Tad Fane and Tad Yuang, the Plateau’s Great Falls

Twin ribbons of water plunging into a jungle gorge, then a wide curtain of falls you can walk beneath, a few kilometres apart on the road to Paksong.

Area

Bolaven Plateau

Start from

Pakse

Distance

about 40 km each way

Time needed

1 day

Best season

Fullest July – October; easiest access November – March

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Motorbike, car with driver or day tour along Route 16

Tickets & rules

Small entry and parking fees at each falls

Why go

Tad Fane is the image on half the postcards of southern Laos, and the first sight of it does not disappoint. Two streams pour side by side off a cliff edge into a deep, forested gorge, falling well over a hundred metres and disappearing into spray. You watch from a viewpoint on the opposite rim, with nothing between you and the drop but a railing and the sound of water.

Tad Yuang, a short ride away, is the opposite kind of beauty. Here the river spreads into a broad curtain about forty metres high, framed by ferns and coffee bushes, and you can climb down a stairway to the pool at its base and feel the spray on your face.

Together they make an easy day out of Pakse, or the first highlights of the Bolaven loop. In between, roadside stalls sell coffee, avocados, durian and passion fruit grown on the surrounding farms.

The story

Tad Fane sits at the edge of the Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area, a patch of forest on the western rim of the plateau. The twin streams are the Champi and the Pak Koot, which meet in the gorge below; on misty mornings the bottom of the falls is completely hidden and you seem to be looking into a cloud. The forest around it still holds hornbills, gibbons and many birds, though you are more likely to hear them than see them.

Tad Yuang, whose name is also spelled Tad Gneuang, is fed by the Houay Yuang stream and is loved by Lao families, who come at weekends to picnic and wade in the pool below. Local legend links several falls on the plateau with spirits who must be respected, and you may see small offerings of flowers and rice placed on rocks near the water.

A little further on, the smaller Tad Niang is worth a stop if you have time and energy left: a low, wide falls in quieter surroundings, where the water spills over a long rock shelf and you may have the place almost to yourself.

Getting there

Take Route 16 east from Pakse towards Paksong. Tad Fane is signposted to the right around kilometre 38; the turning for Tad Yuang comes shortly after on the left. The roads to both are short and paved or good gravel. The ride takes about an hour from Pakse on a motorbike.

Tour desks in Pakse run day trips that combine both falls with a coffee farm, which is a good choice if you prefer not to ride.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00Leave Pakse early to reach Tad Fane before the mist lifts completely.
2. 9:00Tad Fane viewpoint; take the short path along the rim for different angles.
3. 10:30Coffee at a stall or farm between the two falls.
4. 11:30Tad Yuang: walk down to the pool and, in the dry season, swim.
5. 13:00Lunch at a roadside restaurant, then optionally visit Tad Niang before riding back.
6. 16:00Return to Pakse, or continue to Paksong for the night.

Where to stay

Pakse works for a day trip. If you are doing the loop, push on to Paksong, about 10 km further, where guesthouses are simple and cheap and nights are cool. A few lodges near Tad Fane offer rooms with forest views.

Good to know

• Morning is clearest at Tad Fane; by afternoon clouds often roll into the gorge.
• Wear sandals with grip for the slippery stairs at Tad Yuang.
• Bring a towel and swimwear for Tad Yuang in the dry months.
• Guided treks to the bottom of Tad Fane exist; do not attempt the descent alone.