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Laos’ Safe & Sustainable Star: Tad Yeuang Waterfall
Tad Yeuang Waterfall in Southern Laos won the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award (ASTA) in January 2022, for developing a safe and sustainable tourist attraction around the natural site. The falls and market at the entrance are already attracting foreign visitors – as well as community vendors – just 2.5 months after the country reopened. Visitors to “Tad Gneuang”, located about 45 minutes from Pakse, enter into a colorful local market, with stalls and shops upgraded by the community. They are also selling their organic vegetables and fruit, local products and crafts, and popular Bolaven Plateau coffee. Photo by MEGAWORLD ASIA A Lao restaurant with a Champi River view sits at the end of the market. A few more steps land at a foot bridge that leads to a picnic area on a river island just before the waters take the 42-meter plunge over the edge of Tad Yeuang. The market’s end also marks the beginning of a steep downhill trail with some steps and handrails that follow alongside Tad Yeuang and its rocky, misty pool. Photo by MEGAWORLD ASIA About midway along the forested path, a covered viewpoint presents a break in the greenery that opens to a photo-worthy angle of the falls. It also allows hikers to reassess their plans to continue, as the steep walk down requires an uphill climb to return. Also note that while Tad Yeuang gushes in all its glory during Green Season (May-October), the rain can make the trail a bit sloppy. Photo by MEGAWORLD ASIA The community has built a new viewing stand at the bottom of the falls, which offers a more direct perspective. Visitors can sit back and soak up the natural scene, or take postcard-perfect photos and memorable selfies. Those with drones can launch their crafts for overhead shots. Others can sit on boulders and soak their feet in the Champi River as it flows on to Tad Fane Waterfalls. And then it’s time for the uphill hike back. Photo by MEGAWORLD ASIA Tad Yeuang Wins ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award Tad Yeuang brought home an ASTA from the 2022 ASEAN Tourism Forum in Cambodia in January. The award, given every two years, recognizes the successful implementation of ASEAN’s Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025. Tad Yeuang won the ASTA by successfully developing a sustainable tourist attraction at the falls. The 2022 ASTA theme was “Safe Tourism”, which shows Tad Yeuang took all precautions necessary to provide a safe experience. The local community made major improvements to the site during the Lao Thiao Lao domestic tourism campaign in 2020-2021. These include upgrading the viewpoints, adding a picnic area, creating a safer trail, and refurbing the market area. Provincial authorities also took Covid-19 prevention measures to ensure visitors’ safety. Getting to Tad Yeuang Click on photo for Google Map. From Pakse The drive from Pakse to Tad Yeuang takes about 40 minutes. Leave Pakse on Route 13 South to the 8 Km Bus Terminal and turnoff onto Route 16 East. Take the well-paved (partial tollway) 4-lane road past Tad Fane at Km 38 and the Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative about 2 km further along, before reaching the right-hand turn to Tad Yeuang. Turn down the dirt road, to the parking area and Tad Yeuang Market. Transportation providers and travel agents in Pakse offer transportation and tours in vans and cars. From Tad Fane Continue east on Route 16 for about 2 km. Pass the Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative, and the right turn to Tad Yeuang is about 250 meters further along. From Paksong Head west on Route 16 for 12 km (about 15 minutes). The sign for Tad Yeuang is on the left. Tourism & Hospitality Businesses in Pakse Town Accommodation Food & Beverage Travel Agents & Transportation Tourism & Hospitality Businesses on the Bolaven Plateau Accommodation Food & Beverage How to Get to Pakse *Note: Schedules and frequencies are constantly changing. Please directly contact the airlines for the most current schedule. The schedules/frequencies below are as of 1 July 2022. Flights from Vientiane Lao Airlines: One daily flight in the morning Lao Skyway: Three flights per week in the morning (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
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Double Tap: Tad Fane Waterfalls Reopen in Southern Laos
Tad Fane, Southern Laos’ iconic twin waterfalls, has reopened its popular viewpoint and over-the-gorge zipline course to tourists, just a 40-minute drive from Pakse. Click on photo for interactive Google Earth Map. Tad Fane marks the forested point where the Champi and Phak Koot Rivers meet at a 120-metre cliff and plunge side-by-side from the Bolaven Plateau, landing together in a single pool. On a windy day, rainbows sometimes appear in the mist. Click on photo for short video Visitors can step down to the cliffside viewing platform to take a bucket-list portrait or selfie with the powerful falls as a backdrop. Tad Fane’s thunder sounds strong on videos, and dronies can hover their craft above the deep canyon for great overhead shots. Click on photo for short video. The adventurous can also fly past the falls above the chasm and surrounding forest on a zipline course. The first launch pad leaves the viewing area, as the zipline soars 430 meters over the crater, a drop of almost 260 meters. The treetop landing leads to the next leap, a brief flight over the Champi River to a 160-meter-long suspension bridge. Next up is a 170-meter-long treetop zipline across the Phak Koot River, before a short forest hike to the final 240-meter-long zipline that lands near the viewpoint and restaurant. The restaurant presents a pleasant place to relax after the zipline adventure or viewpoint photo-op. The menu offers fresh coffee grown on the Bolaven Plateau and served hot or cold. Diners will also find Lao tea, cold drinks and snacks on the menu. For a more adventurous cup of Bolaven coffee, visitors can dangle from a zipline cable while sitting in chairs at a table. Sip your java and admire this natural wonder with an unrivalled view. You can even zip out on a hammock to take in the scene. Getting to Tad Fane from Pakse The drive from Pakse to Tad Fane takes about 40 minutes. Leave Pakse on Route 13 South to the 8 Km Bus Terminal and turnoff onto Route 16 East. Take the well-paved (partial tollway) 4-lane road to Km 38 and a large sign pointing to Tad Fane on the right. Turn down the dirt road, and pass the Tad Fane Resort to the parking area at the Tad Fane viewpoint. Transportation providers and travel agents in Pakse offer transportation and tours in vans and cars. Click on photo for Google Map Tourism & Hospitality Businesses in Pakse Town Accommodation Food & Beverage Travel Agents & Transportation Tourism & Hospitality Businesses on the Bolaven Plateau Accommodation Food & Beverage How to Get to Pakse *Note: Schedules and frequencies are constantly changing. Please directly contact the airlines for the most current schedule. The schedules/frequencies below are as of 1 July 2022. Flights from Vientiane Lao Airlines: One daily flight in the morning Lao Skyway: Three flights per week in the morning (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
