Motorcycle trip

Laos

We run one tour in Laos, Thailand & Laos: Along the Mekong: 12 days, 10 of them on the bike, riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. It starts in Chiang Mai, crosses the Mekong at Chiang Khong and spends seven days in northern Laos, as far as Luang Prabang, before looping back into Thailand. For easier roads, stay in Thailand with Northern Thailand Getaway or The Best of Northern Thailand.

$4,290 per rider and $3,490 per passenger for the 12 days, starting from Chiang Mai. The motorcycle, fuel, the team, hotels, and breakfast and lunch on riding days are included. On top of that, budget for your flights to Chiang Mai, the Lao visa, dinners, drinks and temple fees, plus a $41 registration fee if it is your first tour with us. The tour page has the full list.

The dry season, from October to April: that is when our tour runs, with departures published from October 2026 through January 2028. From November to February, mornings are crisp in the northern mountains; March and April get hotter and the air is often hazy. We do not ride during the monsoon, from May to September, when rain makes dirt tracks and mountain roads slick.

Fairly experienced. Our Laos tour is rated Sustained: long riding days, mountain roads that are often broken up and a full day on dirt tracks through the jungle. You should ride regularly, be in good shape and have some off-road experience. If you have never ridden on dirt, our Intermediate tours in northern Thailand are a better fit for a first ride in Asia.

A passport valid for at least 6 more months, your driver’s license with motorcycle endorsement and an International Driving Permit, which US riders get from AAA. US citizens also need a Lao visa, available online as an e-visa or on arrival at many entry points. Since the tour starts in Thailand, also fill in the Thai online arrival card (TDAC). Up-to-date details: Preparing your trip to Thailand and Laos, in our help center.

Fly into Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand: the tour starts and ends there, so there is no need to fly to Vientiane or Luang Prabang. From the US, you connect at least once, usually in Bangkok or another Asian hub, so plan to land a day early to get over the jet lag. You book your flights and we handle airport transfers. You then ride into Laos with the group, over the Mekong at Chiang Khong.

Traffic is light outside towns, but the roads need your full attention: potholes, gravel, animals and kids on the road. Laos drives on the right like the US, after the left-hand traffic of Thailand. Some stages are far from hospitals, with spotty cell coverage, so a support vehicle and a mechanic follow the group. Unexploded ordnance remains in the countryside, which is why we stay on the route. Before you go, read the State Department travel advisory and country information for Laos and enroll in STEP.

Not with us: we do not rent motorcycles without a guide in Laos or Thailand. Ours is a fully guided tour: your motorcycle is ready in Chiang Mai and crosses the border with the group, and an English-speaking tour leader rides up front, followed by a mechanic and a support vehicle. Self-guided riding is something we offer only in the United States, from our base in South Dakota.