Travel Thakhek Town

Travel and Transport Info for the town of Thakhek, Laos / Thakek, Laos - by Hobo Maps - - - Home

Thakhek is pronounced like "Ta kek" - the letter "h" is ignored twice.

Thakhek town images below:

There is a government tourism office in central town in a historic building but not much reason to go there unless you have questions.

The bus station schedules posted at Thakhek Bus Station are not reliable and if going to some other town along Road 13S we found it better to just go to the station and wait for buses to come and go, asking each bus crew if they have room and we usually had a short wait. We only bought a ticket after the bus arrived and had a chance to see our seats.

Thakhek bus schedule below from local agent Jan. 2024.

Bus schedule below at Thakhek Bus Station 4 (Khammoune Station) March 2020 - for Vientiane and Pakxan we think "9.45-24h" means many buses going between 09:45 & midnight.

Transport schedule below from Wang Wang Motor Rental shop in Thakhek Town - unsure of date but probably 2018 or earlier. In 2023 we had a public bus departing from Thakhek at 3 PM and arrived in Konglor at 7 PM

Bus schedules below from Thakhek Tourism Office March 2020 - but they look like older versions and can't be relied on

Khammouane Bus Station 4

Phetmany Bus Station 2 & Soksomboun Bus Station 3 below

Public bus transport around the Thakhek Loop is mostly by songtaew-style small buses that can carry passengers and bicycles.

International Buses operate between Thakhek Interprovincial Bus Station (KM4 bus station) and Nakhon Phanom across the Mekong and depart every hour or so for the short trip via Friendship Bridge. The bus and cost March 2020 per below:

There are so many buses running on Highway 13S that travelers don't need to go to bus stations but can just stand beside the highway and flag down buses quite easily.

To catch buses from roadside we found it best to make a sign in English and in Lao to display beside the road since many buses don't have English signs and the crews can't read English. Just put the sign on your bags beside the road and have a seat but be ready to board the bus quickly. At first we tried asking questions before boarding but sometimes they left us standing and sped off not understanding English and not willng to waste time. You can download and print signs in English and Lao HERE for destinations around the Loop and in Laos.

See our Thakhek Loop Map HERE

See our Hydropower web page about the dams located near the Thakhek Loop HERE