Kong Lor Cave

Kong Lor Cave

Kong Lor Cave
4.5
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Wolrdwide
London, UK239 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2024 • Solo
Kong Lor Cave is definitely worth the effort to get to. Love the 1) travel to get there, 2) the end of the world feeling in the valley and 3) the visit of the cave.

In Dec 24 I took a bus from Vientiane. It leaves at 10 am and cost 180,000K, takes 7-8 hrs. It was not busy. I suggest you make your way to the bus station yourself instead of buying the ticket in town for bus+hotel pick up, I paid 400,000. I stayed 2 nights at Kong Lor. I left on a local bus at 630 for Thakhek and connected to Pakse at 12. I reached Pakse at 8:15pm. Long day, but doable.

I was there just before xmas and it was not very busy. So in the evening it is very quite and has a very calming feeling. Some guesthouses offer food, but it is not that there is a thriving resto/bar scene.

Visiting the cave (abt 15 min walk from village), you are put on boats with max 3 ppl. If you are on your own the price is nearly double. I waited abt 10 min and was paired with 2 other ppl. We took abt 1,5hrs to get thru the cave, spend 20-30min on the other side, and then returned abt 45 min. The ceiling is always high, so not really scary. On the way to the other side, there is one stop where you climb lots of steps to see parts of the cave and return to the boat, a little bit later there is a part where one gets off the boat and walks part thru the cave before re-joining the boat, all well-lit. Being barefoot is not a good idea for the stairs and walking thru the cave, but sometimes feet will get wet when getting off the boat. Not really a good trip for ppl with mobility issues.

