Ban Na, the Elephant Village
Only an hour-drive from Vientiane, the small and peaceful village of Ban Na on the outside of Phou Khao Khouay offers guided trekking and a great opportunity to watch wild elephants from the safety of an observation tower. Finding numerous tracks and possibly getting a glimpse of these wonderful creatures will be an unforgettable experience!
A Brief History
In the mid nineties, a considerable part of Ban Na's land has become ‘home' of an elephant herd of more than 40 heads, victimizing the local farmers by frequently raiding their fields. The shifting of the elephant's territory from the upper hills to the lowland has probably been caused by the planting of sugarcane or disturbances due to the construction of a reservoir for power generation several kilometres to the north.
It became difficult for the farmers to plant new crops for which they originally hoped to earn their living. Even after giving up planting sugarcane, the elephants do not show any signs of returning into the mountains, but continue staying in the extensive bamboo belt between the village and the park. Therefore, they are posing a permanent threat, physically and financially, to the people.
The elephants also destroy a large part of the bamboo while bulldozing through the vegetation, thus having a possible future impact on the village handicraft (rice basket weaving) as well. Nowadays, community-based tourism is introduced to provide the villagers with a new source of income.
Trekking at Ban Na
Ban Na has more to offer than ‘just’ elephants. Longer treks to more distant places are rewarding, such as Nam Hi or Tad Lung waterfall, or the more distant Tad Fa, a 40-meter high cliff. This might of this waterfall is unfortunately only seasonal. In the future more trekking opportunities will be explored.
On the way to Tad Lung, the Dan Khoan plateau reveals wonderful views over the Mekong into neighbouring Thailand. The Nam Hi River, with its beautiful forest and many birds, is a wonderful place for a trek and adventurous overnight stay in nature at its finest. During the dry season, 2-to-3-day trekking can also be organized from Ban Na to Tak Leurk
Mountain Trips at Ban Hatkhai
Ban Hatkhai is a small village just outside Phou Khao Khouay, where you can experience authentical village life. Mountains, dense forests and bright-green rice fields surround the village. Its beautiful location at the banks of the Nam Mang River offers an ideal setting for a picturesque picnic under a fig tree.
Trekking at Ban Hatkhai
The village is an ideal starting point for exciting trekking tours into the nearby mountainous area or some startling waterfalls. Most trips include a rewarding boat trip on the Nam Mang River prior to the trek.
From here you can visit the twin waterfalls of Tad Xay and Pha Xay. More trained hikers can do a trekking up the mountain of Pha Luang, a breathtaking cliff which offers views over Phou Khao Khouay and the Mekong lowland as far as Thailand. You can combine this tour with walking up to Houey Ki Ling, a small stream that leads to a beautiful sandstone plateau, where you can spend a night in the forest. Houey Ki Ling is also worth visiting as a one-day trip.
Rural Village Life
The more than 200 years old Ban Hatkhai is a quiet, typically Lao rural village. Its inhabitants belong to two ethnic groups, of which the majority is the Lao Lum. Only about 86 families, or 600 people, live here. The villagers are farmers and predominantly produce rice and vegetables.
Local village life mainly consists of working in the nearby rice fields or herding water buffaloes. The quietness of the village is only disturbed by the sounds of the tinkling bells on the neck of these buffaloes, or by children jumping down from the high fig trees into the Nam Mang River.
In the evening, villagers meet in each other’s houses to drink a Lao Lao (locally brewed rice whisky) and eat sticky rice with fish or soup. You can also visit the local ‘pub’ for a refreshing soda.
Swimming and Camping at Tad Leuk
Tad Leuk is the most popular destination in Phou Khao Khouay, but it is by no means crowded. It is ideal for relaxing, swimming and camping, or as a starting point for trekking in the surrounding forests. As someone put it: “What a paradise here! If I’d knew it before, I’d come here for more than just a day.”
Tad Leuk is a waterfall within the Nam Leuk, one of the three major rivers of the reserve (‘Tad’ means waterfall, while ‘Nam’ means river). The riverbed is a relatively wide sandstone plateau, dotted with numerous, sometimes deep holes. These so-called ‘whirl pools’ have been drilled into the ground by water currents, setting quite big and heavy stones into motion.
