Extreme Laos
Welcome to the Extreme Laos website. My name is Ben Laffer the owner of ToursintheExtreme.com
I was the first to offer motorcycle tours in Cambodia way back in 1996, which means I’ve been offering extreme motorcycle tours in Cambodia for over 16 years now.
I now have a massive following with many riders coming back for their fourth, fifth or even eighth ride, with some of our biggest events having around 45 riders. My Annual Extreme Cambodia Motorcycle Rally is in its fifteenth year and our Extreme Laos Rally is in its second year. There are now more than 15 other dirt bike tour companies in Cambodia with many more throughout South-East Asia. Many of these companies offer easy rides on well-worn paths, but that’s not what we specialise in at Tours in the Extreme.
Our expertise is in offering real adventure for serious riders who want to get off the beaten path and travel to areas where few travelers have been – no easy task.
Instead of offering run-of-the-mill set tours, I’m now running annual events in conjunction with other carefully hand-picked companies and tour guides so that like-minded riders of the same ability can come together and explore the best trails each country has to offer.No matter which motorcycle tour you decide to do with us, you can rest assured that each event will be unique, well-run and take you into areas which no other companies dare to venture. We ride hard. We ride at night when we have to. We camp out under the stars on several nights. And we won’t be stopping to smell the flowers.
Upon request we can also organise rides for private groups of seven or more experienced riders to follow the same routes as our organised rides (or shorter variations, if you prefer).
For the Extreme Laos Rally we have teamed up with Eric Wasson from the Laos Adventure Riders Association (www.ride-lara.com) to bring you the latest and most thrilling rides in Laos. Eric really knows and understands the Tours in the Extreme style as he has been working with us since 1999.
So, if you like what you read (and there’s more below), please get in touch and we’ll send you a small questionnaire that each rider must answer to gauge his or her level of riding ability and suitability for our rallies.Should your group want to do an easier ride, you can contact Eric Wasson directly via his website www.ride-lara.com to organise your own custom tour with easier trails and better accommodation.
In addition to the Extreme Laos Rally (below), you can follow the link (above) to visit our Extreme Cambodia website where you’ll find details on our annual Extreme Cambodia Rally Raid. Over the next few months, we’ll also be expanding our hard-core rides to other countries such as Burma and Canada and anywhere else where we can find suitable rides of the same standard.
Either sign up for our e-newsletter or check back here regularly for more details.
For more details on any ride , or you would like to receive the riders questionnaire/ application for the Extreme Laos Rally , Please contact us at Ben@toursintheextreme.com
TOURS IN THE EXTREME & LAOS ADVENTURE RIDERS (www.ride-lara.com)
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The 2nd Extreme Laos Rally Raid 2011
Are you ready for the ultimate dirt-bike adventure?
If you’re up for a challenge, then come join us on our annual
2nd Laos Rally Raid in October 2011.
Get into the heart of Laos and journey deep into its jungles. Visit gold mines, remote villages and ancient temples. Share a beer with mates and fall asleep under the stars.
On the Rally we cover over 2,000 kms in 12 days and get off the beaten path.
For $3,000 USD you get bike hire, fuel, food and accommodation.
Find out why our riders just keep coming back time and time again – register your interest now.
Check out the following links for more info on what we do, where we go, what you need to bring and how to sign up. We advise you to carefully read through the following information, so you’re completely aware of what you’d be getting into because while this is a non-competitive rally, it’s certainly not for the faint hearted.
> FAQs
If you want to see the real Laos with an experienced guide who has a full set of motorcycle spare parts, a senior first aid certificate and the skills to get you riding through some of the most trying trails in Laos, then consider joining us for the full 12 day, 2,000km ride. Together we’ll travel through untouched rainforests where tigers, elephants and crocodiles roam in the wild. We’ll visit waterfalls, temples and remote villages. And while there will be some places where we'll stop for a warm shower and cold beer, there will also be some evenings where we’ll sleep out under the stars.
