Ecotourism Laos
Ecotourism Laos Five Highlights in Khammouane Province
Bernie Rosenbloom drives you six hours south of Vientiane to Khammouane Province and five of its top attractions. A 7.5-km boat ride through Konglor Cave with an overnight village stay flashes bright on the province’s marquee, as does a one-day tour to the recently discovered Nong Pa Fa Cave and its 600-year-old Buddha images. Another new entry is the easy-to-spot bald bulbul bird, which was just declared a species in 2009. A one-day tour around the provincial capital, Thakaek, reveals several historical gems including the 1,500-year-old Sikhottabong Stupa and ancient “Great Wall”, while the hearty can trek in a national protected area with an overnight stay in a village lodge.
1. Beauty in the Dark
Cruise in a long-tail boat through a natural tunnel of total darkness as the Nam Hinboun River drills 7.5 km through a mountain at Konglor Cave. The river runs about 30 metres wide with a limestone ceiling up to 100 metres high, and it flows by sandy beaches and rock formations named for their shapes: “Buddha”, “frog”, “owl”, “soft-shell turtle”, and “fish trap”. According to local lore, five Konglor villagers first navigated the tunnel to Ban Natan in the 17th century. Today, the villages offer boat excursions through the cave, overnight lodge stays, and trekking options inside protected areas, including a hike to the 70-metrehigh Nam Sanam Waterfall.
2. Buddha Cave
Climb a 20-metre ladder to the upper Nong Pa Fa Cave, where 229 bronze and gold-plated Buddha images have been sitting on naturally formed, terraced rock rims for up to 600 years. The cave and its treasure had been hidden for centuries until a local made the surprising discovery in 2004. Easy to access by road from Thakaek or on a one-day community-based trek, “Buddha Cave” also houses palm-leaf pages written in ancient scripts, and petrified eggs laid on the cave’s ceiling many years ago by an unknown type of lizard. Nong Pa Fa (soft-shell turtle lake) sits at the entrance to the lower cave, which can be explored by boat.
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