On the other side are some vendors who sell food, coconuts etc. We spend abt 20 min there and returned. Driving thru the cave it can get a little chilly, so having a long sleeved shirt might be a good idea. Overall I loved the trip, although it takes a bit f effort to get there.
Written 5 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travellerme
Brighton, UK284 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
The best way to arrive at the cave is by boat from the Spring River resort, but car is fine...or bike.
You get fitted out with a decent life jacket and torch if you don’t have your own.A boatman takes you about the third of the way in in total darkness save for his and your torches. Then yoi take a 20 minute walk through very well lit stalagmites and stalagmites, caverns and passed wonderful pillars and shapes made through the eons of time. Then is back to the boat to continue through the 7,5 km ride out into daylight to a landing where’s there’s some refreshments to be taken. You can visit a section where textiles are being made on looms . The prices are attractive and you’re supporting the locals rather than going through markets and shops. Then it’s back through the cave water course to the start . I’ve been to a lot of caves around the world. This is up there with best. It’s not easy to get to . That makes it even more worthwhile to visit as it’s pretty quiet and not rammed with visitors.
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Svenbe62
Brussels, Belgium10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
For the crossing of the cave which is 7.5 km long, it takes a little over 1 hour, with a passage on foot to admire the cave (bring suitable shoes. No need to take lamps, headlamps are available.
At the exit, the little place to relax is nice. As for the road, it is superb. This is truly deep Laos. The mountains, the color of the landscapes, the traditional villages, nothing is missing. One of the most beautiful passages of the Thakhek loop. I highly recommend it.
Google
Written 11 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HellsEzel
Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands15 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
Based on the reviews we had high expectations, but it was quite disappointing. First we were being yelled at by the parking spot to pay up, then commanded to put on flip flops. After a short walk and a two minute boat ride we were again yelled at (in Lao) to leave the boat. We could watch a well lit part, which was nice, but difficult to enjoy as there were 30 people walking around at once and dozens of motorboats were making noise. We slipped and fell, and still our boatman pulled our arms (very roughly) because we had to hurry. Then dropped in a desolate place where we were supposed to hang around for 2 hours. The staff at this cave is horrible, worst we have seen in Laos. Tourists are cash cows here and expect to be treated like cattle. Two stars because the cave was impressive, although not very beautiful. If you want to see a beautiful cave it's better to go to Tham Nang Aen... They also have boat rides there. Konglor is pretty expensive and nothing seems to be done to preserve the cave.
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Patrick V
Manosque, France204 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
Overall a rather disappointing experience. Most of the time you cannot see anything because it is very dark. We were lucky we had to get out only once. In the dry season it is happening many times we` ve been told. Approx. half way you have to disembark and you can take a short walk near a place were some stalactites are displayed with colored lights. Not the most beautiful cave I have aver seen
Written 10 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pelfrot
Kopstal66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
I lived in Laos for 5 years and continue to go there regularly. My job takes me to every nook and cranny of the country. The most amazing spot I visited (several times already) is the amazing limestone valley where the Khong Lor cave is situated. Laos is a wonderful country to visit, but it has very little in terms of absolutely must-see attractions, except Luang Phabang, and... this cave. It is one of my absolute favourites in south east asia, together with Angkor, Pagan and the Similan islands.
The Khong Lor cave is not easy to get to. It's possible to figure it out using public transportation and spending a lot of lime. It will be more expensive, but o so much more efficient, if you rent a car with driver. You can do this through any travel agency in Vientiane. This has the additional advantage that you can then book a room at the Sala Hinhoun, located at 4 kms from the cave entrance. It's a really nice traditional guesthouse that is regularly fully booked. The alternative would be home stay with the villagers, which is probably OK if you're back packing, but I feel better in a real bed. The sala Hinboun will also roast you a suckling pig to order. Of course, if you don't like eating a creature that you still saw running around in the morning, you should not do this.
Many people who visit the cave simply go to the village at the cave exit, take a boat up river to the other side, walk around a little in the very isolated valley there (the cave is the only way in) and return the same way. This might get a little boring. If you're reasonably fit, the alternative is to go to the village at the exit and arrange for a guide to take you across the mountain to the cave entrance, where a boat will be waiting to take you back through the cave. The hike across the mountain is not easy but I've done it twice already (I'm in the mid-fifties), once with a much younger friend in 4 hours, once with 3 children between 11 and 17, in 6 hours. The path you follow is wild, cutting through jungle, traversing limestone pinnacles. This path was used by the pathet lao during the vietnam war. Make sure you carry plenty f water because you will not be able to find any om the road.
When taking the boat through the cave, it is a good idea to have one of these LED headlights. Also be aware that on several occasions you need to get out of the boat and walk through the water where it is too low for the boat to get through. If you have been hiking and are wearing heavy boots (highly recommended because of the very rough terrain), you do not want them to get wet, so you take them off in the boat, but then you have to walk barefooted through the river, which is not nice: the stones are very slippery and at times also very sharp. It might be a good idea to carry some slippers in your backpack.
The valley through which you travel to get to the cave is very spectacular. It is completely surrounded by a vertical limestone wall of several hundreds meters high. The only way in is through a narrow natural gate made by the Hinboun river. You can easily spend several days here, and make it as active or as relaxing as you like. The Sala Hinboun is a spot that inspires introspection, meditation and peace of mind. The landscape is awe inspiring and village life is still relatively unspoilt. But there are also several dry caves to explore in the area, and a guide can take you om a hunting trail up the mountains.
Back on the main road where the road to the cave takes off, you can also explore a number of nice waterfalls you can reach via an interesting jungle walk. A guide is required though because there are many criss crossing hunting trails, no signposts and sometimes you just have to crawl over the rocks. You can ask around in Na Hin. We found one at the small minimarket in town. The owner sent his son with us.
I can only conclude: this really is a good reason to come to Laos.
Written 12 December 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pepca
slovenia168 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2011
We visited Tham Kong Lo from Vientiane:
Hired a tuktuk in to the south bus station (cost us 50.000 kip, but I guess we didn't negotiate hard enough (an alternative would be a bus from morning market bus station, but am not sure if it starts before 6 am). At south bus station we got on the bus to Lak Sao (three departures at 5, 6 nf 7am), ours was the 6am bus which left Vientiane at 6.45 (loading of stuff, smoking, getting fuel, being Laotian.). The road was nice and we hopped of ath Ban Khoun Kham (aka Ban Na Hin) which was 12:15. Checked into a guesthouse, spoke to the owner and got his advice to visit the cave next day. OK, got a lunch and checked out the taxi-sttion in the middle of the town. It has a schedule of tuktuks to the cave (approx 40 km away on a nice road), they go at 10 am, 1 pm and 15:30 pm, so we could esily caught the 1pm, if we knew better (the cave boats operate until 5pm, so enough time for the cave, which takes 2.5h). Next day we arranged a tuktuk to pick us up at the guesthouse but that didnt happen because the owner forgot to call them (a trick to stay another night maybe). So we rented a motorbik from a GH on the main road, near the gas station and drove to the cave (1h, a nice drive). There is a sawng-thaew, going to the junction (30-50 km) on the main road Vientiane - Thakaek. at 5pm. We took it and then waited on the beforementioned main road for 15mins and caught a bus to Pakse (arrived 5am on the following day).
Allinall, the cave could (if youre in a rush and have luck with public transport) be done without overnight (sleep on the bus to Pakse. Easy. If umiss something, there are guesthouses around and busses Vientiane - Thakek are frequent In Thakaek you can catch an onward bus to Pakse, which run up to midnight (in Thakaek)
Written 24 April 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris E
Vancouver, Canada27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2012 • Couples
I can't recommend going to the Kong Lor caves enough. It was the highlight of our trip to Laos. We'd been to a number of other caves in SE Asia, but they all were disappointing (especially that Buddha cave tourist trap in Luang Prabang. Skip that one for sure). To see the caves, you take a boat along the river that goes all the way through the caves to the other side of the mountain. Along the way you stop and take a walk through one section that they've lit up very tastefully. Once lit up, it feels like you're on another planet. Bring a tripod and a camera with a slow shutter speed to get some amazing pictures. Flash pictures will never do the cave justice. (if you don't have a tripod you can always rest your camera on a rock).

