Overview
Thakhek is a working riverside town and a base for a limestone-country motorbike circuit. Riverfront food stalls and nearby climbing give reasons to pause between excursions.
Culture · History · Nature
Did you know?
- The surrounding motorbike circuit includes the underground landscape of Kong Lor Cave.
- One scooter-rental business carries the unlikely name PokemonGo.
- The old French-colonial centre faces Nakhon Phanom across the Mekong.
Why Go
Thakhek is a small riverside town in Central Laos that serves as the launching point for the famous Thakhek Loop, a motorbike circuit through dramatic limestone karst landscapes. The loop features the stunning Kong Lor Cave, numerous waterfalls, and traditional Lao villages. Unlike more touristy areas of Laos, Thakhek retains an authentic working-town atmosphere with minimal foreign crowds. The town itself offers basic amenities, a pleasant riverfront, and serves as a convenient border crossing point to Thailand's Nakhon Phanom.
Get In
Thakhek connects to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand via the Third Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River, about 10 km north of town. The Thai-Laos International Bus runs eight times daily (08:00-17:30, every 60-90 minutes) and costs approximately 50 baht. Kip or US dollars are not accepted for the bridge crossing. Allow 1.5 hours for customs on both sides. From Vientiane, buses leave the Southern Bus station every 1-2 hours in the morning; the 7-hour journey costs 60,000 kip standard or 80,000 kip for VIP. VIP hotel pick-up buses from central Vientiane charge around 130,000 kip per person.
Get Around
Thakhek town is small enough to explore on foot, but tuk-tuks will take you most places for 5,000-10,000 kip per ride. Single-speed bicycles can be hired from Travellers Lodge for those who prefer pedaling to motorized transport. The town center is walkable, with the riverfront, markets, and main shops all within a 10-15 minute radius.
See
The local market behind the shops on the roundabout corner opposite the Lao Development Bank is well worth a visit. Narrow lanes wind between shops leading to a large open market selling fresh produce and sometimes unusual meats such as snake, squirrel, frog, and bat. The market offers an authentic glimpse into local Lao food culture and daily commerce.
Do
The main activity in Thakhek is renting a motorbike to tackle the Thakhek Loop. The best rental shops are PokemonGo, Mixay, and Wangwang, which rent automatic scooters for 180,000 kip per day and semi-automatics for 150,000 kip per day (2024). They require your passport or approximately US$300 as a deposit. Test your bike thoroughly and document any existing damage with a video. Rock climbing is also available near town, with Kong Lo View Hotel offering guided climbing experiences.
Food and Drink
Cafes line the riverfront road serving basic food. The market has good noodle soup under the sheltered middle section. Pork rolls in hot baguettes are available as takeaway lunch from stands near the new fountain square. Night food stalls near the fountain sell pancakes and pork buns. Kyoto Restaurant serves excellent authentic Japanese food, open Monday-Saturday 11:00-18:00. Le Café Bleu (opened 2015) offers stylish surroundings with excellent coffee and Lao, Thai, and Western food at surprisingly low prices. Boton d'Or has a riverside restaurant with excellent local food, great Mekong views, and wood-fired pizza. Most restaurants close by 21:00, but 789cool is the only place selling food after 22:00 and transforms into a bar at night.
Where to Stay
Accommodation options in Thakhek range from basic dorms to mid-range hotels. Phosy Thalang Guesthouse offers dorms starting at 20,000 kip and bungalows from 50,000 kip, with locations 500m apart including one on the lake. Thakhek Travelers Lodge is popular with backpackers, offering dorms for 30,000 kip, fan doubles at 60,000/90,000 kip (without/with bathroom), and deluxe rooms at 110,000 kip. Khammouane Inter Guesthouse has basic fan rooms from 50,000-70,000 kip and air-con doubles from 80,000 kip, with free coffee, water refills, and motorbike rental. For higher-end stays, Inthira Hotel in the city center offers international-standard rooms with restaurant and Wi-Fi.
Safety
There is a known police operation in Thakhek where police wait for motorcyclists at an intersection on the main road heading to and from the river to extract bribes. Your motorbike rental agency will point out this intersection. Simply obeying road rules may not be enough as police may invent transgressions like stopping in the wrong part of the road or not stopping when a light is broken. Having a valid international driving licence can help avoid paying fines. Document your motorbike thoroughly before setting out.
