The stretch of Route 13 that passes through Patong is part of the most spectacular overland route in Laos — the 230km journey between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. The road winds through a succession of narrow valleys hemmed in by sheer karst limestone formations: jagged grey peaks covered in dense forest, water buffalo grazing on terraced hillsides, occasional villages of wooden houses on stilts.
The road is now fully paved and navigable by ordinary vehicles, though it remains slow — allow at least five or six hours by bus. Shared minivans make the journey faster. If you are driving a motorbike or renting a scooter, this is two days of riding (one to Kasi or Kasi to Vang Vieng), not one. The best views come in the morning, when mist sits in the valley floors and the peaks above are clear; by midday the haze builds. Patong itself is a natural stretch-the-legs stop on the longer journey.