The Bolaven Plateau is located east of Pakse in Laos and is insane to visit. At the Bolaven Plateau you will find giant waterfalls. For the ultimate adrenaline moment, you can even zipline 260 meters above Laos’ highest waterfall.
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How do you get to the Bolaven Plateau?
The name Bolaven Plateau is used for the entire mountain peak and region. The most visited are the waterfalls. To get here, it is best to rent a motorbike yourself. In downtown Pakse, this is offered everywhere. We rented a motorbike ourselves from Miss Noy and this was fine. You can choose an automatic or semi-automatic motorbike. With a semi-automatic motorbike, you have to shift gears yourself. This takes some getting used to but the rental guy explains it well and lets you do a few test laps. After this, it shows the map and tells you exactly where to navigate to.
If you don’t like to drive a motorbike, you can arrange a cab in Pakse. It is most convenient to check with your hotel/hostel. After all, the cab will have to be on the road with you all day.
Tad Fane Waterfall – Bolaven Plateau
The Tad Fane Waterfall is the most beautiful and impressive on the Bolaven Plateau. This waterfall plunges from 250 meters into a huge crater. Around the Tad Fane Waterfall, you will see green nature and beautiful views everywhere. You can order a delicious coffee or soft drink and enjoy the view on the platform. Entrance to the Tad Fane Waterfall costs 20,000 kip (€1.05) per person and motorbike parking is 5,000 kip (€0.22).
Ziplining at the Tad Fane Waterfall
For the real adrenaline junkies, there is something even better. In fact, you can zipline over this waterfall! The zipline is nearly 500 meters long and is located at an altitude of 260 meters. It’s really insane when you hang out here. You have an unobstructed view of the waterfall and the crater into which it plunges. After this first amazing zipline, you will zipline 4 more times over the forests and be able to see into the distance. Half an hour after taking off, you are already back on the platform and letting it all sink in, you just did something so cool! This was the literal and figurative highlight of the Bolaven Plateau for us.
The cost for ziplining at Tad Fane Waterfall is 590,000 kip (€30) per person. If you also want movies and photos taken with your own phone, it costs 720,000 kip (€38) per person. There is always one staff member ahead of you to catch you at the end of the zipline. If you have a photo or video taken of you there will also be someone beside (on the first zipline) and behind (on the other ziplines) you.
Tad Gneuang Waterfall
The second waterfall you visit at the Bolaven Plateau is slightly less impressive but certainly no less beautiful. You can walk all the way to the lower part of the Tad Gneuang Waterfall from where you have a beautiful view. It is a good 10-minute climb after that to get back to the top.
Furthermore, you can also swim at the Tad Gneuang Waterfall. This cannot be done in the waterfall itself but in the small streams on top. You will soon spot the locals, and sometimes some tourists, in here. Entrance to the Tad Gneuang Waterfall costs 20,000 kip (€1.05) per person and motorbike parking is 5,000 kip (€0.22).
Tad Champee Waterfall
The Tad Champee Waterfall is the least impressive of the Bolaven Plateau, but therefore also the least visited. The short walk from the parking lot to the waterfall is very nice though: you walk plenty through the jungle and see the beautiful greenery of nature. The nice thing about the Tad Champee Waterfall is that you can swim here. You can choose to swim in the waterfall itself or you can stand behind it. This really gives a thrill and it is fun to see the Tad Champee Waterfall this way. Entrance to the Tad Champee Waterfall costs 10,000 kip (€0.45) per person and motorbike parking is 5,000 kip (€0.22).
Pakse Loop at the Bolaven Plateau
Since we had already completed a five-day motorcycle ride in Vietnam and had driven the Thakhek Loop in Laos, we decided to skip the Pakse Loop. Nevertheless, it is definitely recommended, especially since during this route you also cross the Bolaven Plateau. The Pakse run is therefore sometimes called the Bolaven Loop.
There are several variations of the Pakse Loop. The big Pakse Loop has a distance of 320 kilometers, while the small Pakse Loop is 220 kilometers long. You can get more information from the motorbike rental companies in Pakse. They show you the route and give suggestions on fun places to stop. You can also arrange this at Miss Noy, where we rented our motorbike for the one-day tour to the Bolaven Plateau.
On the first day of the Pakse Loop, you will drive to the Bolaven Plateau to see the beautiful waterfalls described above. On the second day, a visit to Captain Hook and the ethnic village is scheduled. Captain Hook is a well-known figure in the Bolaven Plateau area as he introduces tourists to the local tribes. He explains their lives, customs, rituals and also the famous coffee of the Bolaven Plateau.
The Pakse Loop is an amazing experience. If you are enthusiastic about riding a motorbike and have some extra time, it is definitely recommended to follow this route yourself and enjoy all the special and beautiful sights along the way. We already loved the one-day tour to the Bolaven Plateau and in retrospect would have preferred to do the whole loop.
Google Maps Locations Bolaven Plateau
When you turn on Google Maps, make sure you enter the right location. Navigate to the falls and not the Bolaven Plateau. In fact, this is the name for the entire area, and you will first detour all the way around and then end up in the middle of nowhere. We speak from experience and took 2 hours longer…. Therefore, navigate to the points below in Google Maps:
Tad Fane Waterfall
Tad Gneuang Waterfall
Tad Champee Waterfall
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