Let's Ride Laos - ABR Adventure Bike Riders

Nine nights from Chiang Mai across Laos and back, guided, with around seventy per cent of the route on dirt, for experienced riders only.

The operator is clear about who this is for, and the no-pillion rule makes the point as plainly as anything could: jungle single-track, limestone switchbacks and Mekong riverbeds are not ground to carry a passenger over.

Chiang Khong opens it on the Thai side of the Mekong, then the border crossing to Luang Namtha in northern Laos, and Oudomxay by way of Boten. Luang Prabang follows, a world heritage town at the confluence of two rivers where the French colonial buildings and the monasteries stand side by side. Vang Vieng comes next among the karst towers, then Vientiane with a rest day for its colonial balconies and its riverfront. The return crosses at Nong Khai to Lom Sak, then runs north to Nan and back to Chiang Mai by Phayao, with two long days at the end.

An adventure or dual-sport motorcycle and a complimentary hotel night in Chiang Mai are included; the full inclusions are not itemised on the operator’s page and are worth confirming at booking, and no pillion passengers are permitted. The price shown is for one rider. The cool dry season from November to February is the window, since the wet turns the dirt sections to mud and makes the river crossings a different proposition. Real off-road experience is assumed rather than taught here, and the two long days at the end, close to four hundred kilometres each, are what separate this from the operator’s shorter dual-terrain tours.