The main attraction of Thakhek is these rocky peaks, similar to those seen in the Vang Vieng region , which house numerous caves, scattered here and there along this magnificent road crossing all of Laos from west to east to Vietnam, which is "only" 144 km away (at the closest point, we were 128 km away).
Otherwise, Thakhek is a typical small Laotian town : quiet, with not much to do there. You'll find a local market and a few old colonial-style buildings. Nevertheless, its tourist appeal has been growing since the opening of the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, which facilitates crossing the border between Thailand and Laos, here via Nakhon Phanom (which I also recommend visiting).
Welcome to Khammouane province
Here is the list of our visits of the day, the furthest point is only 16 km from Thakhek, but in total, it is almost 50 km that we covered in the region.
- Tham Xang, the elephant cave
- Tham Nong Pha Fa, the Buddha cave
- Tham Nang Aen Cave
- Bonus: Tha Falang
We rented a semi-automatic motorbike for the day, price = 70,000 kip (280 baht or €6). We went to the first rental shop we came across, crossing the road from our hotel; it's a shop on the side of the square (opposite the side of our hotel), refer to the map at the bottom of the article.
Note: There's a Chinese version (Zongshen), a copy of the version found in Thailand (the famous Honda Wave). We chose the Chinese version because it was practically half the price! Besides the fact that you couldn't really see the difference aesthetically, it ran perfectly!
Tham Xang, the elephant cave
First stop, Tham Xang (pronounced Chang in Thai, but the "ch" sound doesn't exist in Lao; that's one example of the differences between Thai and Lao), which, as the name suggests, translates to "Elephant Cave." The story behind this cave is that, in the past, locals feared the place because of a limestone formation inside that resembled the head of a demonic monster. It's true that in caves, guided tours often point out shapes on the stalagmites and stalactites, like, "Here you have the crocodile rock, there's the three-humped camel, etc." That's how it works...
But no, here they took the shape seriously and it was even taboo to drink the water that flowed from this cave. In 1956, when the village surrounding Ban Tham was struck by an epidemic of some unknown kind, the residents didn't hesitate to destroy the "devil's head" with dynamite (no less, they didn't mince words...).
The explosion obviously shattered the rock in question, and another shape appeared elsewhere in the cave, and there it was in the shape of an elephant's head (oh yes, that's more aesthetic), and the health of the villagers improved.
Since then, the elephant head has been venerated, and the cave has become an important Buddhist shrine in the region. Pilgrims visit the site every year, usually around Lao New Year (as in Thailand, in April), sprinkling a little water on the elephant's head and praying for good health.
Fun fact: it should be noted that Japanese soldiers used bat droppings from this cave to make gunpowder during World War II, and in the 1960s and 1970s, villagers used the cave for shelter during the Indochina War.
Location: Situated northeast of Thakhek, Tham Xang is the closest cave to the town. Follow Route 12 for 6 km then turn right (the cave is signposted), continue for 1 km on a dirt road to the village of Ban Tham.
The cave is signposted, you have to turn left at the entrance of the village, cross the stream via a small wooden bridge, doable by motorbike, but in the dry season, probably not visitable during the rainy season from May to October due to possible flooding, the alternative being to continue further on route 12 (for 2,400m), another path leads in front of the cave.
We took advantage of being in the area to visit the surroundings a bit, at first, I was looking for a viewpoint indicated on GMaps, but I ended up giving up since it seemed to lead into the sticks... So, I parked the motorbike under a tree, we took a small temporary bridge made of 2 pieces of planks and we went to see the local temple. Then a tour of the village, rather deserted given the heat.
Lots of kids around, adults working in the fields (we came across a few though). I'm still surprised even here to come across smartphones in the hands of some villagers (same in Savannakhet, already some addicts...) We stayed a little while chatting with kids playing in the temple, before finally returning to our motorbike and continuing our journey of the day.
