Things to Do in Pakse

Cool temperatures, fertile soil, stunning waterfalls and coffee plantations blanketing its hills — this is the Bolaven Plateau. This higher altitude region of Southern Laos has long been used as a center of agriculture, starting with midland hill tribes who practiced rotational farming on the plateau. During the early twentieth century, French colonists began cultivating coffee, tea, fruit and cardamom in the area.

Well off the beaten path, the Bolaven Plateau attracts adventurous travelers with blissfully cool temperatures, stellar scenery (including Tat Fan, one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country), hill tribe villages and sense of isolation. Travelers can tour coffee plantations, swim at the base of waterfalls, zip line through the trees and learn about the region’s ethnic minorities in one of several villages welcoming to tourists.