Depart: Don Chan Palace Hotel, Vientiane Laos, 23rd October 2011
Return: Vientiane, 3rd November 2011
Please do not book your return flight out of Laos until AFTER 3rd November 2011
Guests arrive 22nd October, Vientiane – pre-departure meeting, 22nd October
All riders are requested to stay at the Don Chan Palace Hotel in Vientiane the capital of Laos. This is one of the best hotels in Laos. You can also leave all your gear at the Don Chan Hotel whilst out on tour and collect it upon your return to Vientiane. The cost is around $100 USD (normally $200+) for clean, modern rooms with air con, hot showers, sat TV, room service and a fridge.
On the evening of 22nd October there will be a riders meeting at 7pm downstairs in the bar of the Don Chan hotel. It’s important you attend this meeting to finalise paper work and payments as well as meeting the other participants. After the meeting, we’ll head out to dinner.
It may also be possible to collect your bike at anytime from 7am to 7pm on the day you arrive,or alternatively, you can collect your bike the morning of our departure. Please let me know when you’d like to collect your bike as it’s a case of first in best dressed. You are also able to stay elsewhere for a much more reasonable price of around $30 a night, but the Don Chan Hotel is the biggest and best in town and it's where all the action is.
Day 1 – 23rd October – Vientiane-Hmong Village Camping – 70% off road
To Nam Ngun River. 75% off road. We'll depart Vientiane at around 9am and head to one of Laos’ largest national protected areas known as the Phou Khou Khouy. This will be a tour through the forest area and surrounding lake, which was created as a result of damming the Nam Ngun River. Heavily forested and twisting trails will be the terrain. The Phou Khou Khouy national protected area is beautifully set amongst reservoirs, dams and lakes, giving a ‘Swiss’ atmosphere to the area as you look out at the lakes and reservoirs created in the valleys below. We'll camp in a Hmong village for the night – a real challenge for the off-road lover.
Day 2 – 24th October – Hmong Village Lak Xao – 70% off road
After breakfast, we’ll cross the river on a Hmong ferry and carry on deep into the mountainous jungles of Borikhan Xai Province. At the end of the national protected area, we’ll arrive in the province capital, Pakxane, for a filling lunch. After a good fill for your body and bike, we’ll head down to Vieng Kham and make our turn for the Vietnamese border where 70kms of tarmac winds along some of Laos’ most scenic views and jagged mountain karsts. We’ll also travel to a small village, Thabok, which has made use of bomb casings and spent shells to make everything from boats to feed troughs and small houses. You’ll get a good feeling for post-war Laos in this small setting as we arrive at the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Day 3 – 25th October – Ho Chi Minh Trail – 90% off road
Welcome to the Ho Chi Minh Trail! We’ll travel right through the Nam Kading protected area, which showcases beautiful forests, river crossings and high mountains. All the while we’ll be on our own ‘private’ trails, through which motorised vehicles bigger than a bike won’t be able to fit. This day will be spent mostly off road with some graded dirt and quite exciting sections! We’ll travel the famous Mu Gia Pass, north-Vietnamese supply line. We will also see our first American bombs in Ban Napoung and cross three rivers by ferry, if all goes well… And at the end of the day we’ll sleep in a Vietnamese guest house.
Day 4 – 26th October – Bualapha-Nong vicinity – 90% off road
We'll continue through the mountains and jungles of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We’ll pass numerous war reminders, tanks, missile sites, spent bomb casings and several famous battle sites. We’ll rest at a decent guest house where there are a few shops on the hill for fun.
Day 5 – 27th October – Nong-Salavan vicinity – 100% off road
This is one of the best and most challenging days on offer. This very remote track will challenge the hardest rider! Travel over one of the largest suspensions bridges in the area and relax for a dip in the waters along a gigantic bamboo toll bridge. In the evening we’ll stay at a very nice hotel.
Day 6 – 28th October – Salavan-Phin – 80% off road
As we begin our turn northward bound, we’ll enter the east side of the Xe Ban Naun national protected area and explore the rugged trails along the base of the mountain. In the last half of the day, we’ll use the network of trails in the Dong Phou Vieng. We’ll eventually arrive in Phin for another good night of fun.
