Hi there,
My partner and I are going to do the Bolevan scooter loop this December, and we have 4.5 days to do it in (leaving about 12pm the first day). I was thinking:
Pakse-Paksong
Paksong-Attapeu
Attapeu-Tat Lo
Tat Lo - Pakse
So we'll have an extra day somewhere. Also, would it be better to do it clockwise?
I don't like to be too organised with itineries but I don't want to miss anything! And we're pretty strict with time. I'd really like to know what places you really enjoyed on your trip to the Plateau? I've been reading so much about it but would love to know your favourite places/guesthouses etc. What was your itinerary? How many hours did you travel and was it packed or chilled out?
We wondered if it was worth going to Attapeu or to spend more time on the rest of the loop? Attapeu lloks like there are treks out to villages - but from what I can find out they are still a ~50km ride away, so we'd only want to to this if we could stay over a night but we don't have time :(. Am I wrong in this? Are there other excursions we can do?
Is there any where we can do a village homestay? Or are there any guesthouses you can recommend that are friendly?
Seeing as we are 'off the beaten track' we'd like to get into the whole local Lao thing.
Also, do you know of any historic (wartime) things in the area. I know there is the Ho Chi Minh trail but there doesn't seem to be much about the Laos bit.
For the record - we've used scooters a few times but plan to only travel ~40kph, maybe 4 hours a day max.
Any info or comments appreciated!