The far south - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 367

Santiphab Right next to the railroad bridge on Don Det. Decent en-suite bungalows are
available at this long-running place at the northern end of t he old F rench bridge, with views
across to Don Khon on the other side of the babbling river. 40,000K
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The Bolaven Plateau
As gradual as Route 23's eastwardly climb out of Pakse is, there's no mistaking when you've
reached the BolavenPlateau , roughly 30km from Pakse. The suffocating heat of the Mekong
Valley yields to a refreshingly cool breeze, and coffee and tea plantations, exulting in the rich
soil, begin cropping up along either side of the highway. Hilly, roughly circular in shape, and
with an average altitude of 600m, the high plateau has rivers running off in all directions and
then plunging out of lush forests along the Bolaven's edges in a series of spectacular water-
falls , some more than 100m high, before eventually finding their way to the Mekong. Four
provincial capitals - Pakse, Salavan, Xekong and Attapeu - surround the Bolaven, while the
main settlement on the plateau itself is the town of Paksong .
The French, recognizing the fertility of the terrain, cleared wide swathes of forests and
planted strawberries, coffee, tea and cardamom. Although it was cardamom that provided the
south's chief export during colonial times, coffee is the crop that dominates the plateau these
days, earning the well-paved highway that links Pakse with Paksong the moniker the Coffee
Road .
Long before the French planted their first coffee crop, midland hill tribes were practising
swidden agriculture on the plateau. Today, twelve ethnic groups, including lowland Lao,
Laven, Alak, Suay and Taoy, live in the area. Given that ethnic minorities are in the majority
here, it's only fitting that the plateau takes its name from one of these groups, the Laven .
One of the easiest waterfalls to access here is Tad Lo on the forested northern edge of the
plateau, a spot increasingly popular with budget travellers looking for somewhere pleasant
to relax for a few days and enjoy the plateau's cool climate. You can lounge in the pools of
the Xe Set river below the waterfall and do some elephant trekking to nearby tribal villages.
South of Route 23 between Pakse and Paksong is the Dong Hua Sao NBCA , containing the
TadFanWaterfall . Paksong was levelled in bombing raids during the war and has not been
able to rekindle the charm it once possessed.
Lak Sao-et , the tiny village 21km from Pakse along Route 23, is an important junction for
bus transfers - there are connections here for Tad Lo and Salavan in the northeast, and for
Paksong and beyond.
Dong Hua Sao NBCA
Located in the southwest quarter of the Bolaven Plateau, Dong Hua Sao is the only NBCA
up on the plateau itself. It's home to some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country,