The Golden Triangle Rider

[Phuketfan]

Guys, please excuse me for my english

Last Week your GT-Rider Mappackage arrived, all available Maps i had booked.

I have a look at the laos-Map, and unfortunatelly see, that not many Offroad Roads are marked with the ------- lines.

I hope you could help me a little bit, for constructing the new Offroad trip

We want to start again in Chiang Mai, want go to Mae Salong, then down and in direction Isam. Then we want to go inside Laos... Where is a good place for offroad for an 4x4 vehicle?

We want to do a trip for 10 Days. I hope you could give some tips here. Please do also suggest the best time in the year for do it..

I bought a Garmin Nüvi 765FM, so we could deliver new GPS Tracks too, it has a option for log the driven tracks

Regards, phuketfan

[Auke]

The majority of the roads in Laos are dirt roads and while some of the dirt roads are very good, others are less good and often change to mud in the rainy season. Don't know what version of the Laos map you got but look at the Legend of the map and you will see that most of the roads, even though shown as a line, are in fact dirt.

Have also look at some of the trip reports (mainly motorbike so their may be areas which are single track and noy suitable for a 4WD) like http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/xang---xanamkham-t5702.html (done just at the start of the rainy season), http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/the-curse-of-the-hill-tribe-women-t5213.html (a trip to the north of Laos) or this one http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/jimoi-spills-information-on-laos---8-9-day-northern-loop-t4640.html (a 9 day run from Vientiane but this can be shorter as well).

A good source of information for road conditions, places to see, eat and sleep in Laos is Jim-Oi. You can contact him at http://www.remoteasia.com/contact.html.

Best time to go is after the rainy season at the end of the year (November/December) or early in the year as then the forests are still green and the rivers have subsided a bit.

Please be aware that, in case you rent a vehicle in Chiangmai, you will need permission from the owner of the vehicle to bring it to Laos as otherwise customs/immigration won't let you cross the border.

Anyway, as you mention that you have 10 days, I would recommend that you start directly from Vientiane. Jim-Oi can also help with vehicle rental, etc.
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"There's always something waiting at the end of the road, if you aren't willing to see what it is, you probably shouldn't be out there in the first place."

[Phuketfan]

Thank you much for your suggestions!

November 2010 we have reserved for the trip We hope to get too a little bit wet/dirt Roads - for more fun

I now watch many Picture-Storys here, and in german Forum, and think it is the best way, to get inside Laos in the South - get some attractions and beautiful landscape too - and rush a little bit to the north.

The north of Loas seems to bring a little bit more Offroad fun...

Soo bad, that i is more than a year to wait - but my girlfriend wants to do holidays with me tooo

If i have worked out more of the route and the trip, i will post it here too!

Regards, phuketfan