Northern Laos Circular Bike Loop | 4 Days | from LUANG PRABANG, LAOS

Day 1: Boat Ride From Luang Prabang to Pak Beng

We’ll meet first at the Tiger Trail Bike Shop where you’ll meet your guide and be kitted out with your mountain bike and helmet for the next four days. Our mountain bikes will be put on board the boat while we prepare ourselves for a soft-start to our adventure in Northern Laos. Few people have had the opportunity to do this! Lunch will be served on board the Mekong cruise boat. Once we arrive in the small village of Pak Beng, we’ll stay overnight in a guesthouse.

DAY 2: Pak Beng to Oudomxay (70km Ride)

Today we will enjoy a full day cycling in rural Laos. This is an area that’s inhabited by hill tribe villages who eke a modest existence from the land. Along the journey, we will pass through the ethnic minority villages of Phu Thai, Thai Lu, Hmong, Thai Dam, Lao and Khamu. Here, the people are very friendly (and amused) to see foreigners on riding bikes in the heat of the day! We’ll stop at weaving villages along the way, where you still see families sitting in the shade weaving on old looms. After climbing a 300-meter pass, a long descent brings you to the laid-back town of Oudomxay the capital of the Oudomxay Province. We’ll stay overnight here in a guesthouse.

DAY 3: Oudomxay to Nong Khiaw (70-110km)

After a one-hour uphill transfer (optional), you will start your cycling today at an altitude of 1,300 metres. We will enjoy amazing views and witness the daily life of the Hmong villages who dominate this region. A long descent will bring us to the village of Pak Mong, where we will have lunch. From Pak Mong, we will cycle over a small tar road into the karst, the scenic limestone mountains that surround Nong Khiaw. We stay overnight in a resort with amazing views over the limestone mountains and the Nam Ou River.

DAY 4: Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang (95km)

We will start the day with a scenic boat ride heading downstream from Nong Khiaw along the Nam Ou River. Flatter and better roads today will enable us to complete the longer distance to Luang Prabang. Only a few minor passes have to be climbed before you are riding along the banks of the Nam Ou River, with stunning views of huge mountain ranges. The last stage of the journey takes us through teakwood plantations before arriving back in lovely Luang Prabang.

Due to the weather, the itinerary may be changed at the discretion of the guide.

Please Note: The price above is the price for a ‘group trip’, which means that there needs to be at least 2 travellers for this trip to run. If you are booking for 2 people or more, your trip date and price is guaranteed. If you are a solo traveller, we will try to team you with another group that is already running, in order to reduce costs. This may mean that we suggest an alternative date to you. If there is no-one else to join the trip or you prefer a solo trip you will need to cover the cost of two people on the trip. We will let you know the situation at the time of booking and can offer a full deposit refund to solo travellers who we are not able to team with a group if they prefer not to pay the extra fee.