakhek on our trip around the “Loop“.

We changed our plans immediately and stayed for 2 nights. The lodge is run by 2 Germans who passed through the area a couple of years ago. They were rock-climbers themselves and just decided to stay. Obviously this is still possible in Laos and with some connection to “Green Discovery Laos“, they began to build. One of them was a carpenter, which made things easier for sure – after all, craftsmen know how to build things. You can climb on various routes around the lodge and if you have enough of climbing, go for a swim in the river behind the lodge, visit one of the many caves or you just settle on your terrace with a hammock and a book…

Laos is a real climbers paradise.

Only experienced climbers will find their way along the mountains in Laos.

Green Climbers Home Lodge near Thakhek, Laos.

Relaxing at the Green Climbers Home Lodge in Thakhek, Laos.

The landscape around Thakhek, Laos.

A mountain face near Thakhek, Laos.

The landscape near Thakhek, Laos.

About 450 km – Travel time (suggested) at least 4 to 6 days.

In case you haven’t gotten to reading Part 1 of out motorbiking trip through Laos, please read it beforehand :)

After Thalang, the road started getting really bad so we filled up our motorbikes with petrol, bought some bottles of water and a few bananas – just in case.

Along these 60 km to Lak Sao, the roads lead through pristine rainforest. Nature is still stronger at this part of the world and we doubt that the road will be paved soon since the terrain is simply too difficult. Anyway, so on the roads we sometimes had our little chases with the logging trucks which at some points were a bit harrowing but nobody could drive very fast in this area.

After we passed a couple of real jungle villages (where provisions are really hard to get), we were relieved to arrive in Lak Sao. On that evening it was so chilly and even the locals had little makeshift stoves running to get their hands and feet warm. A hot soup was the only food available (which was perfect anyway) and a tiny little room with a hot shower helped as well. Lak Sao is a town close to the Vietnam border and therefore the market has a lot of activity. All sorts of insects, scorpions and bush meat is for sale. Cockfight along the road (with heavy betting) topped our great impressions of the area. Lak Sao has a lot to offer and it’s a town that should be explored more thoroughly … next time.

To Ban Nahin (the crossing to Konglor cave), the road goes along a beautiful area, with karst-like mountains and rice paddies in between. In Ban Nahin we found a very beautiful lodge called “Somsanhai Resort”, which was a well deserved place after 3 days on the motorbike. The owner knew what foreigners long for; nice soft beds, a superb restaurant and lots of information about the area and Laos itself. Overall it was an absolutely pleasant stay.

The market in Ban Nahin is also very interesting (as pretty much every market has something to offer). Again with lots of bush meat, strange vegetables and an outdoor hairdresser near the bus station. It got a lot of attention while we washed and blow-dried our hair … we obviously we helped him to boost the business.

Résumé.

We were there in January 2012, so things may change during rainy season! As far as we’re concerned, it was a great trip. Laos itself is beautiful but life is very slow there. Other countries and cities are more “action-packed” but it was a good change for once :) There are so many little things to discover, so take your time and you will not regret it.

About 450 km – Travel time (suggested) at least 4 to 6 days.

We already arrived in Tha Khek by motorbike, but I can definitely suggest to rent a motorbike directly in Tha Khek (if you don’t have that much time). Mr. Ku from the Tha Khek Travellodge – situated about a few 100 meters from the roundabout direction Eastwards on the left side with only a small sign – is the right man for motorbikes. The lodge is a pleasant hotel, with big rooms and a garden, despite the industrial area surrounding it.

After spending a night in Tha Khek, dining at one of the nice restaurants along the Mekong river and visiting the big market with all sorts of strange food, our journey started north-bound from the roundabout.

Ready, Set, Go!

The paved road was excellent and you can visit a few caves (at km 15 is a very large one) along the way. We didn’t get very far because right at km 12 to the right was – without sign – the German run Green Climbers Lodge crossed our way.  This is an absolutely stunning place with pleasant stilt bungalows, a cave in the back, a swimming hole, great food and the opportunity for people (who know how to do it) to climb up the karst walls. Keep in mind that it’s only open from September to March, due to flooding.

