LA · Champasak, Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu provinces · 15.00°N 106.00°E

bolaven plateau

Coffee farms, cool mornings and waterfalls dropping into forested gorges.

Best time
November to February is cool and dry, and the falls are still full after the rains. March and April are warmer and hazy; July to September is very wet, and the dirt side roads are hard going.
How long
2–3 days
Getting there
No direct flight from KL. Fly to Vientiane and connect to Pakse (about 1 hour), or fly via Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani and cross into Laos by road. Paksong is about 1 hour east of Pakse, with Tad Fane and Tad Yuang on the way. Laos is 1 hour behind KL.
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LA · Champasak, Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu provincesbolaven plateau15.00°N 106.00°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Coffee farms, cool mornings and waterfalls dropping into forested gorges.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBolaven PlateauLA, Champasak, Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu provinces
KLbolaven plateau
≈ 1,401 km from KL, as the crow flies
Tad Hang waterfalls at sunset, Tad Lo village, Bolaven Plateau, Salavan Province, Laos.

Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A cool upland east of Pakse where French planters brought coffee a century ago. Most people do it as a loop by car or motorbike, stopping at coffee farms, villages and big waterfalls pouring off the edge of the plateau, with a night or two around Paksong.

Makan

  1. Bolaven coffeeArabica and robusta grown right here. A farm tasting is the best way to try both.Map ↗
  2. Grilled fish and sticky riceSimple lunches at roadside stalls between waterfall stops.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Tad FaneTwin falls plunging over 100 metres into a jungle gorge, seen from a viewpoint opposite.Map ↗
  2. Tad YuangA wide curtain of water, with steps down to the pool at its foot.Map ↗
  3. Coffee farms around PaksongFarm visits follow the coffee from red cherry to roasted cup.Map ↗
  4. Tad LoA riverside village with falls on the northern side of the plateau, on the longer loop.Map ↗

Good to know

  • The short loop from Pakse takes a couple of days; the long one via Tad Lo needs three or more.
  • Halal food is very hard to find on the plateau. Bring snacks from Pakse and lean on fish, eggs and vegetable dishes.
  • Waterfall steps are slippery all year, so wear shoes with grip.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.