Tham Nong Pha Fa, the Buddha cave
It was only in 2004 that it was (re)discovered by a villager. Seeing bats disappear into a hole, he followed them (it's a local culinary specialty…), climbing the cliff face to a height of 15 meters (he must have been very hungry…). Peering through the narrow entrance of the cavern, he first glimpsed a Buddha statue, and upon entering, he discovered with astonishment that it contained more than 220 Buddha statues, ranging in size from a few centimeters to over 1 meter.
Initially disbelieving what he had seen, he told no one and only returned a week later with other villagers to verify it. It has since become a major tourist attraction, with the villagers protecting the cave by monitoring it 24/24!
Photos are forbidden inside, but I can confirm that villagers were indeed there! They even brought a TV with them… While the origin of these statues remains rather unclear (some are said to be of Khmer, Vietnamese origin), the reason for their presence here remains a mystery.
There are places to eat and drink on site, not a huge selection, but we were hungry and especially thirsty given the sweltering heat. There's also a market selling souvenirs and other trinkets, all located next to the parking lot. The entrance point where you pay for your ticket is 220 meters away.
Tham Nang Aen Cave
If apparently in front of this cave there is a kind of mini zoo, what I noticed is that the place is popular with the Lao to come and have a picnic with family or friends. This cave was discovered by a Frenchman. Its particularity is to have an underground river, a little over 1 km long, which can be traveled by renting a boat with a guide. This is also the option we took. The cave is sometimes 30 m high, there are some interesting rock formations.
What we appreciated most was being completely alone. Finding ourselves there in the middle of a cave with only the light from our little explorer's torches on our foreheads was just a unique experience.
It so happens that our guide was a 15-year-old Thai boy who had chosen to quit school to come and work as a guide here (quite a few Thais come here, especially since the visit of a princess in 1987), which is almost paradoxical when you know that it is generally the Laotians who are looking for a new life in Thailand.
The entire visit lasted two hours, enough time to go to the other end of the cave and explore it. It was a pile of large boulders, suspected of having collapsed after a bombing in the area. Light was visible, but it was relatively dark.
There are no facilities and it's sometimes a bit of a challenge to get around. But that's what makes the visit unique. The guide showed us bits of cow bones placed there for no apparent reason, various limestone formations typical of caves, sacred water flowing from the ceiling, etc.
Bonus: Tha Falang
I mark it as a "bonus" because it is not a cave but a corner at the edge of the water that served as a picnic area during the Indochina era. Tha Falang literally means "mooring point of the French". Today it has mainly become a swimming spot but unfortunately we cannot say that the people are "friends of nature" as it was rather dirty... Not the river itself, no, and fortunately so, but the spot itself, a small piece of land and rock at the edge of the said river is strewn with cans, remains of campfires and papers... too bad.
Practical Info
Where to sleep in Thakhek:
I chose the Inthira Hotel , mainly because of its generally good reviews, although its location was also excellent. Since I update my articles regularly, I want to emphasize that this hotel has maintained its reputation over the years, a testament to its consistently high-quality service.
Where to eat in Thakhek:
Partly out of laziness, we'll mostly be eating at our hotel restaurant, and it won't be for lack of trying! After all, I had an excellent chocolate mousse for dessert there—you'll have to tell me all about it! There were other restaurants, notably near the river, and another one on the same street, but nothing that appealed to us, and since the food at the Inthira was so good, well, why not…
The only exception will be to have a "roti" (a kind of "pancake" typical of Asia, delicious!) in front of the square, which itself is practically opposite our hotel.
Getting to Thakhek:
As mentioned, it's easy to get to Thakhek from nearby Thailand. You can take transport from Bangkok to Nakhon Phanom (either a direct flight or a bus) and from there take a local bus. The journey between the two cities is made via the Friendship Bridge, which spans the Mekong River. The drive itself only takes an hour, but you also need to factor in the time spent crossing the border, adding about another hour (you can save time by applying for your Laotian e-visa beforehand).
Otherwise you can get there from Vientiane, the capital which is about 5 hours away by bus. In our case, we were coming from Savannakhet, the journey only takes about 3 hours (including stops).
Map with landmarks and routes taken to the different caves:
