rob7711;285264 wrote: Hi All ... I am in need for some route suggestions from Nan to Loei? Was considering Sirikit Dam but not sure if there is any crossings available? Any suggestions would be welcome.
This may...or may not be of any help...as this took place in March 2007.
Upon returning from Laos I was in Nan and someone suggested I take the barge to cross the Sirikit Dam, as I was headed to Loei and then Eastern Issan.
I was told that it was a 40km barge trip, which was totally wrong: the actual crossing was only about 6-8km! A police station near the reservoir directed me
to the launching area. Upon debarking, it was a mildly potholed dirt road for the next 20km, then a nice paved road winding through the forest, with national parks, waterfalls, etc, towards Loei.
Upon loading my bike the barge proved to be a surprise. It was not motorized, but connected by a long rope and pulled by a motorized longboat! In the pix below, you can barely see the longboat just to the left of the barge. Things may well have changed since then, so check with the locals to verify if the barge is still running.