We stayed the night and left early next morning. We were told that the entire way to Konglor was paved but we still wanted to have buffer just in case. Turns out that we needed that buffer, since the road isn’t paved all the way. Still, it was a smooth drive up to Nakai where we passed a weird looking landscape due to the building of a giant dam. It left us wondering if this was really the right thing for an otherwise beautiful jungle area. Villages were relocated and are now neatly arranged 50 meters in the back of the tarmac road, one house near the other.  It’s interesting to drive through these villages (most tourists don’t bother to do so). The kids loved it and we were happy to shoot some great photos with us. There was no screaming for pens or lollies (like in other parts of Asia) because people here seem to have enough. We were told that nobody in Laos starves and if you are smart you can achieve a lot…

Here’s part 2 of our motorbiking trip through Laos.

Motorbiking the Loop in Laos.

Ready, set, go! The Loop in Laos would would be one of our great motorbike adventures of the year.

Bugs (Lethocerus), frogs & other dead animals can be found at the markets in Laos.

The vegetable at the markets in Laos looks really fresh (& it tastes amazing too).

The Green Climbers Lodge in Laos is a beautiful place to spend the night.

For this kind of climbing in Laos, you should know what you’re doing…

Dam building leaves strange-looking areas in great parts of Laos.

Dam building for electricity supplies leaves this behind…

The kids in Nakai village were happy to pose for us.

If you arrive in Sen Monorom (from whatever direction), you’ll most likely be tired and keen to find a room. We for our part went straight to the Nature Lodge, a bit outside to the East of the village. We were quite happy to book ourselves into one of their nice bungalows with outdoor bathroom and a nice terrace overlooking the area. The place is really great, clean, with good food and helpful staff.

Our little bungalow at the Nature Lodge in Sen Monorom was comfy and idyllic. The Nature Lodge was established in 2006 as one of the first ecologically friendly guest houses in Cambodia.

And then we found the Angkor Forest Lodge.

We were up for exploring the area. Of course, the waterfalls were a must and with our motorbikes they were easy to visit. At one point we set out from the Southern tip of the airstrip to the West to look for the waterfall. We drove and drove but obviously we had missed it; so we said that we’ll just follow the road and look what’s coming. And then there it was; from the road we could only see a huge entrance gate with concrete elephants to both sides. There was a huge parking ground, maybe 2 cars standing there and a sign saying “Angkor Forest Lodge”. Until today, I couldn’t find any website or information about this lodge…but as you can see, it does exist.

Driving closer there was a huge “tree house”, built only with drift material from the area, like roots and branches. We stopped and went inside. It was a huge restaurant area, all open air with a gentle breeze flowing through, swinging chairs, hammocks, private resting corners, absolutely stunning.

Asking a waiter, we heard that the whole complex belongs to a Cambodian man, who wants to create something really unique (we reckoned he has been to Disneyland at some point and wanted to do the same in his country).

The Cambodian Disneyland?

There is a huge pond in the process of being built, not ready yet but you can see the effort. Bungalows are standing around which all have unusual shapes, some built as suites (means 2 storeys with beautiful decoration), others have 2 rooms separately to rent.

In between the garden area are huge statues erected (not perfectly designed), but we could recognize, that one had to  resemble King Kong, another one was a copy of Mickey Mouse…

After enquiring we were told that the place is at the moment often used for big wedding receptions. The rooms are all very reasonably priced. I think it was something around 25 Us $ per bungalow, so the next time we’ll pass through Sen Monorom it will be the Nature Lodge for our good night sleep.

The “Tree house” hotel in Sen Monorom, Cambodia made quite an impression, yet until today, we have not been able to come across an official internet site for bookings/enquiry.

The little cottages of the Angkor Forest Lodge look very idyllic.

The huge King Kong statue in the centre of the Angkor Forest Lodge is yet another interesting sight.

The price for a car (especially if it’s a 4×4 truck, with which you can go off road) can often be very costly and not affordable for a single traveller. To go by bicycle is a great way to see a country but you need time to go around. So these were the thoughts when I decided to drive around Cambodia by motorbike…

Getting A Motorbike.

