To put things in context, it was during my extended stay in Vientiane that I was making this little trip out of town (out Buddha Park(located on the other side of the capital). Having a full day, and having already visited the essentials of Vientiane, I wanted to get away and take a dose of nature.
Knowing that I was going there by scooter, I didn't want to embark on too long a journey, and while looking on the map, I came across a viewpoint, as you saw in the title: Phou Phanang View PointsThis represents a journey of less than 30 km, so not too tiring, knowing that with the potholed roads of Laos, you should expect to take more like 1 hour for such a journey than the optimistic 45 minutes of Google.
Local temple and lunch break on the banks of the Mekong
Here I am today heading west. As I had essentially planned this visit, I lingered in the morning, leaving leisurely shortly before noon.
To avoid surprises, it's best to drive with a bit of caution; Laos isn't the place for speeding from one point to another. I drive like this for about 20 minutes, until I reach the first stop I had planned, having covered two-thirds of the total distance. I find myself at a local temple on the banks of the Mekong (marked on the map as " Tham Phra TempleA staircase lined with a long serpent, the famous Naga, leads to the riverbank. Opposite, just 200 meters away, is the Thai side of the river, where another temple is located.
Halfway up, on one side of the staircase, a prayer space is built high up on the rock face. The temple is larger than I imagined and clearly attracts quite a few locals, many of whom are praying. I don't think many foreigners stop here, and as a result, I attract a few glances and smiles, especially from the monks who welcome me.
However, I didn't linger too long, as I still had a bit of a drive ahead of me and didn't know how long it would take to reach the viewpoint. I wasn't driving for very long either, because, as a reminder, it was around midday, hence the hunger that was starting to set in.
I had previously spotted a restaurant in the area, the one at River Moon Camping, a rather upscale and decidedly popular establishment, only 1 km from the temple. I left with a full stomach after 13 p.m. and arrived near my destination around 13:45 p.m.
Mission: Find the starting point of the hike
As such, it is important to know that when entering the name of the place " Phou Phanang View Points"It doesn't indicate a specific place as a starting point. I had noticed that it's possible to go via Wealth Coffee, where I had originally hesitated to stop for a meal, and this also allowed me to see another place I had spotted in the area." Rocky Canyons (I don't know if it's natural or remnants of an old quarry or something like that).
The downside of going through Wealth Coffee is that it would logically require me to consume something once there, well that's not a big deal, but above all, from what I understood, I would have to park next to the cafe, which meant I had almost 1 km to walk to the Rocky Canyons.
Looking at the map and taking a secondary country road, I figured I could get closer to the viewpoint and find a public access point instead of a private one. So, I deviated from the main road just before a gas station (marked in yellow on the map below), but the point I entered into the GPS essentially led me to the Rocky Canyons and initially continued along the section of road marked in red on the map.
I then arrived at a closed gate… I hesitated to take the path leading off to the left, which was supposed to lead to the Wealth Coffee, but as the road to get there is already particularly bumpy, I didn't really feel like this option and was thinking at that moment that the best alternative was to go back 500m, where other paths would have brought me closer to the foot of the hill.
That's how I found myself on a vacant lot, next to a small house, where I had marked my landmark as a "parking lot". As an aside, shortly before arriving, I ran into a local and asked him if it led to the " Phou Phanang View Points", without the latter seeming to know, reassuring…"
This doubt was quickly dispelled, because as I parked, a gentleman was just coming out of the house next to which I had left the scooter and asked him again if this was indeed the place to go to the " Phou Phanang View Points"He then immediately confirmed this, indicating the path to follow from where I was. This same gentleman told me it would be a hike of about 30 minutes to reach the summit, reassuring me that "it should be doable, it's not too long."
The ascension
I'll give you a spoiler right away, I'd say double the time… Starting my little walk at 14 pm, I didn't actually reach the viewpoint until 15 pm. If you draw a straight line, you'll see the distance is 700 meters, so the total hike, even including the small detours, is less than a kilometer. You might think, "Easy." But first, you have to consider the elevation gain. At the foot of the hill, you're at about 190 meters altitude, compared to 470 meters at the viewpoint, a difference of 280 meters in elevation. If you calculate the percentage of the slope, it's between 35 and 40%, so quite steep.
