The XE Bangfai Loop
The Xe Bangfai Loop (aka the extended Thakhek Loop) encompasses a visit to the renowned Xe Bangfai Cave. This motorbike loop tour can be done directly from Thakhek, or as an extra leg of the standard Thakhek loop.
Note: If it’s being done as an extension to the standard Thakhek Loop, your best option is to take your motorbike through Kong Lor Cave, to Natane Village, and head back to the Nakai Plateau.
Travelling from Natane
If you take your motorbike through Kong Lor Cave, this provides a good opportunity for doing the extended loop. From Natane Village, take the dirt road back to the Nakai Plateau.
Note: This dirt road exits onto Hwy 1E near the Orchid Trail location. At the completion of the 50 km of dirt road, turn right onto Hwy 1E and head down to Gnommalat Junction.
At Gnommalat Junction, turn left onto Hwy 12 and head east towards the Vietnam border. From Gnommalat Junction, it’s a flat run of approximately 70 km to Nong Chan Village (aka Lang Khang).
Click this link for directions from the Nakai Plateau to Nong Chan
Travelling from Thakhek
If you plan to travel directly to Xe Bangfai Cave from Thakhek, the best option, as of 2024, is to go via Mahaxay.
In years past, the road via Nong Chan was the better route. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case, as heavy trucks filled with rubble traverse the road day and night from an iron ore mine south of Bualapha.
The better option is to take the road which branches off at Mahaxay and travel through Xaybuathong.
Further good news is there’s now 30 km of tarmac on the road from Xaybuathong to Bualapha.
Alternatively, if you want to explore the Thong Xam Hiking Trail, then you’ll need to go the Nong Chan route.
Click this Google Maps link for directions from Thakhek to Xe Bangfai via Mahaxay
Highway 12 Sightseeing on the Xe Bangfai Loop
If you’re going via the Nong Chan Route, there are a couple of notable sightseeing attractions along Hwy 12 worth checking out.
Exploring The Nang Ene Cave
This excellent cave site is 19 km east of traveler central in Thakhek. The turn-off is on the right and there’s a directional sign approximately 100 meters before. The cave entrance is a few hundred meters off the highway.
There’s a ticket booth just off Hwy 12, where the cave tour tickets must be bought.
Note: If you don’t stop to buy your tickets here, you will not be able to enter the cave. The kiosk in front of the cave entrance is only a checkpoint. They don’t sell tickets.
Click the following Google Maps link for directions from Thakhek
There are two sightseeing options for this cave:
- The front section only
- The additional boat tour, which takes in the much more spectacular rear section.
The entry fee for the front section is 30k LAK. Pay 50k LAK (an additional 20k LAK) and you will be able to do the entire cave system, which includes the boat trip and the walk through the rear section (which is the highlight of the cave).
Note: A minimum of three paying customers is needed for a boat tour.
The boat tour: There is a 600-meter-long river tunnel which connects the front section of the cave to the rear. Obviously, the only way of getting there is by boat.
The river tunnel has internal lighting all the way through, so getting photos or video with your phone isn’t a problem. The tour through the backside of the cave includes a visit to the Holy Well, a spring-fed pool, where drinking ladles of cold water are offered by the guides.
Nang Ene Cave is a must-do stop on the Thakhek Loop.
Gnommalat to Nong Chan on the Xebangfai Loop
The Golden Rabbit Viewpoint is an excellent lookout at Gnommalat Junction.
Most Loopers, being tight on time, tend to sail straight through Gnommalat in their haste to get to Thalang — which is a pity, because the lookout offers fantastic views across the landscape.
The sunrise view is spectacular, but to see this you’ll need to spend one night at a guesthouse in Gnommalat. The turn-off to the viewpoint is on the left and a couple of kilometers past the river bridge.
Click this Google Maps link for directions from Thakhek
General Information about the Nong Chan Township
Nong Chan is a small provincial town is located 16 km west of the Vietnam border. The T-junction, where a dirt road runs south to Bualapha, is the focal point of the town. There are a couple of restaurants here which get busy with Vietnamese truck drivers. Approximately 2 km before Nong Chan Village is the Sayphouloung Resort. It’s a basic but comfortable standard of accommodation.
There’s also some interesting war memorabilia in the parking area — cluster bomb casings set up on display stands.
Click this link for the location of the Sayphouloung Resort
War History of Nong Chan Township
An interesting historical aspect of this area is the Ho Chi Minh Trail ran right through it and, as such, it was heavily bombed during the war years.
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has an office in Nong Chan and is busy clearing UXO from the farmlands in the area.
