The best things to do in Khammouane line the Thakhek Loop, a 450 km circuit through limestone karst that the provincial tourism office recommends riding over three to five days.
This guide covers 14 stops on and off the loop, grouped by area, with directions, opening hours and entrance fee for each.
Read also: 11 Best Things to Do in Champasak and Must-see Attractions
Top Things to Do in Khammouane Around Thakhek
That Sikhottabong Stupa
Rising about 29 m on the bank of the Mekong, That Sikhottabong dates back to the ancient Sikhottabong kingdom and was built to enshrine a relic of the Buddha.
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King Phothisarat began a major restoration in 1539, King Setthathirath completed it in 1568, and King Anouvong added a hall for a large seated Buddha in the early 19th century.
Every year on the full moon of the third lunar month, usually in February, the stupa fills for the That Sikhottabong Festival, with almsgiving and candlelit processions around the base.
It rarely makes the first draft of a Laos itinerary, which is precisely why the best things to do in Khammouane still feel like your own discovery.
- Address: About 6 km south of Thakhek on the Mekong riverbank, Thakhek District
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
- Entrance fee: Free
Tham Xang (Elephant Cave)
The closest cave to Thakhek is reached by a short staircase. Villagers once feared a rock formation shaped like a demon’s head here, and after a run of illness in 1956 they blew it up with dynamite. An elephant head then appeared elsewhere in the rock, giving the cave its name, and it has been a Buddhist shrine ever since.
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A small passage behind the large golden Buddha leads to the elephant formation, so bring a torch. Flooding can block access from May to October.
- Address: About 6 km north-east of Thakhek on Route 12, then 1 km on a dirt road to Ban Tham
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
- Entrance fee: 10,000 LAK
Tham Pa Fa (Buddha Cave)
In 2004, a villager named Bounnong found a hidden opening high in a limestone cliff near Ban Na Khang Xang. Inside were 229 Buddha statues of wood, gold, silver and bronze, believed to date from the Lan Xang era, along with old palm-leaf manuscripts.
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Today you climb to the chamber under the watch of village guardians. Photography is not allowed inside, and women are asked to wear a traditional sinh skirt.
The province moves at a pace that most travellers say they want but few actually commit to, and the things to do in Khammouane reward that slower tempo.
- Address: Ban Na Khang Xang, about 15 km from Thakhek, Thakhek District
- Opening hours: Daily, 08:00 to 17:00, including holidays
- Entrance fee: 20,000 LAK for foreigners and 10,000 LAK for Lao adults. Optional boat rental, 50,000 LAK.
Tham Pa Seuam
From the Buddha Cave car park, a path behind the stalls and a wooden bridge lead to Tham Pa Seuam, a half-flooded cave with a lake under the stalactites. In the wet season you need a boat; in the dry season you can wade, and the clear water is good for a swim. Bring a headlamp and swimwear.
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Start here and you will quickly realise that things to do in Khammouane have less to do with ticking off a list and more to do with letting the landscape lead.
- Address: Reached from the Tham Pa Fa car park, Ban Na Khang Xang, Thakhek District
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
Tham Xieng Liab
The name comes from a local legend: Xiang, a young man who had once been a novice monk, fell for a hermit’s daughter and kept skirting the cliff, “liap” in Lao, looking for a way to slip into the cave and take her away. Its entrance rises 30 m, and the cave runs about 200 m through the rock.
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In the dry season you can walk end to end; in the wet season, local boats take you through. There is a zipline and campsite on site.
This is one of those things to do in Khammouane that nobody photographs well, because half of it is the sound, the smell, the temperature of the air.
- Address: Near Ban Xiang Liap, about 14 km north-east of Thakhek on Route 12
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
- Entrance fee: 10,000 LAK
Tha Falang
Tha Falang means “the French pier”: in the colonial era, French officials came to this bend of the Nam Don River to swim and picnic, and the name stuck. The emerald pool lies under limestone cliffs, 3 to 4 m deep in the dry season and up to 6 m in the rains.
Today it is a swimming and boating spot with a restaurant and a viewpoint. Among the things to do in Khammouane, this stands out for how little it asks of you and how much it gives back.
- Address: Ban Thok, about 16 km from Thakhek, Thakhek District
- Opening hours: Daily, 08:00 to 17:00, including holidays
- Entrance fee: Free. Boat rides, 50,000 LAK per person, up to three people per boat.
Kamphaeng Hin Yak (The Giant Wall)
North of Thakhek, a sandstone wall runs for kilometres, rising to about 15 m near Mai Phosy village.
Its origin is still debated: some guides call it a Sikhottabong-era fortification, while a 2013 report described it as a natural formation caused by fissures in the rock. Local legend says giants as tall as the sky built it as an animal trap.
The French turned one end into a Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary, and it is still used as a Christian worship site. If your idea of a good day involves no queues, no entrance fees, and no other tourists in sight, the things to do in Khammouane were built for you.
- Address: North of Thakhek, near Mai Phosy village
- Opening hours: Open access
- Entrance fee: Free
Things to Do in Khammouane North of Thakhek
Tham Pha Chan
A stream cuts about 600 m through the limestone at Tham Pha Chan, under an entrance about 60 m high and 100 m wide.
