In kort: the Pakse Loop is a motorbike loop over the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, full of waterfalls and coffee farms. The small loop is about 200 km in 2 days, die big loop 280–340 km in 3–4 days. I rode it twice, in 2014 and in 2023; in 2023 we started with the big waterfalls in the south and came back over road 20 (our route and GPX are below, in both directions). Rent a semi-automatic in Pakse. Travel guides put the all-in budget at about US$16–22 a day for bike, bed, food and entry fees (2025).
Pakse Loop at a glance
| Small loop | Big loop | |
|---|---|---|
| Afstand | sowat 200 km | 280-340 km |
| Dae | 2 | 3-4 |
| Main stops | Paksong and the big waterfalls of the plateau | Same, plus quieter roads and villages further from Pakse |
| Beste vir | Waterfalls and coffee in a weekend | Villages, quieter roads, more time per stop |
Distances from travel guides (Backpack Moments, 2024); your route and detours change them. Our own 2023 route was 363 km in 3 days, including the side trips to Tad Tayicseua and Captain Hook (map and GPX below).
Die Pakse Motorfietsloop takes two days for the small loop and three to four for the big one. In 2023 we rode the big waterfalls of the south first, slept in Sekong and at Tad Lo, and came back to Pakse over road 20. You can ride it either way: the GPX below comes in both directions. I’ve done the loop in 2014 and in 2023. Things have changed. The homestay at the waterfall (Tad Jarou Halang also named – Tad Tayicseua) has been closed, unfortunately. But new places (like Fendee Island) opened up and this motorbike loop is still an awesome thing to do!
Huur 'n motorfiets Pakse
Wanneer jy 'n motorfiets wil huur vir die Pakse motorfietslus jy kan gaan na Wang Wang Motorfiets huur Pakse. If you did the Thakhek Loop, you probably know Wang Wang. We rented our bikes at their Pakse shop in October 2023: friendly staff, they kept our bags in the shop and arranged our sleeper bus ticket. Mobile data helps on the way, for Google Maps and the GPX below: see my guide to a local SIM or eSIM for Laos.
Video of the Pakse motorbike loop
Watch our Pakse Loop video on YouTube
Mnr Vieng Coffee and Homestay
On road 20, between Pakse and Lao Ngam, you will find Mr Vieng Coffee; look for the sign by the road. You can also stay there in his homestay. When you order coffee it comes fresh from their own plantation. Mr. Vieng roasts his coffee in the wok and brews you the coffee. On our 2023 route it was the last coffee stop of day 3; ride the other way and it is your first.
Captain Hook gidstoer (het ons 4 uur geneem)
Ek het beslis van die Kaptein Hook-dorp- en plaastoer gehou , maar vir ons is 4 uur heeltemal te veel. As die groep saamstem, kan jy ook vra of hy 'n bietjie vinniger/korter in woorde kan wees 🙂 Behalwe vir die tyd was hierdie toer interessant met die kulturele verskille, ens. Om nie te vergeet dat Kaptein Hook en sy vrou ook 'n gastehuis bedryf nie.
Pakse Loop map, GPX and day stages (free download)
This is the route we rode in November 2023, put on the map from the places of our own photos. Download it for free, no sign-up: the GPX works offline in Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Maps.me, Komoot and on a Garmin; the KML opens in Google My Maps and Google Earth.
Download the route
Big loop, our 2023 route: 363 km, 3 days
Download GPXKML for Google
Other direction: GPX · KML
Small loop: 210 km, 2 days
Download GPXKML for Google
Other direction: GPX · KML
Day stages of our 2023 route
- Day 1: Pakse → Sekong, 161 km
via Tad Fane, Tad Champee, Paksong, Tad Jarou Halang (Tad Tayicseua)
Open day 1 in Google Maps - Day 2: Sekong → Tad Lo, 79 km
via Thateng
Open day 2 in Google Maps - Day 3: Tad Lo → Pakse, 123 km
a morning trip to Captain Hook Homestay and back, then Lao Ngam, Mr Vieng Coffee & Homestay
Open day 3 in Google Maps
Riding it the other way? Open the reverse stages in Google Maps: day 1 (Pakse → Tad Lo) · day 2 (Tad Lo → Sekong) · day 3 (Sekong → Pakse).
Each day is a separate track in the file, so your app shows one stage at a time. Waypoints include all waterfalls on the way, Sinouk Coffee, Captain Hook Homestay and Mr Vieng Coffee. For Tad Jarou Halang (Tad Tayicseua) the file has the turn-off where the dirt road starts, because Google sends you the wrong way: follow my step-by-step route to Tad Tayicseua van daar af.
Roads and distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Distances include our side trips; no elevation data, the files follow the roads and are not a recorded GPS track.
Waterfalls on the Pakse Loop (entry fees 2025)
Every waterfall charges an entry fee and a small parking fee for your motorbike. Bring cash in kip.
Tad Jarou Halang (Tad Tayicseua)
Entry: ask on arrival · Motorbike parking: ask on arrival
My personal favourite: a wide wall of water with two viewpoints, very hard to find. How I got there. The homestay at the falls has closed (2023).
Tad Yuang
Entry: 40,000 kip · Motorbike parking: 10,000 kip
Wide falls with pools at the bottom; easy access from the main road.
Tad Fane
Entry: 30,000 kip · Motorbike parking: 10,000 kip
Twin falls dropping over 100 m into a gorge; viewpoint through the resort, zipline on site.
Tad Champee
Entry: 30,000 kip · Motorbike parking: 5,000 kip
Swimming basin; the bridge behind the falls can be out after the rainy season.
