Tag Archives: waterfalls

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)