The Mu Gia Pass: Due to its proximity to Vietnam, and the fact it’s in the shadow of several high peaks, it gets quite cold in Nong Chan during December and January.
The cold winter winds, blowing across Northern Vietnam, are funnelled down the nearby Mu Gia Pass and onto the surrounding flat terrain.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail Adventure
The Mu Gia Pass was the entry point into Laos for the southern section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It was heavily bombed by the US military in the mid to late 1960s. All to no avail, as within hours of bombing, the Vietnamese forces would have convoys of trucks back on the road.
There is a lookout a few kilometers up the road from Lang Khang, which provides nice views over the rugged landscape.
General Information about the Xam Nua Area
Approximately 12 km south of Nong Chan Village, on the Bualapha Road, is a turn-off to an area called Sam Nua.
The area encroaches on the northern section of the Hin Nam No National Park. The Xam Nua area is typically characterised by jungle-covered karst peaks, with remote farming areas interspersed. There are jungle trails and caves in the area, but to explore will require hiring guides from Thong Xam Village.
Note: The Hin Nam No National Park borders Vietnam’s Phong Nha National Park.
The Thong Xam Hiking Trail
This fantastic trek/hike (aka the Houay Ork Hiking Trail) is an off-the-beaten-track adventure, located in a remote area of Central Laos. The trail and its associated caves are situated in the Hin Nam No National Park, a pristine wilderness area near the Vietnam border in Khammouane Province.
The trek takes you into a jungle-covered karst terrain and provides the opportunity to visit one, two, or three caves depending on which tour you decide on.
Note: Due to the remoteness of the area and the fact the trail has no directional signage, it is mandatory to hire two local guides from Thong Xam Nua Village to avoid the risk of injury or getting lost. However, these local guides speak no English.
Recommendation: If you require an experienced, English-speaking guide from Thakhek, then Mr. Olaxai is an excellent local guide with many years of experience trekking and caving in Khammouane Province.
He has completed the Thong Xam Trail several times and is familiar with the nuances of the route. He can organise the tour and the one night of accommodation for you in Nong Chan Village.
Mr. Olaxai WhatsApp contact is: ~olaxai2024
Email: olaxai2024@gmail.com
Exploring the Thong Xam Hiking Trail
It’s fairly straight forward getting to Thong Xam Nua Village. From Nong Chan, it’s 16 km of travel over dirt roads to the hike starting point. The local guides will be there when you arrive.
Thong Xam Nua is the last village on the road—the end of the line, so to speak. It’s the typical Lao rural/farming scene with timber-constructed dwellings on stilts. There is an information sign at the parking area where the prices of the tour and guides are advertised. There are several options:
Option One: Single day trek to one cave (Tham Phak Tham) with two local guides.
Note: This cave is the farthest from the village and is usually visited as an overnight (camping) trip. Hiking distance is 14 km, round trip.
- National Park entry fee for foreigners = 50,000 Laotian Kip (LAK) per person
- Hike and visit one cave = 100,000 LAK per person
Option Two: Single day trek to two caves (Tham Nok Ann & Tham Nam Ork) with two local guides.
These two caves are the closest and can easily be done in a single day. Hiking distance is 11 km, round trip.
- National Park entry fee for foreigners = 50,000 Laotian Kip (LAK) per person
- Hike and visit one cave = 300,000 LAK per person
Option Three: Overnight (camping) trip to three caves (Tham Phak Tham, Tham Nok Ann, & Tham Nam Ork) with two local guides.
Note: Camping is done at Tham Phak Tham (the most distant cave), and the two closer caves are visited on the return journey, on day two. Hiking distance is 14 km, round trip.
- National Park entry fee for foreigners = 50,000 Laotian Kip (LAK) per person
- Hike and visit one cave = 400,000 LAK per person
Delving into the Caves on the Thong Xam Hiking Trail
The first 3 km is through farmland and a river valley. As mentioned, there is no directional signage in place, so the potential for getting lost is significant without a local guide.
There are lots of small streams to cross before arriving at the first cave, Tham Nam Ork (English translation = “cave water out”). This cave is water-filled and, unless you are up for a swim, cannot be entered.
Note: In the warm months (March and April), a swim in the cave is probably a good idea.
Uphill Hike: From Tham Nam Ork to Tham Nok Ann, the trek becomes more difficult as the trail goes up and over a medium-sized hill.
The distance from the first cave to the second is 2.5 km. From the top of the hill, the trail drops down to a hidden valley and a stream bed leading to the cave entrance. There’s also a small pool there for anyone wanting to cool off after the hike. This is also the location where you’ll have your lunch.
