The Rock Viewpoint Tour, Laos

The Rock Viewpoint Tour, Laos

The Rock Viewpoint Tour is an adventure activity base on Highway #8 (the top of the loop), owned and operated by GREEN DISCOVERY LAOS.

Click this link for the location of the Rock Viewpoint

A lot has happened at the Rock Viewpoint since it first opened in December 2019. The COVID era may have slowed things down for a while, but the development since its humble beginnings has continued. The primary adventure activity is still the zip-line circuit. However, the original five-line circuit has now been extended to fifteen and includes a climbing section, a cave traverse, a canopy walk, and an abseil/repel.

For those up for the challenge, there’s also a ninety-meter abseil into a vertical cave. Additionally, there are also a couple of excellent adventure cave tours available.

Laos Dry Season

For anyone considering hiking or caving activities in Laos, the best months are probably December, January, and February. These three months are notable for cooler, drier conditions, with no rainfall. The hiking tracks are dry underfoot, and the streams and rivers are at much lower levels than during the rainy season months.

Caving activities are safe to undertake due to internal surfaces being dry and free from mud. At this time of the year, morning temperatures—around sunrise—can often get down to less than 20°C. If you’re doing an overnight hike—camping out—don’t forget to pack a warm jacket.

In central Laos, thick fog often lingers around the karst peaks until 8:00 a.m. In elevated areas, such as the Rock Viewpoint Adventure Base, the northerly winds which blow from China can be rather chilly once the sun goes down.

How To Get To The Rock Viewpoint, Laos

If you don’t have your own transportation (motorbike or car), getting there from Vientiane can be a bit of a mission. There are local buses which run from the VIENTIANE SOUTHERN BUS TERMINAL. However, be warned—don’t expect any degree of comfort if you choose this option for getting to the Rock Viewpoint.

A Long Ride: The bus services which run to Kong Lor Cave or Lak Xao can drop you at the Rock, but being a local bus service, there’s no air-conditioning and there can be up to fifty stops en route—picking up and dropping off passengers and goods. The price for a one-way ticket is 360,000 Laotian Kip (LAK). If you book through an agent in town, they will provide transportation from your hotel to the southern bus terminal.

Note: To get back to Vientiane, you can use the same service in reverse or (as I did) have the manager at the Rock arrange a private taxi ride (in a 4×4 vehicle) for three million Laotian Kip (approximately 135 USD).

The Rock Lodge: For those who want to stay a bit longer—overnight or for an extended stay—the Rock Lodge has some unique accommodation. The Capsules are twin-bunk, air-conditioned units which seem to be a good fit for the forested location.

Prices: Capsules without showers and toilets are priced at USD 40 a night (note: there’s a communal shower and toilet block for these capsules). Capsules with inbuilt showers and toilets are USD 50 per night.

Khop Chai Deu Cafe: For those who just want to chill out and watch the sunset with a cold Beer Lao, the restaurant/cafe has a fantastic viewing platform providing a magnificent panorama across the limestone forest. The restaurant also has an excellent menu and great coffees.

Zip-Lining Activities At The Rock Viewpoint

The primary activities at the Rock are the zip-line circuits through the karst terrain. These continue to operate without any issues during the rainy season—albeit, usually in the afternoons once the sun comes out. During the dry season, there are more activities available, such as caving and trekking.

The Zip-line Circuits: There are three zip-line circuits on offer.

Note: The price includes a short training session (and briefing) prior to getting underway.

• Basic Circuit
• The Half Day Challenge
• The Full Day Challenge

The Basic Circuit: For most loopers, the basic five zip-line circuit is still the popular choice due to price and time considerations. This circuit has a low degree of difficulty and can be completed in 2–3 hours. The price is USD 30 per person.

This circuit includes:

• Five zip-lines (90–250 meter spans)
• A spider net bridge crossing (62 meter span)
• A suspended bridge crossing (80 meter span)

The Rock Half Day Challenge: This circuit has a moderate degree of difficulty and can be completed in four to five hours. The price is USD 120 per person (solo) or USD 60 per person for two people.

This circuit includes:

• Twelve zip-lines (90–480 meter spans)
• A spider net bridge crossing (62 meter span)
• Two suspended bridge crossings (60–80 meter spans)
• A Via Ferrata climb to a high point offering a 360-degree view
• A V-shaped rope bridge crossing (10 meters)
• A 600-meter jungle hike

The Rock Full Day Challenge: The ultimate zip-lining and adventure experience is the Rock Full Day Challenge. The price for the full day challenge is USD 150 per person (solo) or USD 75 per person for two people. This circuit has a higher degree of difficulty and can be completed in eight hours.