Day 7 – 29th October – Phin-Mahaxy – 90% off road
Today we drive into the most famous national protected area of Laos, the Phou Hin Poun, home of the famous Kong Lor Cave System, which is only accessible via long-tail boat as it’s always under water. We’ll spend the evening in guest-house style accommodation.
Day 8 – 30th October – Mahaxy-Vieng Thong – 90% off road
Today is one of our longest days and we’ll drive the trails of mountain and jungle through the center of the Phou Hin Poun national protected area and the Nam Kading national protected area. Depending on progress, we may even sleep in a military camp or rough it out under the stars… And there’s always the option of a guest house, depending on the conditions.
Day 9 – 31st October – Vieng Tong-Phonsavan – 80% off road
Phonsavan (P-van) is home to the Royalist Forces, the Hmong Freedom Fighters, and the covert CIA air war. Phonsavan has a lot to offer in terms of its prestige and heritage. UXO (unexploded ordnance) abounds, craters are marked everywhere and 1,000-year old jars dot the landscape on former battle zones.
First we’ll travel off road to the old supply-line route used during the war to supply royalist forces in P-van. This area is currently under consideration for UNESCO status as it’s also home to the famous mystery known as the Plain of Jars – thousand-year old stone vessels strewn across the land with no explanation as to their use. P-van was the home to Royalist Forces during the war and this earned the area the distinction of being the most heavily bombed in Laos. UXO and its reminders abound and we’ll have the chance to visit a few centres that are set up to tell the story. We may even meet a few of the victims along the way. More than 300 people per year are injured from UXO in this area.
Continuing on through the mountains we’ll visit Phonsovan next. This is also a UNESCO world heritage site. On the road in we’ll have a short visit to the Plain of Jars, which is home to the largest collection of stone monolith vessels in South-East Asia. The area contains 1,000s of large stone jars dating back to times B.C.! Scholars still theorise about their usage, but no one knows for sure.
Xieng Khuan also has the dubious distinction of being the most heavily bombed area of the known world. The ‘non-existent’ CIA secret armies dropped more than 2,000,000 tonnes of bombs on this country backwater trying to interrupt the supply lines of the Ho Chi Minh. Oh, and then they were just too damn heavy to carry home, so they dropped them on villagers, children and animals… The craters, countless un-exploded bombs littering the fields, are visible to all. Villagers have used bomb materials for construction and on a daily basis bomb victims are testament to the USA’s lies about never having been there. P-van is the epicentre for war history in Laos.
Overnight, we’ll be staying in comfort at a rustic French-Lao owned lodge called the Auberge Plaine des Jars, which is similar in style to a mountain chalet. This lodge was the setting for Anthony Bourdain's ‘No Reservations’ Laos episode. Sanya and his brother have taken over the lodge from their father and offer a wealth of information about the history and culture in the area. Sanya is fluent in French and English, having been schooled overseas.
Day 10 – 1st November – Phonsavan-Luang Prabang – 90% off road
The route through to historic Luang Prabang is 90% off road and winds up and down through some amazing mountainous areas all inhabited by ethnic hill tribes, mostly Khmu. Experience the true lifestyle of Laos as it was thousands of years ago in Luang Prabang, with a 10pm curfew, highly spiritual experience and genuine Lao culture at its best. It was no mistake when UNESCO declared this area a world heritage city. Surrounding attractions include the most famous waterfalls in Laos, multiple caves, stupas and temples all for viewing and worshiping the Buddha. It’s possible to visit elephant camps where Mahouts will teach you about training and living with these incredible animals and show you how they’re still used today as work animals. I can't say enough about this place – it’s a gem! Accommodation-wise, we’ll spend the evening in comfort and with a bit of luck, we’ll stay at the Treasure Island Resort.