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At the western end, a sandalwood Buddha is set about 15 m above the ground, giving the cave its name, “Sandalwood Buddha Cave”. In the dry season you can walk through to the far side.
It pairs well with almost anything else on a list of things to do in Khammouane, and works just as well on its own.
- Address: About 20 km along a rough road from Route 13, near Khoun Nam Don
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
Khoun Nam Don (Nam Don Resurgence)
A short way from Tham Pha Chan, the Nam Don River rises out of the ground from a cave at the base of a tall limestone karst, filling a lagoon you can swim in. It is the same river that runs past Tha Falang.
The access road is rough, so go by motorbike, tuk-tuk or with a guide booked through the Tourist Information Centre in Thakhek. Locals will point you in this direction without hesitation, and it remains one of the most honest things to do in Khammouane for that reason.
- Address: Near Tham Pha Chan, on the same access road from Route 13
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Go in daylight.
Khoun Kong Leng (Blue Lagoon)
Kong Leng means “evening gong”: villagers say a gong rings from beneath the water on Buddhist holy days, especially at full moon. The lake is fed by an underground river, which turns it turquoise to emerald depending on the season, and averages about 21 m deep.
Swim only in the stream near the wooden footbridge, ask in the village first, and note that fishing is banned. Optional extras include a viewpoint, kayaks and a zipline.
Give it a full morning at least, because the best things to do in Khammouane tend to punish anyone in a hurry.
- Address: Ban Nakhou, Hinboun District. From Thakhek, take Route 13 for about 30 km, then 20 km on a paved road.
- Opening hours: Daily, 08:00 to 17:00, including holidays
- Entrance fee: Free. Viewpoint 70,000 LAK, kayak 180,000 LAK, zipline 700,000 LAK.
Khone Keo Rapids
Near Khon Keo village, the Hinboun River breaks over the Khone Keo rapids inside the Phou Hin Poun National Protected Area. There is no road to the rapids: you reach them on a two-day community trek by motorised oxcart that starts after a visit to Khoun Kong Leng.
- Address: Near Ban Khon Keo, Hinboun River, Phou Hin Poun National Protected Area
- Opening hours: By guided community trek only
- Entrance fee: Booked as part of a guided trek
Things to Do on Route 8 and in Phou Hin Poun
Tad Nam Sanam (Sanam Waterfall)
This twin cascade drops in steps off Phou Phaman near Ban Na Hin. The trail runs about 1.5 to 3 km through forest and is steep, muddy and poorly marked in places, so follow the black marks on the tree trunks. The falls are at their fullest from May to October.
- Address: Near Ban Na Hin (Khoun Kham), Route 8
- Opening hours: Open daily, with no fixed hours published. Start the walk by 14:00.
- Entrance fee: Free
Kong Lor Cave
Kong Lor is the headline of the loop: the Hinboun River runs 7.5 km through a limestone mountain, through passages up to 90 m wide and 100 m high.
Boatmen take you through by longboat to Ban Natan on the far side and back, with life jackets and headlamps supplied, though a stronger headlamp of your own is worth packing.
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The boat takes about 75 to 90 minutes to reach the far side, with short stops, and the last boats leave around 16:00.
- Address: Kong Lor village, Khoun Kham District, Phou Hin Poun National Protected Area
- Opening hours: Daily, 08:00 to 17:00, including holidays
- Entrance fee: 250,000 LAK for foreigners and 200,000 LAK for Lao adults, including the boat
Things to Do in Khammouane: Hin Nam No National Park
Tham Xe Bang Fai
In Hin Nam No, the Xe Bang Fai River runs underground for kilometres before resurfacing near Ban Nong Ping, through a main chamber averaging 76 m wide and 56 m high. French explorers surveyed it in 1905 and 1995, and a National Geographic expedition brought it to wider attention in 2008.
Village boatmen paddle visitors in, without engines, to protect the cave and its bats: a short trip of about an hour, or a two-hour trip to the rapids 2 km inside. Village guides are required, and entry is not recommended from June to October.
Kong Lor Cave alone would be enough to anchor any list of things to do in Khammouane, but stopping there would mean missing the point entirely.
- Address: Ban Nong Ping, Boualapha District, about 145 km from Thakhek
- Opening hours: Arranged with the village boat association
- Entrance fee: Free. Boat prices are posted on the board in the village.
How Long Does the Thakhek Loop Take?
The Thakhek Loop covers about 450 km of karst landscapes, protected areas and giant caves, and the Khammouane tourism office recommends three to five days. Adding Tham Xe Bang Fai means a long detour east into Hin Nam No, which adds at least two more days.
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Best Time to Visit Khammouane
The best time to visit Khammouane is the dry season, from November to April, when cave water is clear and river levels are safer for boats.
The rainy season, from May to October, brings greener scenery and the fullest waterfalls, but high water can close caves such as Tham Xe Bang Fai and Tham Xang.
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Is Khammouane Worth Visiting?
Yes. Khammouane packs some of the biggest caves in Laos, a Lan Xang pilgrimage stupa and Hin Nam No, the country’s first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, into one province.
Apart from Kong Lor, most stops are free or cost 20,000 LAK or less, and three to five days on the loop covers the highlights. For current fees, call Khammouane Tourism on +856 51 212 000.
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