Plus an update on the road from Luang Nam Tha to Houeyxai...
We are in Chang Rai at the moment as we needed to head to Thailand to get another 30 day Laos tourist visa. Though we may as well head to a city to stock up on stuff after a month in northern Laos.
Our mate Jeremy has a hired XR250 and was keen for a mission, so in Luang Nam Tha I suggested he might want to give the road/track from Muang Long to Vieng Phoukha a go. He dutifully headed out at 6am on the 18th of March to see if it was possible. Too intimidating for us on the Minsks, so we just cruised around LNT. So soft.
LNT - Muang Sing - Muang Long - Vieng Phoukha - LNT.
He did it.
He left LNT at 6am got back at 5.30pm after riding all day.
Muang Long to Vieng Phoukha - Jeremy's comments
79km - 6hrs all up (negotiating obstacles etc), 4 hours solid riding.
If wet - no chance
If bone dry - mmm maybe
XR250 at the heaviest. You need to lift your bike over a few obstacles, streams, and holes. Its mostly a walking track, and maintained as such. There were no motorbikes along the way. Normally you will find at least one step-through wherever you go, not on this track. An hour from Long he just about rode over some backpackers on a "trek", classic.
Jungle is awesome from Long till the first village (an hour or two) after which 50% is jungle 50% is used for slash and burn agriculture.
He dropped the XR 5 times.
If you do it:
Make a day of it. Stay in Muang Long or Vieng Phoukha and give it a go.
Take a machete. Take food and water. Go with someone else to help with getting the bikes through/over things.
Turn off near Long to Vieng Phoukha is not obvious.
It is at:
N 20 57 742
E 100 49 805
First village is at:
N 20 54 355
E 100 53 860
See his photos below.
Luang Nam Tha to Houeyxai - road update
We were expecting a slow bumpy ride along this road construction zone. But it is 80% finished and is SMOOTH CURVACEOUS AND FAST.
For example:
Of the 185km maybe 30km of it is still under construction, but this is not too much of a problem because it is pretty hard and flat (well in the dry season it is). Bit of jungle at times so scenery is OK. It took us 5 hours including coffee, beerlao, and lunch stops, and we were riding Minsks which max out at 85km/hr and have tires the width of biscuits. On a real bike it would be so much fun and you could do it in 3 hours no probs.
Jeremy's photos (apparently as the day wore on he got more and more nervous about encountering an obstacle that he could not get over and having to head back, and as a result most of the photos are from the easier first third of the track when he was enjoying it!):
The road to Long
The turn off east of Long to head south to Vieng Phoukha
The first village coming from Long
This one was securely tied to the surrounding trees etc
Second village
Two lanes!
This is the track, past the house it forked but Jeremy was able to ask which way to take
He got it stuck in here and for some reason did not get a photo!
Nice hunter who gave up 3 handfuls of rice for 2000 kip
Water bottle punctured so he drank from here
Bugger
We are in Chang Rai at the moment as we needed to head to Thailand to get another 30 day Laos tourist visa. Though we may as well head to a city to stock up on stuff after a month in northern Laos.
Our mate Jeremy has a hired XR250 and was keen for a mission, so in Luang Nam Tha I suggested he might want to give the road/track from Muang Long to Vieng Phoukha a go. He dutifully headed out at 6am on the 18th of March to see if it was possible. Too intimidating for us on the Minsks, so we just cruised around LNT. So soft.
LNT - Muang Sing - Muang Long - Vieng Phoukha - LNT.
He did it.
He left LNT at 6am got back at 5.30pm after riding all day.
Muang Long to Vieng Phoukha - Jeremy's comments
79km - 6hrs all up (negotiating obstacles etc), 4 hours solid riding.
If wet - no chance
If bone dry - mmm maybe
XR250 at the heaviest. You need to lift your bike over a few obstacles, streams, and holes. Its mostly a walking track, and maintained as such. There were no motorbikes along the way. Normally you will find at least one step-through wherever you go, not on this track. An hour from Long he just about rode over some backpackers on a "trek", classic.
Jungle is awesome from Long till the first village (an hour or two) after which 50% is jungle 50% is used for slash and burn agriculture.
He dropped the XR 5 times.
If you do it:
Make a day of it. Stay in Muang Long or Vieng Phoukha and give it a go.
Take a machete. Take food and water. Go with someone else to help with getting the bikes through/over things.
Turn off near Long to Vieng Phoukha is not obvious.
It is at:
N 20 57 742
E 100 49 805
First village is at:
N 20 54 355
E 100 53 860
See his photos below.
Luang Nam Tha to Houeyxai - road update
We were expecting a slow bumpy ride along this road construction zone. But it is 80% finished and is SMOOTH CURVACEOUS AND FAST.
For example:
Of the 185km maybe 30km of it is still under construction, but this is not too much of a problem because it is pretty hard and flat (well in the dry season it is). Bit of jungle at times so scenery is OK. It took us 5 hours including coffee, beerlao, and lunch stops, and we were riding Minsks which max out at 85km/hr and have tires the width of biscuits. On a real bike it would be so much fun and you could do it in 3 hours no probs.
Jeremy's photos (apparently as the day wore on he got more and more nervous about encountering an obstacle that he could not get over and having to head back, and as a result most of the photos are from the easier first third of the track when he was enjoying it!):
The road to Long
The turn off east of Long to head south to Vieng Phoukha
The first village coming from Long
This one was securely tied to the surrounding trees etc
Second village
Two lanes!
This is the track, past the house it forked but Jeremy was able to ask which way to take
He got it stuck in here and for some reason did not get a photo!
Nice hunter who gave up 3 handfuls of rice for 2000 kip
Water bottle punctured so he drank from here
Bugger
]. 