Tham Nok Ann is a two-meter-long river tunnel with an upper passageway which enables a traverse from one end of the cave to the other. There’s a large cave room inside with plenty of impressive formations and some local history.
This cave was used as a protective living place to avoid US Air Force bombing during the Second Indochina War. The remnants of occupation (rubber shoes, empty food tins, and wood debris) can still be seen in many locations.
The Third Cave: Unfortunately, on this trip, I couldn’t visit Tham Phak Tham.
According to the local guides, this cave is the most impressive of the three. It’s located approximately 1.5 km beyond Tham Nok Ann and, because it’s a mountain cave, getting there involves a tough hike up the karst escarpment.
Note: I plan to visit this cave in March 2025.
Click this YouTube link to see a highlights video of this hiking trail
The road to Bualapha on the Xe Bangfai Loop
The road to Bualapha is dirt all the way from Nong Chan Village. The turn-off is two km east of the Sayphouloung Resort.
Note: If you decide to do the Thong Xam Hiking Trail, you’ll need to return to the dirt road junction and turn left to continue on to Bualapha.
Click here for directions from Nong Chan to Bualapha
Remote Area: On the way you’ll pass through rugged, remote landscape which sees very few tourists or travelers.
In a small town called Ban Senphan (a few km before the Xebangfai River), some of the houses have used cluster bomb casings for growing vegetables in. Ride slowly through the village and you may be able to spot the bomb casings in front of the houses.
Pakpanang Crossing: Approximately 24 km south of Nong Chan, you will arrive at the Xebangfai River. The only way to cross is by using the local ferry—a flat-top platform on two large canoes with an outboard motor.
Note: The ferry operates during daylight hours only, and the price is 30k LAK (Laotian Kip) per person.
The cheaper option is to cross on an unmotorised canoe, with your motorbike fixed in an upright position.
Note: For those interested in visiting Xebangfai Cave, taking a motorised boat from Pakpanang Crossing is an alternative means of getting there.
The two-hour boat ride to the cave entrance is part of the standard three-day caving trip offered by Green Discovery Laos. The trip upriver runs through the edge of the Hin Nammo National Park, a pristine wilderness area in Laos.
Note: As of 2024, a regular service is being offered to solo travelers to the bungalow/accommodation area at Xe Bangfai Cave. However, this may not include motorbike transport.
General information about the Bualapha Township
This is the final stop before the 12 km run to Xe Bangfai Cave. It’s a typical non-descript Lao rural town.
If you’re traveling solo, it’s a good place to buy some dry goods, such as biscuits and potato chips, before you head off to the cave—particularly if you’re planning on spending a couple of nights at Xe Bangfai.
There’s not much to see or do in Bualapha. If you arrive in the morning, there’s a local market which will often have raw meat (including the animals’ heads) on display. Apparently, in years past, wild game was often available at the market, but rarely now.
History: In times past, Bualapha had a thriving economy based on felled timber from the surrounding forests.
A change in government leadership put an end to the timber industry, and the many guesthouses, restaurants, and bars servicing the timber merchants and loggers pulled their shutters down from lack of business.
Note: For anyone wanting to stay overnight in Bualapha, the best accommodation options are the Cindaphone Guesthouse and the Chansamai Guesthouse.
If you get to the Xebangfai Cave in one day, the best option is to leave early enough from Nong Chan so you can get to the Xe Bangfai camping area in daylight hours.
The New Road: The good news for anyone who’s keen to take a tour through Xe Bangfai Cave is the 12 km of road between Bualapha and Nong Ping Village is now sealed all the way to the ticket office. What was once a one-hour-plus drive, on one of the worst stretches of road in Laos, can now be completed in 15 minutes.
Click the following Google Maps link for directions from Bualapha to Xebangfai Cave
Exploring the Xebangfai Cave
The Xe Bangfai Camping Ground is a significant upgrade from years gone by. A German organisation, called GIZ, has financed the development of the camping and accommodation area to a modicum of comfort.
There are now five wooden bungalows (fan only) and several covered platforms for tents. There’s also a restaurant, run by three local girls, and a shower and toilet block. The food at the restaurant is basic but nourishing, with lots of rice, noodles, vegetables, pork, and chicken on offer. There’s also a refrigerator stocked with a good supply of Beer Lao.
Doing the Cave Tour: The ticket office for doing a cave tour is at the boom gate (entry point) to the camping ground.
