One of Asia's hidden natural wonders... (Konglor Cave (Laos))

Member Name: Pablo_Sevilla

Product:	Konglor Cave (Laos)
Date:	05/06/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Truly awesome and unique natural wonder, and also a great cultural experience...

Disadvantages: Not as adventurous as it used to be...But for many this is a blessing!

Konglor cave

Konglor cave is a unique natural wonder; It is an underwater subterranean cave system 7km long that cuts through a karst mountain in a breathtaking valley in Khammuan province, Central Laos.

From Tha Kaek or Vientiane you need to take a local bus to Tha Kaek, Savannakhet, or Pakse and get off at the village of Vieng Kham that lies on a junction.
You then need to get a connecting bus or sawngthaew (a truck with two rows of benches in the back, a popular form of local transport in Lao) to the village of Lak Sao.

From Lak Sao it used to be a gruelling 3 hour sawngthaew ride to Ban Kong Lo over horrible dried out rice paddies and pot holes through a wall of dust kicked up by the wheels that blinded everyone in the back and caked you head to toe in a thick layer of red dust! But recently a paved road has finally been completed (well, almost) cutting down the travel time to no more than an hour...It's almost a shame because that journey really did used to feel like an adventure and it means now that Konglor Cave will probably no longer be one of South-East Asia's best kept secrets. This will of course be good for the locals materially with more tourist dollars coming in, but there is a real danger of overdevelopment and mismanagement that could spoil the whole area.

Still, for now it's still unheard of by many backpackers and visitors to Lao, and you wont be seeing that many fellow travellers even in high season.

There are developed villages with mid-range bungalows available about 15km away from Konglor Cave, but if you want some real fun for budget prices you should really consider a homestay with a family in Ban Kong Lo village as it's a very beautiful village only 1km away from Konglor cave itself. The village is a labirynth of stilted wooden hut houses with curious kids running around playing, animals wandering around and a friendly family at every turn. It feels very remote and other worldly, and in many ways it is. They don't see many tourists at all, but that will change soon with completion of the surfaced road and so you need to get here soon before the developers move in!
You basically just have to ask around and say the word "homestay" until a family will agree. Usually it's only 5$ and you will get a free 100% genuine Lao dinner and breakfast every morning and evening with the family. It is a wonderful experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough. But you have to be very aware of customs beforehand as this is a very culturally sensitive environment. You are living with a family in fairly basic lodgings (mosquito net, a barelle of cold water as a shower, squat toilet etc) so need to show respect as a guest. Pointing the soles of your feet or accepting gifts with your left hand are big no-nos here, much more than the rest of Lao where Laotions are usually very forgiving of these little cultural misunderstandings. Learning a bit of Lao will also be very appreciated and go a long way as only a couple villagers in Bam Kong Lo speak English, and even then it's only very basic. But don't let this put you off! They are extremely warm and welcoming even if a language barrier exists.

Now for Konglor Cave itself then...

It really is a marvel of nature. Basically after negotiating a long boat and boatmen to take you through (usually about $10-12 for the 3 hour return trip which you can split between 4 people) you have to pay a 10p entrance fee. You are then taken by boat from Ban Kong Lo through very beautiful streams too the entrance, a huge black mouth in a jagged karst mountain that seems to swallow the river.
When you enter the cave you will need to use flashlights to see the roof which can sometimes stretch to heights over 100 metres high. The river can stretch to about the same width. It is really vast in some places and about half way through the boat will stop and you can get out on the riverside and walk through a subsystem full of brilliant stalagmites that form natural stupas.
You then get back on the boat and continue through the system until you finally reach the exit at the other side.
When you come out the other side you are treated to some spectacular deep valley karst scenary like something out of Lord of the Rings. The boatmen usually stop here by a little shop selling basic refreshments, so you can have a Beer Lao with them while admiring the awesome scenary.
Then it's back through the cave all over again and then back to Bam Kong Lo...

Konglor Cave and the nearby village of Bam Kong Lo combine here to give you an absolutely wonderful experience in one of the best countries to visit in the world. Konglor Cave is simply breathtaking and a unique and special natural phenomenom, whilst Bam Kong Lo offers a phenomenal cultural experience that few places in this part of the world can deliver these days...

We can only pray it stays that way in the face of development.

Summary: Underwater river that runs 7km through the side of a mountain trhough a cave system!