This circuit includes:

• Fifteen zip-lines (90–480 meter spans)
• A spider net bridge crossing (62 meter span)
• A Via Ferrata climb to a high point offering a 360-degree view
• Forest canopy walks (total = 2,130 meters)
• A 30-meter abseil down a cliff
• A 100-meter cave penetration
• A suspended bridge crossing (80 meter span)
• A V-shaped rope bridge crossing (10 meters)

All in all, this is an excellent adventure challenge and a great workout, as it involves a substantial amount of climbing and trekking.

Click this link for highlights of the half day challenge

The Nature Trail: For those looking for something a bit more sedate than the zip-line circuits, a 650-meter nature trail has been installed. The trail is constructed of steel and timber and is configured in a loop which takes you down into the karst terrain via a series of stairways and boardwalks.

Ideal Time: The best time for doing the nature trail is late in the afternoon (16:30–17:00). This is when there’s a higher probability of sighting the Langurs (monkeys) which live in the area.

The price for the nature trail is 50,000 Laotian Kip per person. Note: This walk is unguided and can be completed, at a leisurely pace, in one hour.

Caving Tours At The Nanglong Cave

As of March 2025, there are two dedicated caving activities at the Rock Viewpoint. Tham Pong Cave, which is within walking distance of the office, is a thrilling adventure featuring a 90-meter drop (abseiling) into a vertical cave. Nanglong Cave, located a few kilometers from the office, is a more conventional cave tour that includes a short abseil and a substantial amount of swimming.

Nanglong Cave

This tour starts with a thirty-minute hike through farmland and forests before a short ascent to the cave entrance. Because the cave is contracted to Green Discovery, there are locked gates at each end to ensure that no unsupervised adventurers can enter.

From the entry gate, a stairway takes you down to a series of net bridges, which span a void. All sightseers are required to be clipped onto a span wire with a double lanyard when crossing the net bridges. Once off the net bridges, you unclip and enter the upper section of the cave.

Abseiling at the Nanglong Cave

After approximately thirty minutes of hiking through the upper section of the cave, you’ll arrive at the abseiling point. This is a 20-meter vertical drop to the river. The Green Discovery guides will set everything up for you and provide instruction to ensure you have a safe abseil experience.

Swimming at the Nanglong Cave

Once you’re at the bottom, the fun part begins. The distance to the exit point is approximately one kilometer, and getting there involves a good deal of swimming through the water-filled cave rooms. The final 100 meters is a climb through a dry section to the exit point.

The tour takes approximately three hours to complete, and the price is USD 90 per person.

Click this link for a highlights video of the Nanglong Cave Tour

Pong Cave Tours

This is advertised as a canyoning activity, but it’s actually a free-fall abseil into a 90-meter-deep vertical cave. It definitely is a thrill, but the price isn’t cheap. If you’re doing it solo, as I did, the USD 120 price tag pays for the two trained guides who must accompany you. The cave is located behind and downhill from the Rock Lodge.

Getting to the jump-off platform involves a scramble down a steep slope, followed by a short climb down a set of steel rungs embedded into a vertical rock face. During this climb down, you are required to be clipped on with double lanyards attached to your harness at all times. The jump-off platform is built of steel and protrudes out from the rock face, over the center of the drop.

Making the Drop: The Green Discovery guides are fully trained and experienced for this activity, and they set up the drop ropes with the utmost safety in mind. One of the guides will descend first. Once at the bottom, it was my turn.

The abseil was set up with a brake rope attached to my harness so that I could control the speed of the descent at all times. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to keep just the right amount of tension on the brake rope and do a slow, continuous slide to the bottom of the cave. It was an exhilarating experience and well worth the USD 120 price tag.

Ascending: To come out, the Green Discovery team has made it easy. They’ve installed an electric winch on the platform which hauls you back up effortlessly in around five minutes.

This is a half-day activity that can be completed in 3–4 hours. Note: If there are two customers paying, the price is only USD 60 per person.

Click this link to see a highlights video of the Pong Cave Adventure

The Secret Village Tour

This fantastic full day adventure is just a few kilometers down the road from the junction of Hwy #8 and Hwy #13. The Secret Village and Tham Huep Cave are hidden gems that most loopers miss but need not, because the locations are clearly indicated on Google Maps. There are a couple of remote villages on the far side of a 300-meter-high karst peak, and the only way of getting there is by going through a one-kilometer-long river cave.

Click here for a Google Maps link for the location of the start point

Doing the tour: The start point for this tour is a village named Ban Nakhok, which is located next to a river. Access from Hwy #13 is via 30 kilometers of dirt road branching off from the highway. The start point has a secure parking area for motorbikes, and there is an office where you will need to pay for the boat ride and the hire of local guides. Note: The local guides at the village, at the start point, do not speak English.