The waterfall itself is not a very high one, only about 6 meters high, but can be quite a noisy experience during the rainy season, when the river turns into a wild and torrent ‘beast’. The amount of water varies considerably with the seasons, thus the river will get calm and gentle during late October/November, falling nearly dry thereafter.
Facilities at Tad Leuk
The Tad Leuk Visitor Information Centre holds a permanent exhibition of the flora and fauna to be found in the area. It is written in Lao as well as English. Inside, you can also use the small ‘visitor library’ with survey reports and field guides on the regional plants and wildlife.
Next to the visitor centre, a small restaurant serves basic Lao food and drinks. The friendly family will be happy to welcome you and to give any assistance if needed, although they only speak Lao.
The visitor centre is also the start of the ‘Houey Bone Nature Trail’. Red and white triangular markers guide this 1,5-kilometre trail on trees along the way. It offers a good overview of the flora and fauna in the park. The restaurant owner, Mr. Savay, can provide you with a copy of the trail booklet.
May we kindly ask for your support: If you see any wildlife or make any other observation (insects, plants etc.), please record your discoveries in the Visitor’s Sighting Book in the Tad Leuk Visitor Centre or inform the National Tourism Administration in Vientiane. Thank you!
Tad Xang Waterfall
Tad Xang, about two to three hours walk from Tad Leuk upstream, is another beautiful waterfall well worth a visit. Two bridges crossing fiery and deep tributaries (during the rainy season) allow you to enter the nearby forest at any time.
You could try to find Tad Xang by yourself, but we strongly recommend you to hire Mr. Savay, the supervisor of Tad Leuk, for a reasonable fee as guide. He knows the area very well and you will not get lost in the sometimes-tricky labyrinth of trails. Please be aware that he doesn’t speak English, but he can nevertheless manage to communicate well.
At Tad Xang, a large pool is inviting you for a refreshing swim. During the dry season, you might consider walking back to Tad Leuk on the other side of the river. The landscape and vegetation is quite different there.
Exploring Tad Xay and Pha Xay
Two trails are marked with coloured triangles: one (white-red) trail enters the forest about 100 meters before you reach the parking area (where the incoming road turns left) and ends at the near-by viewpoint almost in front of Pha Xay. The other one (yellow-red) guides you to Tad Xay after crossing the small bridge at the parking area. A large pool filled with water all year round at the foot of Tad Xay invites visitors for a refreshing bath.
During the dry season you may also cross the river itself and walk up-stream inside the sandstone riverbed to Tad Xay. If you walk in the riverbed to Pha Xay (about 200 meters away) on the right (dry season only!), watch your steps – it can be hazardous! The magnificent viewpoint doesn’t have a safety fence as of now and has to be approached with ultimate care. Remember, it’s going down 40 meters straight and it can be very slippery when wet!
The evergreen forest here is still good and harbours a great deal of wildlife – but you have to be more than patient and lucky to see any of the larger animals (such as primates)! Birds may be silent during daytime but it gets ‘noisier’ in the evening or at dawn. Colourful butterflies fill the air with romance during the rainy season.
The area is also rewarding for its abundant orchids, ferns and flowering plants, the latter particularly at the more open places, filling the surrounding air with a special, ‘bewitching’ scent.
Relaxing at Ang Nam Leuk
The Ang Nam Leuk reservoir is a small artificial lake, located in the central-northern part of the park. It is surrounded with dense green forest. This magnificent scenery is a tourist destination in its own right. It offers a cool retreat from the heat of Vientiane during the March to May hot season.
Boat Trips and Trekkings
The beautiful narrow lake is best explored by boat. These boat or canoe trips are particularly interesting for bird and wildlife watching.
It is also possible to visit the Tad Leuk Waterfall, a beautiful nature trekking where you can enjoy wildlife observation go camping in the forest. Multiple-day trekking can be booked on pre-arranged tours in Vientiane.
Nam Leuk Dam
The river Nam Leuk originates in the far northwest of the park at the slopes of Phou Sang Mountain (1666 m). A dam, about 15 kilometres upstream of Tad Leuk and opened only in 2001, has been constructed for power generation. It covers 1280 hectares at the height of the wet season.
