The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region is southern Laos known for its many waterfalls, ethnic villages and coffee plantations. Many travellers hire motorbikes to complete a 3 day loop of the plateau, but being a non-rider I was limited in ways to see the area. The town of Pakse is a good base from which to see the highlights and I went on an organised day trip to see what the area had to offer.

Waterfalls
These are definitely the highlight of the region. With many to choose from, we visited the top three. Tad Fan waterfall is the highest waterfall in Laos at 130 metres, but could only be viewed from across a valley. Tad Lor waterfall was beautiful, and we watched a local man fish in the many rock pools with a net. He caught a fish after about 30 seconds, and I thought I’d probably enjoy this fishing much more than at home, where you can sit for hours without a single bite! Finally we visited Phasuam waterfall, the most beautiful of the three, with the wide falls cascading over rocks and below a rickety bamboo suspension bridge.

Ethnic Villages
I am in two minds about the visit to these villages. Perhaps it was a poor tour, because the driver/leader did not accompany us into the villages and we simply walked through on our own with no interaction with the villagers. The children came up to us and were quite charming, but I got the sense that the adults were not that impressed with foreigners coming through and taking photos, treating them and the village like some cultural display. I felt very awkward and uncomfortable. The interactions with the children though were fun, as kids usually are. I was surprised to see them smoking out of a big pipe, which they kept offering (I refused), and asking our driver later, he confirmed that it was tobacco. So young to be smoking!

We also visited a textile and weaving cooperative which had some lovely pieces of traditional weaving on display, from scarves to blankets to bags. Again the women there didn’t appear to be very happy, and when it seemed like no-one was going to buy anything they were very annoyed. I tried to bargain down the price of a bag but they wouldn’t budge. I bought it anyway (although I seriously don’t need anymore ‘ethnic’ bags……..I have quite a collection at home), and still they didn’t seem happy. Oh well, I tried to do my part.

Coffee and Tea Plantation
Well I have to say that this was a disappointment. After the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia I had an expectation of what a plantation would look like. I would describe this ‘plantation’ as being a coffee shop with some coffee trees out back for display. I understand Laos is nowhere near Malaysia in regards to development, so maybe this was just me having incorrect expectations, but I was disappointed. Again, we weren’t really given a proper tour of the place either, so we had no understanding of the work or process undertaken here.

The people I met who had done the motorcycle trip around the plateau absolutely loved it. I would recommend this if you ride. If not, then I’d look into staying in the towns further in the plateau and visiting the waterfalls from there. The one day tours, I’d give them a miss.