Current prices are as follows:
- National Park entry fee = 30,000 LAK
- Short canoe tour = 80,000 LAK
- Long canoe tour = 130,000 LAK
Two Tours: What’s the difference between the short tour and the long tour?
The short tour only goes to the developed route in the cave, the Dragon Passage, which is approximately 600 meters into the cave. The long tour goes all the way to the first set of rapids, well into the dark zone, which is 1.6 km into the cave.
The canoes are locally made wooden boats with a safe capacity of two passengers. The cave tour will take approximately 2–3 hours, depending on which one you pay for.
The Cave Entrance: To get to the cave entrance, there’s a 700-meter walk along the river’s edge from the camping ground. The trail goes down to the river’s edge, where you board the canoes for the cave tour.
Extended Tours: A full traverse of the cave can be done with the local adventure company, Green Discovery Laos.
The Xebangfai Cave Tour
The Dragon’s Passage is the only developed trail within the cave. It’s located within the first section (between the 1st and 2nd rapids) and is the main sightseeing attraction for those doing a tour with local guides (in a wooden canoe).
The access stairway is on the right-hand side of the cave and approximately 800 meters from the downstream entrance. A cement landing has been put in place for sightseers to alight from their boats with a minimum amount of difficulty.
A cement stairway leads from here, up the side of the cave, to a trail which takes you through a series of cave rooms. The trail has wire barricading in place to keep sightseers from moving into areas where fragile speleotherm may be at risk from damage due to interaction. The trail provides a safe vantage point to view the array of impressive formations.
Alien Eggs: One of the most unusual is an area in a series of pits below the trail, where a protrusion of small, rounded formations have an appearance like the eggs in the Alien movie. Hence the name “the Alien Eggs.”
The trail runs for approximately 500 meters and eventually leads to a magnificent balcony (known as the Dragon’s Balcony) overlooking the river and downstream entrance.
Note: Apart from the ambient lighting from the downstream entrance, there’s no internal illumination of any kind throughout the cave.
Travelling from the XeBangfai Cave to Thakhek
The Mahaxay Route: The fastest route back to Thakhek is on Hwy #122, through the provincial towns of Xaybuathong and Mahaxay.
The distance from the Xe Bangfai Cave Ticket Office is approximately 147 km.
Click here for a Google Maps link for directions to Thakhek
Xieng Lue Waterfall: In the rainy season, there’s a waterfall on the road between Xe Bangfai and Bualapha which is worth checking out (simply because there will be a good flow of water over the falls).
Note: This site was opened to the public in early 2025. The road has been upgraded, and there’s now a small local restaurant there.
Click this link for directions from the Xe Bangfai Ticket Office
Bualapha: This route back to Thakhek will also mean returning through Bualapha. If you’re running late after a visit to the above-mentioned waterfall and want to spend a night in Bualapha, a good accommodation option is the Chansamai Guesthouse.
Recent Exploration: Following the Paul Macey expedition, it was approximately 100 years before another speleological team went into the cave for the purposes of survey and exploration.
Since 2008, Xebangfai (and other remote caves in the area) has become a popular destination for serious cavers and speleologists, wanting to continue surveys, take photos, and spend a few days exploring the 14 km of giant passageways.
Click the link below for more historical info about the cave
Getting deep into the Xe Bangfai Cave
Internal Rapids: The main cave passage is 6.4 km from the downstream to upstream entrance and, being a river, it has a series of internal rapids (9 in total), which makes a full traverse quite a challenge.
The first three rapids are the most difficult to pass and all have a pronounced height difference between the lower and upper sides. Bypassing rapids 2 and 3 involves a serious amount of equipment portage, and it’s for this reason that a full traverse is only possible with inflatable kayaks, such as those used by Green Discovery Laos.
Being heavy and cumbersome, the wooden canoes used by the local villagers are only able to go as far as the 2nd rapids.
Extensive Passageways: Although the traverse distance from the downstream entrance to the upstream entrance is a demanding 6.4 km, this is less than half the total length of 14.7 km of passageways inside the cave system.
At various points along the main passageway, there are large side passages branching off. To explore the full internal dimensions of the cave would take several trips—or at least a one-week stay at the cave site. Fortunately, for those on a limited time schedule or budget, one of the most impressive sections of the cave is within the first 1.7 km (between the 1st and 2nd rapids).
Approximately 1 km from the downstream entrance is an area where the largest side passage, called Bing Cave, intersects the main passageway.
At 120 meters from the river to the cave ceiling, it’s the highest point of the cave. As one slowly paddles along the river and looks up on the left side of the main passage, the large opening into Bing Cave can be seen high above.
