The Ultimate Guide To Pakse And Thakhek, Laos
Pakse is the gateway to Bolaven Plateau where you can explore waterfalls and local villages. On the Thakhek loop you find many interesting caves to discover.
Pakse – Getaway to Bolaven Plateau
After having had a relaxing time in our hammock in Si Phan Don, the 4000 Islands, we have moved north, only 3 hours away, and arrived in a town called Pakse.
What is exceptional about Pakse?
This area is an elevated region and features some of the country’s most spectacular waterfalls, and is also Laos’ coffee capital. Most travellers come to Pakse to start and finish the loop around the Bolaven Plateau by motorbike. So we don’t drive motorbikes as Cristian just had an ACL surgery a few months ago. So we will make our experience of Pakse and the Bolaven Plateau a little bit different.
Pakse is mainly a base for traveling through as people go on the loop, or south to Si Phan Don, or west to Thailand. There are overnight buses from Pakse to Bangkok.
This small city can be explored in one day. It is very walkable and there are no tourists in sight.
We went on a stroll around the town and found a cute garden restaurant. The menu was all in local language with no pictures so we had no idea what we ordered. But it tasted good.
Golden Buddha
Anywhere you go in the city it is hard to miss the golden shine on the hill on the other side of the river. The golden buddha, Wat Phousalao.
For the best view of Pakse, hike up Salao Hill and catch the Phu Salao, which is part of the Buddhist temple complex – there are multiple smaller golden Buddha statues along the way. You can either take the stairs (though some are in poor condition) and make the 4km trek up, or get a tuk-tuk to wind up the hill via the concrete road.
Where to eat or drink in Pakse?
If you stop over in Pakse for one night, we can recommend going to Le Panorama. It is a rooftop bar with incredible views over the city and also amazing sunset views. It is also very cheap for being a rooftop bar with these views.
Where to stay in Pakse
Pakse is a small city where you can walk to most of attractions or take a short tuk-tuk ride. The You Empire Hostel & Bar is centrally located for easy access.
The Bolaven Plateau: 1 Day Itinerary
As we mentioned before at the beginning of this blog we don’t ride motorcycles, so in this case we took a Tuk-Tuk, in this guide we are gonna share with you how we did part of the Bolaven Plateau without a motorcycle.
Tad Fane waterfall
We first stopped at Tad Fane waterfall. It is located in a jungle area. You pay 20,000 Kip (about $1) to enter to a beautiful resort to view the majestic twin waterfalls crash down over 100m. From a viewing platform or the restaurant, you have a great view of the falls. It’s the perfect place to relax for a bit and enjoy a cold beer.
There is also a zipline where you go on a 4-part trip around and through the waterfall. There is also an option to have a coffee while soaring over the waterfall. A very cool experience for the brave ones. We actually came here too early, as in June it is the rainy season, and the morning mist was still covering the view of the waterfall. So we came back again after 2pm and it had all cleared up.
Tad Yuang
Tad Yuang (Tad Gneuang) Waterfall is next on our agenda. It has restaurants and souvenir stores at the entrance. Again, about $1 entrance fee. At this waterfall, you can walk down to the bottom of the waterfall. The steps are a bit steep but manageable. You can also go for a swim here. At the top of the waterfall is a popular picnic spot for locals.
Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe
A drive through Paksong is not complete without a visit to a coffee plantation. Being the coffee capital of Laos, it’s a must to try the local coffee. There are lots of coffee plantations, smaller and bigger, some offering tours and some you can just walk around yourself. We stopped at a smaller one at the road, walked around and then enjoyed the delicious local coffee.
Thakhek: Incredible Caves and Amazing People
Thakhek is on the Mekong River, bordering Thailand. As you walk in the city by the river you can see Thailand on the other side. Thakhek City is also a small and walkable city with lots of local restaurants and food markets to try. We found a restaurant on the river and stopped for a nice cold beer. Thakhek, similar to Pakse, is a city where travelers go to do the loop by motorbike. Again, we don’t drive motorbikes, so we wanted to do a day trip instead. And guys, we did not know what adventure was ahead of us.
Where to stay in Thakhek
You probably won’t spend much time in Thakhek itself if you are going to do the Thakhek loop (or a leg of it). Song Lao Guesthouse is located a bit outside the city but still walking distance to restaurants and bars. Plus the can arrange for motorbikes to be delivered here.
Thakhek Loop: 1 Day Itinerary
Thakhek loop is often divided into 4 stretches and our day tour covers the first stretch, closest to Thakhek. We did not go to Kong Lor cave, which is one of the most popular caves on the loop, because it is located quite far away from the city and the tuk tuk could not go there. It would have been nice to go there because we hear it is very nice from other travelers, and also the views going there are supposed to be spectacular.
Explore the caves on Thakhek Loop
Our day tour was very exciting and adventurous and we visited 6 or 7 caves.
We went through dark caves on a boat with head torches to guide our way. You could just hear the flapping of bat wings and when you look up they are just above you.
We also went into larger caves that have paths created with stairs for easy walking. They also lit up the cave, which gave us some serious Harry Potter feeling.
The most adventurous cave, and the one that we will remember the most, was Xieng Liab Cave. It starts with a walk across a hanging bridge before getting to the cave entrance. Because it is rainy season, we had to walk through knee-deep water to access the entrance of the cave. After that, the cave was dark and we had to climb up and down the rock formations. Luckily we had our tuk-tuk driver as a guide who knew the ways around the cave.
We can’t speak highly enough of our tuk-tuk driver. If you have ever taken a tuk-tuk to go on trips, you would know that the driver just takes you to the place and then waits in the tuk-tuk while you are completing the attraction. Our driver, Mr. TK, was amazing. He went into every cave with us, guided us through the darkness, climbed over rocks and walked through water. What a legend he is. If you come here and are looking for a guide like him, let us know in the comment and we can share his contact with you
Conclusion
In conclusion, our journey through the southern region of Laos, starting from the serene hammocks of Si Phan Don and moving north to the bustling town of Pakse, offered us a unique perspective on this beautiful country. While many travelers embark on motorbike adventures around the Bolaven Plateau, we chose a different path due to personal reasons.
Our journey through southern Laos was not only about the places we visited but also the exceptional people we met along the way, like Mr. TK, who made our adventures memorable. As we continue our journey north to Vientiane and Vang Vieng, we carry with us the memories of the south, its natural beauty, and the warm hospitality of its people. Stay tuned for more travel adventures. Good vibes all around!