Add to that the heat and my lack of preparation, and I was in for a real struggle! So much so that I thought about giving up more than once! As soon as the climb started, I'd barely take 100 steps before feeling the need to stop… Plus, I was heading into the unknown, without knowing the overall condition of the trail, and I was terrified that the higher I climbed, the more jungle it would become and the harder it would get…
Up until then, I hadn't encountered a single person and there were no signs indicating the correct path. It was only after two or three breaks that I came across the first person, a hunter, rifle over his shoulder, coming back down.
Shortly after, I noticed that the path, which I had found surprisingly clear until then, was actually well-marked. If you look closely at your surroundings, you'll see colored ribbons and, more importantly, plastic bottles threaded onto the ends of branches here and there. While not exactly spotless, I was also pleasantly surprised to find several trash bags scattered along the way.
I won't hide from you that it reassured me and contributed to my motivation to continue this difficult ordeal, because at the time, I was experiencing it as such.
My thoughts boiled down to "what am I doing here?" and "when am I going to get there?!"
Towards the end (I didn't know it yet), I literally see a stone wall to cross, it's a steep climb, but I don't get discouraged, especially because I realize that visually, we are starting to arrive at an interesting area, because until then, it was a fairly ordinary jungle, with a partial view of the valley.
Given the difficulty of this section and the passing time, I suspected I was getting close to the top. And indeed, 10 minutes later, I arrived at a wooden ladder and saw a path continuing to the left.
The reward
I wasn't expecting to find anything other than a viewpoint, but opposite the top of the ladder, I glimpsed paintings of Buddha visible on the rock face. So I left the path to the left and climbed the ladder. I enjoyed discovering this small artistic and spiritual touch, and, as a sign of victory, I made sure to ring the small gong there.
Phou Phanang View Points: the summit
Just a few more minutes to find the right spot and the summit finally came into view. A large, flat rock served as a viewpoint. A pile of rubbish clearly indicated regular activity, and at that moment I thought to myself: "Who bothers to carry all the rubbish back down from here?!"
A log placed there provides a place to sit and admire the view over the valley; I can even see the small house where my scooter is parked from this spot. After a few minutes taking photos and watching a helicopter fly low overhead, I catch my breath and set off to explore the surroundings. A path runs along the edge of the summit, and planks allow you to cross crevices. I then come across another wooden ladder, well-equipped with a handrail, no less!
I then found myself on the other side of the cave I'd encountered earlier. I came across long spiderwebs stretching from top to bottom. Shortly after, I passed a small basin at the foot of the cave, fed by water flowing from it, and "protected" by a Naga. A pipe with a tap allowed me to use some of this water to refresh my face; it felt wonderful before heading back down, because at this point, the small bottle of water I'd brought was empty, and I was feeling a bit overheated.
Just past the pool, I realized there was the first ladder; so that was the path I'd seen leading off to the left. In short, I'd made a loop around the summit—couldn't have done a better job of exploring the area. Obviously, the descent was faster, since I didn't need to stop this time, and it only took me 30 minutes. On the way down, I passed a small group of locals—two women and a man—who greeted me in surprisingly impeccable English, despite my interaction being in Thai.
They were bringing picnic supplies for the summit, probably to watch the sunset given the time (I can't even imagine the hassle of getting back down afterwards...). In total, I spent 2 hours there, plus the 2-hour round trip from Vientiane, arriving around 17 pm, before nightfall – perfect!
As a little bonus, I've included a video (it's rare enough to be worth mentioning!), but I wanted to show you what a road in Laos is like, especially the bumpy, potholed aspect. Plus, you can hear how my scooter backfired every time I slowed down…
All that was missing was a good shower and a massage to end this hard day in style! And for the massage, it's at... Shuya that I was going there that evening, after the excellent oil massage I had received there the day before.
To learn more about Vientiane, see my full article on this city:
What to do in Vientiane? Explore the serene capital of Laos
