Tag Archives: waterfall

Doi Phahompok National Park

I almost forgot to include a post about the remaining part of Doi Phahompok National Park. You can read the first part here.

The most popular part of Doi Phahompok National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติดอยผ้าห่มปก) are Fang hot springs located nearby the town of the same name. The springs are very picturesque as they are located next to the mountains. On a large meadow there are randomly placed rocks of various sizes – all natural. The hot water comes to the surface and creates ponds of different shapes and sizes. The larger ones were adapted for egg boiling. We can buy a pack of eggs, submerge them in the hot water, wait for about 20 minutes and eggs are ready to eat. This way they will also contain minerals from hot springs and therefore they should be healthier.

There are few large pools with hot water available for visitors (the water is not too hot so that entire families can enjoy) as well as private hot spring cabins with round shaped stoned bathtubs. The private cabin costed 50 baht per person (about 1 euro) per hour for min. 2 people (a single person could use a private cabin by paying for 2 people).

The national park also contains some waterfalls. Unfortunately, most of them are localised in areas that are hard to reach (the roads are steep and unpaved). At the beginning I followed the way to one of the waterfalls recommended by a park ranger but eventually common sense took over and I turned back. I have only visited easily accessible Pong Nam Dam waterfall – maybe a small one, but not without its charm.

Doi Phahompok National Park (A – ticket booth, B – Kiew Lom camp ground, C – Fang hot springs)

Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands), Laos

Finally I have arrived at Don Det, one of many islands making up the Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) archipelago on the Mekong river. Si Phan Don is located on the southernmost of Laos, next to the Cambodian border. It is extremely laid back place – you can easily relax yourself in the hammock and watch the days go by. I got myself a comfy bungalow on the riverside, with bathroom inside, small veranda with hammock and such pleasure costed me just 30,000 kip (about 3 euro, October 2014).

On the first day I only took some walk around the island and caught the sunset. On the second day I went out on a full day kayaking trip (price: 150,000 kip, about 15 euro). The main purpose of that trip was to see the largest waterfall in South East Asia – Khon Phapheng. It is not the most beautiful nor the highest of waterfalls. Being the largest cascade in South East Asia, Khon Phapheng offers impressive views on its up to 15 m high and 1 km wide rock formation, forcing the usually calm flow of the Mekong to roar through its narrow gorges and forming a natural obstacle for shipping. It is one of the reasons why China can’t be reached by Mekong only. Aggressive waters are crashing millions of litres on the rocks and into Cambodia every second.

The next day I went to Don Khong island, which at the time saw even fewer visitors than Don Det. I rented a bicycle and rode around the whole island – and apart from some modest temples I didn’t notice anything exceptional. I stayed there one night and came back to Thailand on the following day.

This way we have come to the end of my Laos trip in 2014. During this trip I have visited only the southern part of Laos, as I’ve seen the north earlier – I will surely post my photos and reports from previous trips later on.

Laos, Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands, A – Don Det, B – Don Khong)

Bolaven Plateau, Laos – Sekong to Pakse

I woke up early morning and left Sekong pretty fast – as there is not much to see here. You can see my very cheap (and a bit run down) guest house on the photos – it doesn’t mean, however, that there were no other hotels around – quite the opposite, there is a large choice for such a remote town. The way back to Pakse was surprisingly smooth – just few kilometres were not paved. I have made a stop to see the main attraction and my purpose of this trip – breathtaking Nam Tok Katamtok waterfall. It is very easy to pass by without noticing it, the only sign pointing to its location is very small and barely visible. I am not sure if it is possible to come any closer to the waterfall itself – probably not – and I would never try just going there through the forest on my own, as it could be tragic if there were any UXOs (unexploded ordnances) left from the Indochina war.

On the way to Pakse I stopped by few coffee plantations and some other waterfalls – Tat Cham Pee and Tat E-Tu. My return to Pakse was delayed some good two hours, as it started to rain heavily while I was at one of those waterfalls – and it just wouldn’t stop for the entire two hours.

Next day morning I valiantly climbed the stairs of the neighbouring hill, where a large Buddha statue is located, together with a viewpoint. I took photos of Pakse from the other side of the Mekong river and continued my journey to the southernmost part of Laos – Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands).

From Sekong (A) to Pakse (B)

Bolaven Plateau, Laos – Pakse to Sekong

Bolaven Plateau is famous for its dramatic waterfalls, fertile soil, high-grade coffee plantations and its own micro climate. It is noticeably cooler than in neighbouring Pakse. Similar to Tha Khaek, there is also a “loop” available for adventurous tourists. It takes more time though (6 days which I didn’t have). But I really wanted to see the most beautiful waterfall in the area – Nam Tok Katamtok, which is also one of the more remote ones. In order to achieve this, I decided to go in one day from Pakse all the way to Sekong and then the next day come back using another route, going next to that waterfall.

I rented a new motorbike and made my way towards Bolaven Plateau in the direction of Paksong. I’ve made my first stop to see one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Laos – Tad Fan waterfall. Two parallel streams of the Huay Bang Lieng come out of dense forest and down more than 120 m. I saw the waterfall from the viewpoint at Tad Fane Resort. There is a possibility of taking a path to the waterfall itself, unfortunately I couldn’t take it as a real downpour came just minutes later. So I saw another popular waterfall nearby – Tat Yuang. Tat Yuang is 40 m high and there is a gazebo that allows you to enjoy the view.

I have tried the local coffee (delicious!) and continued my journey. I had to stop few times on the way as it rained once in a while – one of those stops I did in a very local restaurant where nobody spoke any English but kids were happy to pose for photos. I arrived in Sekong after dusk. There I had supper at Pha Thip restaurant which has interesting photos from Sekong province hanging on the walls. Since this is one of the most remote areas in Laos, photos show how scrap metal from the war is utilised in everyday life. I took photos of those photos and uploaded them at the end of the gallery as I think many of You will find them interesting (I also abstained from retouching them). I have spent the night in rather old an run-down (but very cheap) guest house, where my money supported malaria education group.

Bolaven Plateau – from Pakse (A) to Sekong (B)