River Crossing: The first part of the tour is a short river crossing, followed by a two-kilometer trek to the cave entrance. The official name for this cave is Tham Huep, and it is approximately one kilometer in length.

Guided tour: The best way to see this attraction is to do a tour with Green Discovery Laos from the Rock Viewpoint. They can provide transportation and an experienced, English-speaking guide. If you’re making the tour with Green Discovery, they will organize the local guide and boat driver once you arrive at the village.

Click here for a YouTube link to see a highlights video of this tour

Exploring The Heup Cave & The Secret Village

This cave is a river passage which, in the dry season, has a low enough water level to pass through. That said, there’s still some thigh-deep wading required in the first two-thirds of the cave. The local guides have installed white sandbags along the riverbed as a safe trail to follow while navigating the water-filled areas. The back end of the cave rises into a dry section leading to the upstream entrance.

The Temple Village

After exiting Tham Huep Cave, it’s a one-kilometer walk to the first village, simply known as the Temple Village. The only notable feature here is the large golden Buddha located on the temple grounds. The village is enshrouded in tree growth which, after four kilometers of hiking, is a welcome relief. There’s a seating area in a shady spot that the guides will use for the lunch break.

The Secret Village

This is a further 1.4 kilometers past the Temple Village and, to be honest, it’s not as picturesque. While the Temple Village offers plenty of shade, the Secret Village is fully exposed to the sun. According to some of the locals, many of the trees were cut down as part of development efforts in the area. The hike is quite taxing, simply because much of it is under the full intensity of the midday heat.

For anyone considering doing the tour, be sure to pack a hat and sunblock. The most interesting aspect of the Secret Village is the resident water buffaloes—they are quite friendly fellows.

Conclusion

The tour to the Secret Village and the walk through Tham Huep Cave is an excellent day’s outing, and doing it with Green Discovery Laos is highly recommended. The total hike distance is about 9–10 kilometers, but most of it is flat and not particularly difficult.

Venturing Through The Kai Mook Cave

Kai Mook Cave is quite possibly one of the best single-day caving tours from Thakhek. It is a hidden gem. However, the cave isn’t marked on Google Maps, and neither is the start point of Tha Thot Village.

Development of the Kai Mook Cave

At the moment, the government and local officials are still working out how they will manage tours to this cave—mainly because the 3.5 km track from the village to the cave entrance is a horrendous one-hour ride on a farm tractor. I was fortunate enough to do the tour with experienced caving and trekking guide Mr. Olaxai, who knows the village officials well enough to organize private tours for small groups.

For anyone interested in doing this cave tour, you can contact Ola on:

WhatsApp: ~olaxai2024
Email: olaxai2024@gmail.com
Note: Due to the difficulty of accessing the cave site, it’s only possible to do an organized tour with Mr. Olaxai.

Where Is The Kai Mook Cave?

Tha Thot Village is situated a couple of kilometers off Highway 1E, in the Gnommalat District. The village sits along the edge of a small lake, created by the water flowing from a cave located across the lake. Kai Mook Cave is approximately 3.5 km west of Tha Thot Village.

Transportation Around The Kai Mook Cave

As mentioned, due to the track being seriously rough, the only sensible option for getting to the cave is on a farm tractor. The ride takes just under an hour, and there’s not a minute when you’re not bouncing up and down. Some parts of the track are so bad that it’s doubtful even a 4×4 vehicle could make it. An off-road bike, such as a CRF 250, would be entirely possible.

Click this link to see a highlights video of Kai Mook Cave

Kai Mook Cave Adventures

The track runs through karst terrain, with the gaps between the small peaks filled with farmland. The primary crop in the area is tapioca. During the ride, farmers could be seen coming and going with tractors piled high with bags of tapioca. Approximately three kilometers down this main track, a smaller trail branches off to the left toward the cave entrance. This final stretch is about 500 meters long.

The Kai Mook Cave Entrance

As with most caves in Laos, this one is a river cave. The downstream entrance is at the base of a karst cliff, featuring a picturesque stream pool at the front. The main cave passage begins to the right of the river.

Going Through the Kai Mook Cave Passage

A small entrance opens up into a large cave tunnel with lots of truly impressive formations. The main tunnel is approximately 300 meters in length and leads to a rear exit.

An Interesting Side Passage

Just below and to the right of the rear exit is a side tunnel called the Black Stone Passage. This is a smaller-diameter river tunnel that runs for approximately 700 meters before becoming impassable. The passage gets its name from the black coating on the karst rocks.

Kai Mook Cave Exploration Conclusion

For anyone who enjoys cave tours, this is an excellent outing and well worth the bumpy one-hour ride to get there.