Day 11 – 2nd November – Luang Prabang-Nam Phouey/Thongmixay Camping – 80% off road
This day is a favourite amongst our guests. We cross the Mekong River via ferryboat and enter into elephant country, Xayabury Province, and its capital, Hongsa. We'll have a few kilometers of tarmac, mud, singe track, sand, loose rocky trail with deep crevasses climbing up steep mountain paths, a few rivers to cross and maybe a few surprises to boot. We'll quite possibly see a wild elephant or two. The untouched, dense forest offers bamboo stands as well a large old growth timber. In the evening we’ll sleep in the forest.
Day 12 – 3rd November – Thongmixay-Vientiane – 70% on and off road
Finally, we’ll end our journey near the Mekong River and logging town of Pak Ley. After a good fill for the body and bike, we'll head out of Pak Ley and pass through some very remote villages and land. We’ll be the only motorised traffic around and one of a very small handful of people using this trail period. We’ll follow a rarely-used single track through deep bamboo forest for 60km or so. We’ll board canoes with our bikes and get ferried across the Mekong, just a few meters south of the Thailand border. And for the last leg, we’ll follow the path of the Mekong in a north-east direction and pass through the Phou Pannang National Forest. Along the way the route will be partially sealed and under construction.
On our return to Vientiane we’ll be staying at the Don Chan Palace Hotel (which will be optional for you, as it will be at your own expense).
Please do not book your return flight out of Laos until AFTER 3rd November 2011.
We’re not your usual tour company and this rally isn’t going to be like anything you’ve experienced before. You won't pass any other tourists on the trails we ride on.
According to the hundreds of people who have ridden in our rallies, we’re unique. We go where no other tour companies operate and we have the largest groups operating – rather than 2 or 3 riders we have between 10 and 20 riders on each tour.
You’ll have a western guide in addition to a sweep rider.
We carry a full range of spare parts for the mechanical repairs.
In the advent of emergencies, we carry a full first aid kit and I am qualified to administer first aid.
We offer adventure in the true sense of the word. You’re not just travelling with us, we’ll make sure you have some fun too, which is kind of important on a holiday.
We’ll camp out under the stars on several nights.
If you enjoy sliding around dirt roads, pulling wheelies and jumping bridges at over 100km/h then you’ll feel right at home with us. To complete this rally you need more endurance than a high level of skill. However you must be able to ride the occasional sandy trail. All this said, this is a non-competitive event where everybody is able to ride at their own pace and without any pressure. Throughout the rally we’ll have riders acting as sweepers who travel behind the group making sure that nobody is left behind and who are also of capable of repairing the occasional flat tyre or any other difficulty riders may find themselves in.
How do we know whether you’re good enough? Upon registering your interest, we’ll ask you to fill in a small questionnaire to assess your competency. We’re not looking for racers, but we do need to make sure you have the stamina to complete the rally with the rest of the riders.
Want to read more about us? Click on the following image to connect to an article in Trailbike Adventure Magazine.
$3,000 USD
This covers the full 12 days of the rally and includes motorcycle hire, petrol, meals and accommodation (from the moment the tour departs Vientiane to the moment we return). This is basically everything, apart from alcohol, Visas and your flight to and from Laos (you pay for these extras).
> FAQs
We've already answered a bunch of FAQ on our website for those of you who want to know more.
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If you’re interested in joining us on this opportunity of a lifetime, here’s what you need to do:
1. Make sure you’ve read through all this information carefully, and check out the FAQ on our website. Check out our website and feel free to touch base with me if you have any further questions. You can reach me, Ben Laffer, at ben@toursintheextreme.com or call me on + 61 (0)407 032 784.
2. Then check the availability of flights to Laos from your country of origin.
3. Register your interest via this link on the Tours in the Extreme website or contact us directly via email at ben@toursintheextreme.com
4. You’ll here from us – we’ll definitely be touching base with you one way or the other to let you know what’s going on and to give you instructions for the payment of your deposit, etc.
5. For more info on other adventures available in Laos contact Eric via his website www.ride-lara.com
Follow this link to read further Terms and Conditions, as well as our standard Disclaimer, on the Angkor Dirt Bike Tours website.
Got more questions? If our FAQ can't help you, I surely can. I look forward to hearing from you!
Ben Laffer
+ 61 (0)407 032 784