Go Next
From Thakhek, buses connect to Vientiane (local 210,000 kip, 7.5 hours; VIP 230,000 kip; sleeper 240,000 kip), Pakse (VIP 230,000 kip; sleeper 240,000 kip), and Kong Lor (230,000 kip, 7:00 and 14:00). The Thailand border crossing at Nakhon Phanom is 160,000 kip by bus. For those heading to Vietnam, sleeper buses go to Vinh (580,000 kip), Hue (850,000 kip), and Dong Hoi (600,000 kip). Savannakhet is accessible by minibus for 145,000 kip.
Guide text adapted from Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to start
Sleep
Inthira Hotel
The Inthira Hotel is part of a chain. Excellent restaurant with international and Lao cuisine. Good place to meet other travelers. Wi-Fi in public area. Bicycle and motorbike rental.
Sleep
Khammouane Inter Guesthouse
With the charm of an administration building from another era, it is not going to win any style competition, but fairly priced basic rooms, a spacious lobby with free coffee and drinking water refill make it an important addition to the limited range of accommodation in town. Offers guidance for 'The Loop', in-house motorbikes for rent for 60,000 kip/day. If you only want to ride it to the rock climbing crag you can get it for 50,000 kip/day. Free luggage storage. Free Wi-Fi.
Price when recorded: Single fan, 50,000 kip; double fan, 60,000 kip; double air-con, 80,000 kip; triple fan, 70,000 kip
Sleep
Kong Lo View Hotel & Resort
Eco lodge owned & managed by a friendly Lao couple, with Bounlieng speaking a perfect English. 30 rooms (12 twin beds, 18 double beds). Free wifi in the main area. Possible to take tours for a day or two (camping if so), hiking to the other side of the cave, going on a boat along the river, or trekking in the jungle. On the same premises there's an organic farm where about 85% of the food served at the restaurant is coming from. Food is mainly Lao, some Western one as well. Continental breakfast. Free coffee/tea. Guests are welcome to walk around the area including to the farm, and the small private cave. Pétanque course for free. All in all, rural feeling (in the good way) and yet luxurious. Opened in 2016, still expanding (planned for 2019 is a tree house and cave house as well).
Price when recorded: US$55 for double bed, US$60 for twin bed
Sleep
Phonepadith Hotel
Free breakfast from 06:30 to 09:00. Wifi. 3 kinds of rooms. Parking lot available with a fee. Mini Mart (small shop) within the premises. Extra services possible such as transportation or day tour.
Price when recorded: standard for 120,000 kip, twin 170,000 kip, "VIP" 200,000 kip
Sleep
Phosy Thalang Guesthouse
Offers two bedding options (bungalows & dorms, both with mosquito nets) & locations (500 m from each other), one right on the lake, and the other one 100 m away. Features a restaurant as well (international food, more specialized in Asian food though). Friendly family business; the manager, Amphai, speaks an excellent English. Best sunrise location is at the restaurant, best sunset from the guesthouse. Day tours of the surrounding area, including the lake, local school, and jungle. Possibility to make it a 2 days 1 night tour, camping on a beach.
Price when recorded: Dorms starting at 20,000 kip, bungalows starting at 50,000 kip
Sleep
Thakhek Travelers Lodge
A popular place in an undeveloped part of town, but with a friendly campfire garden layout. The inside rooms are very basic and the beds hard. It could do with some renovation but the outside seating just about makes up for this. It's a good place to meet people and arrange trips but easy to let it become the (pricy) source of all your meals, as the centre of town, with more options, is about 2.5 km away. Stop by for some experienced reports on the Loop.
Price when recorded: Dorm 30,000 kip; fan double 60,000/90,000 kip without/with bathroom; deluxe 110,000 kip
Eat
789cool
Popular bar and restaurant with Mekong views, the only place serving food after 22:00.
Eat
Boton d'Or
Riverside restaurant with excellent local food, great Mekong views, and wood-fired pizza.
Before you go
Connectivity
Wi-Fi is available at Inthira Hotel, Khammouane Inter Guesthouse, and some cafes. Mobile data coverage is available but can be unreliable.
Food
Most restaurants close by 21:00. The night market near the fountain square operates in the evening. 789cool is the only option after 22:00.
Money
The Thai-Laos International Bus crossing the Third Friendship Bridge accepts only baht. Kip and US dollars are not accepted for the bridge crossing. ATMs are limited in town.
Safety
Police checkpoints targeting motorcyclists are known to extract bribes. Carry an international driving licence and document any motorbike damage before departing.
Transport
Three bus stations serve different routes: Interprovincial bus station (5 km east, tuk-tuk required at 50,000 kip per person), Local bus station near Souksomboun market, and Morning market bus station for minibuses to Lak Sao.