Sekong

Stay where the locals do in Sekong Town on the Xe Kong River between Salavan and Attapeu. You’ll mostly find modest yet new accommodation geared for domestic travellers in a typical rural Lao community. Rooms average around $10-20, and most have TVs and air conditioning, though Wi-Fi is scarce. The guesthouses look like large houses … Read more

It is also quite simple to get to Sekong by bus from other Southern Lao destinations, Vientiane, and Central Laos. Accommodation options are limited to Lamam and Thateng Districts including Sekong Town, and aside from hotels, dining mostly centres on local food at noodle shops. As Sekong has no airport, many visitors fly first to … Read more

  Tad Faek Tad Faek interrupts a wide stretch of the Sekong River with a 5-metre-high rock ledge. It creates a large upper pool for swimming, and a lower, boulder-lined pool, home to the sharp-toothed pa pao puffer fish. To reach Tad Faek, take Route 11 towards Attapeu, turn off at Km 14.5, and follow … Read more

  Sekong remains mostly unexplored, with its forested mountains difficult to access. Still, you can visit waterfalls on the road linking it to Attapeu Province. You can take a Sekong riverboat ride or visit ethnic groups in Ban Khan Don on an organized tour. The Sekong River cuts through the province’s west and passes through … Read more

  Guesthouses, hotels, and the Visitor Information Centre in can help you arrange transportation. Bicycles can also be rented, and the visitor centre can arrange guided tours, as can travel agents in Sekong Town and Pakse. Without a motorcycle rented in Pakse, getting around the province’s more remote areas can be challenging. Local busses depart … Read more

  Pakse, about 140 km away, is the most popular gateway to Sekong, as its airport welcomes domestic and international flights. The regional hub can also be reached by bus from Thailand’s Ubon Rathchathani Province, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap. Visas on arrival are available. For those flying first to Pakse, Lao Airlines offers 14 … Read more

  Don Khone and Don Det Islands are located14 km south of Don Khong and accessed by ferry from Route 13’s Nakasan Visitor Centre to piers on both islands’ upriver shores. The centre offers longboat tours from Hang Khone Pier to see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins, investigate the maze of downriver channels, and visit … Read more

  Sekong was established in 1984, and consists of areas that were once part of Salavan and Attapeu Provinces. After its founding, Sekong became the most ethnically diverse province in southern Laos with 14 groups reported from a population of some 85,000. Since these groups are not Buddhist, the province does not contain many temples … Read more

  A handful of southern Laos’ Alak live in Sekong, having migrated from Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Their palm and thatch houses encircle communal spirit houses on stilts. Several clans – named after animals considered sacred – comprise the Alak’s matriarchal society, in which women once tattooed their faces. They hold annual buffalo sacrifices and festivals … Read more

  Waterfalls Route 11 between Sekong and Attapeu Towns follows the eastern rim of the Bolaven Plateau and the Sekong River, and presents three easy-to-reach waterfalls. At Km 14.5, a turnoff leads to Tad Faek, a 5-metre-high waterfall with pools at the top and bottom. The upper pool is good for swimming, but the lower … Read more