Laos, Wet Season Riding

Big_Dave

Ol'Timer
Apr 21, 2016
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G'Day guys. After 20 years in Asia I am no stranger to riding in the monsoon seasons, however, having never been tio Laos I would like opinions on whether it is worthwhile or not. Would be arriving late July and riding for about a month. 2 up but no off road. Any advice much appreciated. Cheers
 

Oddvar

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Mar 18, 2013
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I love the rainy season because of the clear air. A rain shower never hurts unless you are "over your head" in the jungle.
Power on and enjoy.
 
Mar 30, 2010
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G'Day guys. After 20 years in Asia I am no stranger to riding in the monsoon seasons, however, having never been tio Laos I would like opinions on whether it is worthwhile or not. Would be arriving late July and riding for about a month. 2 up but no off road. Any advice much appreciated. Cheers

Here is our Rainy Season ride last 2015..
Laos - Rainy Season Ride 2015

I would just keep an eye on weather underground site ( Wunderground) with the satellite images for lows and other depressions.
We did come across flooding and wash outs.. You will get held up with landslips for sure..

Make sure you are not in a hurry as you may need to sit tight like we did in Long Cheng and one other location.
Waiting for the flood water dropped off and the land slides to be cleared.

Cheers
Brian
 

Big_Dave

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Apr 21, 2016
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Thanks Brian, awesome pics mate. Im never in a hurry, give me a beer and a bowl of anything and I'll wait out the next ice age!
 
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ianyonok

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Rainy season? I agree with Oddvar, best time of year to ride on road. The scenery always looks so beautiful.
 

DavidFL

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Chiang Khong
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I've just come returned from a 2,700 kms ride & only rode in the rain for 20 kms.
Its early wet season & most of the rain seems to be coming from the west.
It's been raining at night, or early morning generally.
Towards the end of wet season the typhoons will probably start coming in from the east & the China Sea way so you'd expect Laos to be wetter then, being closer to the sea.
But you can pick when & where you ride a bit.

The GTR "Weather guide"
Southeast Asia Weather

For help deciding where the rain is coming from take a look at these satellite pictures.
1. Thai Met Office.
2. The Weather Channel.
3. Foreca is an excellent phone app for the weather to try.

It only gets really bad when there's a tropical depression or typhoon that comes in causing it to rain for several days, otherwise as you know it's generally thunderstorms (but some are longer than others.)
If you are on the Xieng Khouang - Xam Neau plateau area then you are 1,100 metres + up & generally in the clouds at the height of the wet season.

I hope this is a help.
 
Last edited:
Mar 30, 2010
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Here is our Rainy Season ride last 2015..
Laos - Rainy Sesouthernde 2015

I would just keep an eye on weather underground site ( Wunderground) with the satellite images for lows and other depressions.
We did come across flooding and wash outs.. You will get held up with landslips for sure..

Make sure you are not in a hurry as you may need to sit tight like we did in Long Cheng and one other location.
Waiting for the flood water dropped off and the land slides to be cleared.

Cheers
Brian

Here is a link to wunderground weather
Weather Forecast & Reports - Long Range & Local | Wunderground | Weather Underground
Very detailed and accurate

If you are near the Thai border or especially southern Lao.. Try this link. The 240 km range out of Ubon covers are huge area in the South

TMD Weather Radar
 
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Big_Dave

Ol'Timer
Apr 21, 2016
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Thanks for the info boys. A little rain never hurt anyone! Looking fwd to this trip. Will pose a few more questions for you blokes soon. Cheers.