As you may already know, I am female and 56 years of age. The guys at “Lucky Motors” on Monivong Boulevard in Pnomh Penh looked a bit surprised when my sister Andrea (54) and I came in to check out their bikes ;) The decision, which bike to get, was easy: We rented 2 Honda 125 ccm. They’re easy to handle & the locals use the same type of bikes, so in case of a breakdown they’re going to be easy to repair or to get spare parts in any village.

The Maier Sisters in Phnom Penh.

The price was around 10 US $ per day. You have to pay in advance and leave your passport with the rental agency. So bring some copies if somebody wants it (banks, hotel, etc.). Nobody checked anything from us, nobody stopped us and nobody wanted any bribes…so that part was pretty relaxing for us.

Getting Out Of The City.

My worries where with something else…The drive out of the city of Phnom Penh made me quite nervous the night before we set out. Well, all of my “fears” evaporated instantly when the first meters with the bike were against the one-way system in front of the rental shop (suggested by the rental company). Anyway, off we went, still a bit cautious until we got over the bridge out of the city. There’s so much traffic, but you adjust easily.

Day in day out, thousands of motorbikes, cars, trucks and walkers cross the bridge out of Phnom Penh.

This bridge is the “lifeline” of Phnom Penh, therefore it has to be expanded.

An old woman on her way from the local market in Phnom Penh.

It seems like there are as many motorbikes in Phnom Penh as people who live there.

What To Bring.

One really important thing is to bring (and then wear) is a helmet. Both of us brought one from home (and all of my friends signed it for good luck which was nice) but you can buy cheap helmets in Phnom Penh as well. You should also use gloves so your hands don’t get sticky. Bring long straps for the luggage, and if you intend to go off-road, a big strong plastic bag is a must – this will keep the dust off. Be prepared to be covered in dust at the end of the day!

Now that’s what I call “off-road”.

Sleeping.

For the worst case scenarios bring a hammock; we had to use our hammocks quite a few times, when no guest-house was around. Sometimes set up our hammocks in peoples gardens, who allowed us to sleep there. We even camped in monasteries, where the monks permitted us to spend the night; and well, one time we slept right in the bush. Sleeping outside can be very cold, so have a blanket ready. Overall it was an interesting and positive experience.

One of our sleeping locations during our motorbiking trip through Cambodia.

Further North.

We drove all the way along the Mekong river up north and then turned to the road to Banlung. They told us that the road’s going to be new in some months (or years); until now it’s still the old red soil road which is very (very!) dusty. During the wet season every thing’s going to be covered in mud, don’t know what’s better…Expect to make not more than 100 km distance per day, biking is tiring when driving on potholed dusty roads.

Seeing something gets pretty hard on these dusty roads up North in Cambodia.

And back south again on the “Death Highway”.

After a few days in Banlung, making daytrips north to the Laos border region and exploring the area towards Vietnam, we set out south to the track that is called “death highway”. It’s mainly a small road, that winds its way south to Sen Monorem with very few people along the way. Occasionally there’s somebody whom you could ask for direction, but they always only point south. So, for this section bring enough water, food supplies and petrol!

Andrea on her way down the “death highway” in the North of Cambodia.

During the dry season it’s a very sandy track with lots of deep rifts, so some fitness helps a lot. It’s doable though, even without using these off-road 250 or 400 ccm machines. The locals drive with the little Hondas as well, so you should be fine. During the rainy season things look a bit different; this road can turn into a nightmare and only very athletic, experienced bikers should ride this section. You will have to shift through lot of mud and traversing the full creeks will need raft building skills above average.

Resume.

All in all, we drove about 1400 km in 14 days. We didn’t want to rough it up, so we never drove faster than 65km/h and waited every 10km if one of us was a bit behind. We also had the bike serviced twice (oil change and washing). We always filled up the tank when it was half empty, just in case. Petrol for motorbikes is widely available in Cambodia. I can really tell you, going along the small roads in Cambodia is lot of fun; up the Mekong river you get to see villages that are rarely visited by tourists…So, did we enjoy the trip? Hell yeah! Next stop will either be Laos or Sumatra…also by bike of course ;)

Motorbiking through Cambodia was fun & one hell of an adventure!

If you have any more questions about the route, the equipment, places to stay or anything else, send us your questions; we’d be happy to help you with your plans.