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Thakhek - pre-travel post
Everyone raves about "the loop" in Thakhek, a 4 day trip on a motorbike, around southern Laos, which sounds amazing... but we had 2 days. So we are just visiting the few mentioned caves and pools.
Day 1: First up the Konglor Cave (pictured above). This is a 7.5km cave which you can journey through on a boat for 110,000 kip, and rent a torch for 5000k (or bring your own). There is also an entrance fee to the park of 2000kip (+3000 for a motorbike). The ride to the park entrance takes 3 to 4 hours from Thakhek, depending on how you ride. It is a 180km journey along route 13.
Day 2 we ride along route 12 and check a few caves and pools along the way. The first stop is Tha Falang, 15km from Thakhek. This is a river swimming spot and many blogs mention the friendly children willing to be your guide. Wikitravel tells of two caves that can be visited, one with an impressive staircase (pictured above);
It is not signed in English so you will need to have clear instructions when to turn off to the north down a sandy track second after the bridge before the road bends around to the right between two cliffs. Immediately south after the bridge there is a shady spot to park and you can follow the river to Tham Xiengliab, a small cave with the river flowing through it. Again a guide or pack of children will probably appear to guide you. Bring a torch if you want to go inside. Its about another 4-5 km to the commercialised Aen Cave which is lit with a rainbow of neon strip lamps and has an amazing network of staircases. It has a river running out of the mouth and a big pool at the back: it is worth a look for the stair cases alone.
And finally, the Buddha cave, or Tham Nong Pa Fa which is also along route 12. SpotOnLaos tells us how to get there;
Buddha Cave or Tham Pa Fa in Thakhek, Laos is located on National Route 12, near Ban Nakhang Xang. The Buddha Cave is about 14 km away from Thakhek in Khammuan Province. The cave with its many Buddha images was discovered on June 2004 by a local villager by the name of Mr. Boun Nong. Mr. Nong found the cave by following a group of bats entering the cave. With his curiosity and the intention of collecting bats, he decided to climb up the 15 meters to the cave’s entrance. Unexpectedly, he discovered the cave and the 229 Buddha Statues therein. Subsequently, the cave became a sacred place for local and neighboring peoples.
The entrance fee is 2,000 Kip ($0.25) and 2,000 ($0.25) kip for renting a Lao skirt for women before going inside.
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