It is a truly gargantuan part of the cave. However, it is not possible to access this internal entry point to Bing Cave. The only way to make a visitation to this section of the cave is through the external entrance, some 200 meters to the left and above the main passageway entrance—along the external cliff face.
By Special Arrangement: A visitation to Bing Cave is possible but must be arranged with Green Discovery Laos and the local authorities, as the cave environment is fragile and is also home to thousands of bats.
Additionally, the route up the cliff face is over jagged karst, and experienced village guides—ones who know the way—must be hired to avoid getting lost in the steep, jungle-covered terrain.
Click here for video highlights of a trip through Bing Cave
Exploring the Xe Bangfai Cave
The Stairway to Heaven area is probably the most impressive section of the cave and is approximately 1.5 km beyond the downstream entrance. The area is a broad plateau, approximately 30 meters above the river, which contains some massive concretions, flowstones, gours, and cave pearls.
It is situated on the left side of the cave and only 200 meters from the second rapids. As sightseers move upstream in their canoes, the largest formations are clearly visible from the river below. The two largest are twenty meters in height and sit near the edge of the drop-off to the river.
Difficult to Access: While it is an area containing some impressive cave formations, it’s also a place that is difficult to access. The area also has some very delicate speleothem, and it is primarily for this reason that unguided tours are not permitted.
If you have an interest in getting a closer look at the massive concretions at the Stairway to Heaven area, you will need to go on an organised tour with Green Discovery Laos. They have experienced caving guides who know the route through the area without creating damage to the cave environment.
Additionally, a tour to this area will increase the price of the standard tour.
The Rim Pools: After the Stairway to Heaven, the Rim Pools area is the next most impressive of concretions within the cave.
It’s located near the midpoint of the traverse (between the 3rd and 4th rapids) at a section called the Oxbow. Those doing a full traverse through the cave will have an opportunity to explore this location, as it’s normally where the kayak tour takes its lunch break.
The terrain next to the river is relatively flat, so alighting from the kayaks is quite easy. As you sit there enjoying your sticky rice and chicken barbecue, the wall of steps—created by layers of gours—rises impressively up the side of the cave.
Climbing Up: Once you’ve finished your lunch, the guides will normally give the tour party about 30 minutes to climb up the Rim Pool steps.
At the top, and unable to be seen from the river, is what speleological experts have deemed to be the world’s largest rim pool—a gargantuan cave gour which is the size, or bigger, than an Olympic swimming pool. At the far end (towards the upstream entrance) is another highly impressive speleothem: a huge column, some 30 meters in height, rising all the way to the cave’s ceiling.
There are so many incredible features at the Rim Pools area, a short stop doesn’t do it justice.
Cave Pearls: Another amazing sight is the hexagonal cave pearls, the size of baseballs, tucked into the sandy recesses of the steps created by the gours.
The remarkable thing about cave pearls is they originally start out as small grains of sand, and over millennia, water action and coating see them grow to much larger dimensions.
The Upstream Side: From the Rim Pools area, it’s a relatively easy paddle (compared to the section downstream from the Rim Pools) to the Upstream Entrance.
Note: This upper section has four more sets of rapids to negotiate.
Huge Passage: Approximately 500 meters beyond the Rim Pools is a section of the cave tunnel which is visually impressive for its size and length.
The Cathedral is a massive straight passage, some 70 meters in height, which starts after the 5th rapids and runs for approximately 500 meters. Along both sides of the passageway, huge formations can be seen hanging from vertical ledges, high above.
Beyond the Cathedral passage, the cave opens into a wide area with a beautiful set of hanging gours on the right-hand side and a wide sandy plateau on the left. This is one of the widest sections in the cave.
The Upstream Entrance: As you approach the 7th rapid, the daylight coming from the upstream entrance can be seen well beforehand. At the upstream entrance, there’s a 9th set of rapids which, once negotiated, takes you to an external lagoon.
To the right of the rapids, and at the very end of the cave river, is a nice little beach which is big enough to set up camp for the night. Directly in front of the upstream entrance is a massive rock pile—the debris from a cave roof collapse in millennia past.
The Cave of Clouds: Beyond the rock pile and to the right is another cave (the Cave of Clouds) which, according to caving experts, is part of the original watercourse that has been blocked off by the collapse of the cave roof. The entrance into the Cave of Clouds is over the huge rock pile. The climb up provides a spectacular view back into the upstream entrance.
Xebangfai Cave is a truly spectacular caving experience.
Contact Green Discovery Laos to arrange an adventure trip to be remembered.
