A-List Adventures – Motorbike Indochina

BY PROJECTRAVEL

Many have been to Thailand, many have spend countless hours on the beaches soaking in sun and eating delicious curries, and all that is the perfect end to a few week trek through South East Asia on a motorbike.

Now before we start – we’d just like to say that while our other Adventures were in conjunction with service providers, you can motorbike around SE Asia by yourself or in a small group and there is no need to hire a tour company, however, considering we’re trying to do good by you, we’ll provide you with a service provider at the end of the article.

Once you’ve decided on going motorbiking Indochina, we’d highly recommend starting and ending your trip in Bangkok. Simply put it’s the major hub in the region, most accustomed to tourism, and by far the easiest location to acquire your vehicle. In the event you want to rent, you can do so as well here, but be sure that you have all the necessary papers to bring the vehicle out of the country, that all taxes are properly paid on the vehicle and that it has a clean bill. Nothing’s worse than getting to the border only to be told you can’t proceed further due to the bike not having all it’s taxes in order.

Next up plan your route. Considering the wealth of cultural, historical, and natural things to do in the region we’re not going to recommend any one specific route for you. The best thing to do would be to buy one of these books, and then plan your own journey.

• Vietnam Cambodia Laos and the Greater Mekong – Lonely Planet (UK) (US)
• Southeast Asia on a Shoestring – Lonely Planet (UK) (US)
• The Rough Guide to South East Asia – (UK) (US)

As for some recommendations from our side, we’d say the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Temples and Religious Sites of Cambodia, The Diving Trail are a good place to start, or better yet mix and match. Also remember than when planning your route 150km can take as much as 5 hours to cover as road conditions, are not the best so plan accordingly for time.

Finally, while accommodations are plentiful by the coast, this may not be the case in smaller villages and more rural areas, and while the people are generally nice, and you can often find a place to sleep, a tent and mosquito net are still highly recommended, and if you’re traveling during the rainy season, be sure to book hotels ahead and park your bike away from the river and on hirgher ground as flash floods are known to happen during this season.

TOP TIPS

1. Start in Bangkok – Thailand’s law regarding the purchase and sale of vehicles are most lax due to the country’s large expat population as well as the tourist numbers.

2. When buying your vehicle, see if you can arrange a buyback for a percentage of the price, if not just leave it. Motorbikes in SE Asia are cheap enough.

3. Be sure to purchase a Japanese model as parts are plentiful and cheap, and in the event you break down a village mechanic will probably be able to get you going again.

4. Remember that crossing borders in developing nations is no where near as painless as the channel crossing (or the US/Canadian border for our North American readers), and can often be tedious and time consuming.

5. Prior to setting off, get all your papers, visas, in order to make your journey as smooth as possible.

TOUR OPERATORS

Motor Bike Thailand : Asian Bike Tour