Touring Nong Khai

Touring Nong Khai and the surrounding provinces allows easy access (visa permitting) to Laos and is a good challenge for old and young bikers alike. The highways offer an easy introduction while the smaller off-highway roads can pep things up a little. For added spice the Mekhong river can be followed along the border east and west to explore around there.

Thailand is one of the great pleasures available to bikers and drivers alike. The open road, the distinct lack of traffic away from the cities and the scenery combine to make it an unforgetable experience. Once away from Bangkok and the tourist areas of the south, the roads are typically wide, well-maintained and comfortable.

Route Tours and Trip Reports so far, click on one of the links in the table below to jump right into a journey, alternatively browse the menu bar to the left to look into touring in a specific area of Thailand...

Touring Nong Khai and Surrounding Provinces

Way to Go

Udon Thani to Nong Khai

Following the Mighty Mekhong

 

A bit about the way OTRT works

 

Photo-Linked Exploration

On The Road Thailand is unique in having in-depth photographic aides and videos to help fellow bikers navigate Thailands roads. You could be a seasoned veteran interested in looking at old ground traveled or a rookie tourist cutting his teeth on the biking scene, unsure of a route.

Our roving team of bikers led by Watch-Rider are constantly busy photographing roads and routes all over the place. This will give vital clues and act as a snap-shot visual of a route. These pictures are all watermarked, however OTRT gives permission to print them out as a navigation aid to refer to.

When's the best time to tour Thailand?

This is a question that is open to debate.
WR recommends touring at the rainy seasons end, catching it so the overhead clouds give respite from the sun. Judging the actual end of Thailands rainy season is more of an art than a science though. You can expect to get a bit wet doing this approach unless you catch the weather right. It does, however, mean that the roads are quieter with less tourists and farang clogging the place up.
Quite a few other bikers recommend late-November to April as the prime season for travelling. The wet season is a no-no for offroad areas, unless you are going on an expedition or plan for extended delays. For on-the-road touring in Thailand it's doable, but incredibly challenging if you are setting yourself a deadline and are running against the clock.

Timewise, setting off early morning about 0630 to 0700 hrs is a good benchmark, any earlier and you run the risk of drunken drivers hurrying back home being in your path. Any later and the day heat will start to creep up as you progress further down the road.

So what are you waiting for? This next message goes out to all you expat sugar daddies in your air conditioned condos watching TV and lounging about with your mia noi's; 'Get on your bikes and ride!'
Theres a whole world out there waiting to be explored!