Tad Lo
Entry: check on arrival · Motorbike parking: check on arrival
Calmer falls next to a village.
Fees as listed on Wikivoyage in August 2025; they rise with inflation, so expect a bit more.
What the Pakse Loop costs per day
| item | Prys |
|---|---|
| Semi-automatic or automatic scooter (110–125cc) | about 80,000–120,000 kip a day |
| Manual motorbike | about 150,000–200,000 kip a day |
| Waterfall entry + parking | 35,000–50,000 kip per waterfall |
| All-in budget (bike, guesthouse, food, fees) | about US$16–22 a day |
Price ranges from 2025 guides (Go Asia, Wikivoyage, Backpack Moments), checked 16 October 2026. Rental shops in Pakse set their own prices: ask before you sign, and check the bike, brakes and lights.
Akkommodasie op die Pakse-lus
Om goeie akkommodasie op die loop te soek, kan moeilik wees. Ek beveel aan Vilaychay Gastehuis in Sekong, where we slept after day 1 in November 2023. It is run by a family and has about 10 rooms. The great thing is that you can safely park your motorbike inside!
Kampeer / Glamping Fendee Island
Een van my ander gunstelinge was Fendee-eiland . Dis 'n eiland waar jy in 'n klein driehoekige hut of selfs 'n boomhuis kan slaap. Hulle het 'n restaurant wat heerlike kos en koue drankies bedien.
Bolaven Koffie
Coffee is everywhere on the Bolaven Plateau: you ride past plantations around Paksong and Thateng. These are the coffee stops on and near our route:
- Jhai Coffee House in Paksong: fresh local coffee, see my Jhai Coffee review.
- Sinouk Koffie Oord: on road 16, about 6 km from Thateng towards Paksong; a waypoint in our GPX.
- Mnr Vieng (koffie en tuisverblyf)
- Captain Hook (Begeleide toer en tuisverblyf)
Machetes made on the Pakse loop
On the way back to Pakse you can buy a machete made in the village: a machete cost for 30.000 kip ($4) or two for 50.000 kip ($6) They make the machetes over there, so you can see the whole process.
Ek hoop jy het ook 'n lekker motorfietslus naby Pakse! Do you like motorbike loops? Check also the Thakhek-lus. Heading south afterwards: bus from Pakse to the 4000 Islands en cycling Don Det and Don Khon.
Help ander reisigers
As jy meer inligting oor die Pakse-motorfietslus vir ander reisigers het, moenie skaam wees nie en plaas dit hieronder 🙂
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13 Kommentaar.
Haai ek is so bly dat ek jou blad gekry het! Ek is op die punt om hierdie reis oor 'n paar dae te doen en môre na Laos vertrek. Ek sal jou wenke volg en jou laat weet as daar enige veranderinge/opdaterings is. Dankie 🙂
Cool Colleen! Om pret te hê 🙂
Ek en my vriend is op 23 Januarie in Pakse. Ons het 'n motor en bestuurder gereël om ons op te neem om 'n paar dele van die Ho Chi Minh-roete naby Xepon, Laos te sien. Daardie reëling het uitmekaar geval. Ons kyk dus na ander alternatiewe. Die volgende is ons tydraamwerk:
1/23: Arriveer in Pakse teen die middag, neem bus vanaf Ubon, Thailand. Ry tot by Muang Phin.
1/24: Reis na Xepon en besienswaardighede.
1/25: Besoek Oorlogsmuseum, Muang Nong Bambo-brug en le Xanong-rivierdwaad, Stone Ho Chi Minh-roete, maar ry die aand terug na Pakse.
1/26: Keer terug na Ubon via die 0830-bus om teen die middag te arriveer sodat ons 1405-vlug terug na Bangkok kan haal.
Het jy 'n e-posadres vir juffrou Noy sodat ons hulle kan vra oor die moontlikhede om dit op motorfietse te doen en of hulle ons kan help?
Ek is jammer ek het geen kontakbesonderhede van juffrou Noy nie
Hi, net om 'n paar opmerkings oor juffrou Noy by te voeg.. Dit is langs vilaysing gastehuis op die hoofpad nommer 13. 'n Vriendskapsupermark is aan die oorkant. Hulle het ook die pad van Bane Beng Phou Kham na Paksong nuut gemaak. Om pret te hê!
Thnx Dani! Lekker ekstra oor juffrou Noy in Pakse! 🙂
Lao go motor en motorfiets huur is ook goed. Eienaar het rondom Pakse grootgeword, so weet baie dinge om te doen wat buite die gewone toeristebaan is.
Kan jy asseblief vir my enige meer besonderhede gee waar ek genoemde kapmes kan koop? Ek versamel messe en dit gaan vir my die perfekte aandenking wees (maak nie saak hoe vreemd dit klink haha). By voorbaat dankie!
Hallo Mariusz, Dit was op pad terug op die lus, ek dink dit was omtrent 45 minute uit die stad met die motorfiets 🙂 Ek dink as jy 'n plaaslike persoon vra en vir hulle 'n beeld / video wys weet hulle waar om jou te lei. Lekker reis!
Hi daar die tuisblad van juffrou noy werk nie 🙁 het jy dalk 'n e-pos adres?
Hallo Nathalie,
Ek het nie 'n e-posadres nie, maar ek het 'n telefoonnommer: +856 20 22 272 278
Om pret te hê!
Baie nuttige inligting. Kan ek die lus in die middag begin?
Hi Fabio, ja jy kan, jy kan dit op jou fase doen. Dit is die beste deel van die lus en die vryheid om self 'n motorfiets te huur 🙂