Laos - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 714

caves, while Phavilai Restaurant (Fountain Sq; per day 60,000K; 6am-9pm) has a few scooters
for hire, as does Wangwang Internet ( 020 5697 8535; Fountain Sq; per day 50,000-60,000K;
8am-9pm) .
Around Tha Khaek
Travellers rave about the Loop , a brilliant three-day motorbike trip through dense jungle,
spectrally flooded valleys and gothic karst country, passing via Nakai, Lak Sao, Khoun
Kham (Na Hin) and Tham Kong Lo; for details look at the travellers' log at Thakhek
Travel Lodge ( Click here ) .
Meanwhile, buzz continues in anticipation of trips to the fantastical 9.5km subterranea
of Xe Bang Fai Cave , located at the edge of Hin Namno NPA. Even longer than Kong Lo,
this underground network boasts some of the tallest caverns and stalagmites of any river
cave on earth, not to mention 25cm spiders! This is such a remote location that at present
there's no tourist infrastructure to support an independent visit - it's difficult to reach and
difficult to evacuate should you run into trouble on the rapids at the entrance or carrying
your canoes over the jagged rocks. Tha Khaek tourist information centre ( Click here )
should arrange overnight trips here come 2014.
Also don't miss the myriad caves that can be swum and explored right on Tha Khaek's
doorstep. For information, talk to English-speaking Mr Somkiad at Tha Khaek's tourist
information centre ( Click here ) .
EAST ON ROUTE 12
The first 22km of Rte 12 east of Tha Khaek is an area with several caves , an abandoned
railway line and a couple of swimming spots that make a great day trip. All these places
can be reached by túk-túk, bicycle or hired motorcycle.
The first cave is Tham Xang (Elephant Cave; admission 5000K) , also known as Tham Pha Ban
Tham after the nearby village - Ban Tham. The cave is famous for its stalagmite 'elephant
head'. Take the right fork about 2.5km east of the Rte 13 junction and follow the road or,
if it's too wet, continue along Rte 12 and turn right (south) onto a dirt road shortly after a
bridge.
Back on Rte 12, turn north to Tham Pha Pa (Buddha Cave; admission 5000K; 8am-noon &
1-4pm) , discovered by a villager hunting for bats. It's home to 229 bronze Buddha images,
believed to have sat untouched for the last 600 years, and reached by a sturdy staircase