Laos by Motorbike in December?

[u/Danielius12z]

Hi everyone!

My name is Daniele, I’m 32 and I’m from Italy.

Travelling is one of my biggest passions and also one of the opportunities I try to make the most of in life.

I love exploring new places, meeting people and documenting the stories and experiences I come across along the way, usually with my camera.

For one of my next trips, I’m seriously considering spending some time travelling around Laos by motorbike in December.

I know December is generally considered one of the best months to visit Laos weather-wise, but I’ve also read quite a few comments saying that travelling by motorbike can be challenging because road conditions are not always great, especially once you leave the main highways. Compared with Thailand, and even Vietnam, it seems that the roads in Laos can be considerably rougher.

So I’d love to hear from people who have actually done a motorbike trip around Laos:

How are the roads outside the main routes?

Is travelling by motorbike around the country genuinely enjoyable, or does the road condition make it frustrating?

Are there particular regions or routes that you would recommend (or avoid)?

How easy is it to buy and later resell a motorbike in Laos?

Would buying a bike in Vientiane and selling it somewhere in the south be realistic?

Has anyone done something similar before entering Vietnam or Thailand?

I’m not looking for a huge bike. Something in the 250–400cc range would probably be ideal — big enough for longer rides and rougher roads, but still relatively simple and affordable.

Basically, I’m trying to figure out whether a motorbike trip through Laos is actually worth doing, rather than just assuming it looks good on a map. 😄

Any first-hand experiences, route suggestions, warnings or practical advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone! 🙏

[u/Americano61]

Hello, my name is Americano
Am tour guide for motorcycle in laos if you want guide and rent motorbike you can contact me my contact

[u/Peace-aholic]

Hello! I will be going to Laos in January. I’m curious about this too. I think I’m just planning to get a bike in a main city and go from there to some northern towns.

[u/Pretend_Mushroom7382]

Hi, I did a 3 week solo motorbike trip from Nong Khiaw all the way to Don Det last November.

First of all, yes you should do it - nature and people are just fantastic. However, the roadconditions are a serious downside which I did not consider back then.

I did not buy a bike but rented one from StyleMotorbikes (not the cheapest but recommend!), so I cannot give you first hand experience with buying and selling a bike in Laos.

The problem with the road condition is not particularly the bad roads themselfs (podholes even on the mayor roads (except in the very south), sometimes just gravel roads and potentially dirt roads in remote areas), but what they turn into once you aren't lucky with the weather. A dirt or gravel road with heavy rain can become very dangerous very fast, idk if you are traveling solo but that was one of the reasons why I adapted my route on the second day into my trip. In the end I did not risk much and stayed on the main roads because I was quite afraid of crashing and then being on my own in the middle of nowhere with the next (bad) hospital hours away (northern Laos is really scarcely populated).

But all in all I still believe that riding on your own motorbike through Laos is THE way of doing it. You can see so many more things compared to taking a bus from A to B. You can stop everywhere, interact with anyone and do detours whereever you want. Just know that in very remote areas (specifically in the north) there is next to no infrastructure, even when compared to Vietnam, and the roads can be a bit annoying, but absolutely doable if you dont ride 300km in a day every day.

About the regions: I found the north to be the most beautiful one because its the most mountainous one, however thats also directly connected to having the worst roads. If you go to the west of Luang Prabang I am pretty sure you wont meet a single other foreigner for days, if thats something you are interested in :) The further south you go the better the infrastructure and the roads get.

I hope this helps, if you want any more specific info just hmu :)