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No Crowds Here…Vat Phou UNESCO Temple Complex in Southern Laos
UNESCO World Heritage hawks can avoid the crowds at other landmark sites with a visit to 10th-century pre-Angkor Vat Phou temple complex in Southern Laos’ Champasak Province. Click on photo to link to Google Map of Vat Phou. The visitor entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site can be viewed as the exit of the 1,400-metre-long, six-tiered canal system, based on a small water tap at the base of Phou Kao Mountain. This leads to 1,000-year-old massive reservoirs providing water to sprout an ancient civilization. Water from Phou Khao Mountain spawned the Vat Phou complex and ancient civilization. The dripping water also marks the start of a geometric pattern of temples and shrines along a perfect east-west axis to the Mekong. UNESCO reports say this linear layout differs from most pre-Angkor temples, which are concentric. However, some archaeologists think this pattern reflects “the conscious use of the natural terrain.” One of the “Baray” (reservoirs) at the Vat Phou entrance The drive to Vat Phou from Pakse, Champasak Province’s capital, takes about 50 minutes. The entrance is bordered by a pair of 200 x 600-metre baray (reservoirs), built in the 10th century. The ceremonial promenade leading to the first of six terraces Next comes a ceremonial promenade, flanked by carved stone pillars, to guide visitors to the first of the six terraces, and a noticeable lack of a huge crowd to add a “We’re alone here” touch. Sizeable 11th century Halls straddle the walkway. Two almost identical stone “Halls” dating to the 11th century border the start of the first-level walkway. These sizeable structures mirror each other on either side of the walkway, and are exactly parallel to the main axis. They open onto a porch with intricately engraved doorways, and may have been small palaces or temples. The mystery remains. This Hindu building could have been the gateway to the ancient road to Angkor. A pillar-lined, 130-metre-long promenade starts to rise to the second tier, where Nandi Hall presents another mystery. It’s a small Hindu-style sandstone building dating to the mid-11th century, but its purpose is not known. Some historians speculate that it may be the gateway to the ancient road to Angkor. Steps and a walkway lead to a small stone pavilion. A set of steps reaches the third level and a short walkway to a small stone pavilion greets visitors. Then, the climbing turns a bit tougher with a series of steep stone stairways. The stone ramp to the 4th terrace First comes a 75-metre-long ramp that gradually rises with the natural terrain to reach the fourth terrace. The view overlooking the Vat Phou complex Visitors may want to grab something to drink at this viewpoint, as the stairs get steeper. A flight of stone steps leads to the fifth terrace that ends at a stone-paved landing with Naga serpent balustrades marking the axis. The sixth and final tier From here, seven steep, 11-step staircases end at the sixth and final tier about 75 metres above the lower boray. The Sanctuary at the top Known as Phou Kao Sanctuary, the terrace is home to a sanctuary dedicated to Shiva at the foot of an overhanging cliff. It is here that visitors reach the target…the freshwater spring marking the start of the axis…and the turnaround point for an untouristed UNESCO experience. The source of a civilization’s water Fast Facts: Vat Phou UNESCO World Heritage Landscape The heritage landscape and site include the 5th-century Shrestapura City. The layout represents the Hindu relationship between nature and humans. The city’s main axis runs about 10 km from the Mekong to the 1,416-metre-high Phou Kao Mountain. The civilization, centred at Vat Phou, stood strong until the 15th century, and is closely associated with the Khmer Empire and Angkor Wat. According to Sanskrit inscriptions, Phou Kao Mountain was originally named Lingaparvata by the ancient Khmer residents. The carvings were found just south of Champasak Town, and date to the 5th century. A Chinese document from 589 AD refers to a temple dedicated to Shiva on top of Phou Kao Mountain. Other inscriptions from the 7th to 12th centuries found near Vat Phou and in Cambodia confirm the “cult of Lingaparvata”. Learn more about Champasak’s heritage sites. Getting to Vat Phou from Pakse The 43-km drive in a van from Pakse to Vat Phou takes less than one hour. The ride crosses the Mekong River Bridge from Pakse on Route 16 West. The newly paved toll road along the Mekong continues to Champasak Town and on to Wat Muang Kao and the right-hand turn to the Vat Phou entrance and parking area, where electric shuttles await to take visitors to the site. Transportation providers and travel agents in Pakse offer transportation in vans and cars. For a Google Map, click on the photo. Tourism & Hospitality Businesses in Pakse Town Accommodation Food & Beverage Travel Agents & Transportation Tourism & Hospitality Businesses in Champasak Town Accommodation Food & Beverage How to Get to Pakse *Note: Schedules and frequencies are constantly changing. Please directly contact the transportation providers for the most current schedule. The schedules/frequencies below are as of 1 July 2022. Flights from Vientiane Lao Airlines: One daily flight in the morning Lao Skyway: Three flights per week in the morning (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