The caves close 4:00pm. Keep that in mind if you're trying to get there in one day! However, I would say you should plan at least two days to see the caves if you're coming from Vientiane, and I recommend taking three days with a homestay in Ban Kong Lor or Ban Natane (which is on the other side of the cave). Expect the homestay to be pretty rustic. There are also at least two guesthouses and at least one other one being built when we were there.

The trickiest part is getting there. It took a while to figure out how to do it online so I'm going to give a rundown of how to do it here.

Okay, so Kong Lor Caves is in a village called Kong Lor (hence, the name). It's about 40km from a town called Ban Na Hin which runs along Highway 8. There are guesthouses popping up every month, it seems, in Ban Na Hin as the caves become more popular. Ban Na Hin is a sort of the transit point / gateway to Kong Lor so you'll.

So, coming from the Vientiane SOUTHERN bus terminal, you have three options. Option B and C are on non-air conditioned overcrowded public buses so board early (15 mins or so should be enough) to get a seat.

a) Apparently there is bus that goes directly to Kong Lor. Potentially an air-conditioned VIP bus. Sometimes, however, they say it gets cancelled because of lack of people, but I'm not so sure this is true anymore. We met some people in Kong Lor who had taken this bus. My advice would be to ask at the bus terminal about a bus directly to Kong Lor first and just see what happens. Although if you want more of an adventure, try option b or c below!

b) You get on any bus going south along hwy 13 towards Tha Khaek, Savannakhet, Pakse etc. and you get off at the junction where hwy 8 meets hwy 13 (the bus is actually the same for all those destinations I think, so just get the ticket for Tha Khaek because it's the first town after the junction and will be the cheapest - 60,000 kip). The junction is pretty obvious and more than likely at least one local person on the bus will be getting off there, but to be safe, make sure to try and communicate that you wish to get off there. The town at the junction is called "" so in the very least just point to yourself and say "". I'll admit I was a bit freaked out that I'd miss it, but once we got there, about half the bus got off so I had nothing to worry about. Also, the bus ride takes about 6 - 7 hours depending on who you pick up on the way and how much stuff they need to put on the roof. From the junction, you can catch a Tuk Tuk (Sawng Thaew, technically) to Ban Na Hin (40km - 1hr). They leave every half hour or so and usually wait on the hwy 8 corner of the junction. Just say "Ban Na Hin?" to someone and they'll point you in the right direction.

c) You can catch a bus to Lak Sao which is actually on hwy 8 so you can bypass the whole Junction fiasco (The bus runs up hwy 13 and turns left at hwy 8). You will need to tell the driver to let you off in Ban Na Hin, but I get the feeling it might stop there anyway either to drop someone off or pick someone else up. This is a better option, I think, but the busses only leave every two hours from 6:00am (I believe).

Once you're in Ban Na Hin you can stay the night or, if you caught the really early bus, catch a Tuk Tuk directly to Kong Lor. Supposedly the Tuk Tuks to Kong Lor leave at 10:00ish, 1:00ish and 3:00ish. We caught the 10:00ish one which left at 9:55am. The Tuk Tuk driver should drop you off right at the parking lot for the cave. It's 2,000 kip to get in (which some people thought was weird, but seriously it's like $0.25). Boats are a flat rate of 115,000 kip and can take a max of three people so it's cheaper to try and fill up the boat.

If you do a Homestay in Kong Lor, there is a 7:00 AM VIP bus that can take you back to Vientiane direct for 80,000 kip. At least there was when we were there. To go south, you can take a Tuk Tuk at 6:30am to Lak Sao and go from there. You might even be able to take a Tuk Tuk to Tha Khaek, but I don't know for sure.

You can also do a homestay in Ban Natane which is about 2km from the other side of the caves. Ban Natane just got electricity recently and I imagine a Homestay there would be quite an experience. There are some stories online that make it sound like a really good choice. If I had an extra day at the time, I would have done it there instead. Remember, you will need to pay another 115,000 kip for the boat to get back to Kong Lor the next day.

Hope this helps someone!
Written 7 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

megaworldasia360
Phuket, Thailand484 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2017 • Solo
Khong Lor Cave is located in Khamouane Province in Central Laos and is one of the highlights of travel in Laos and is probably one of the best cave tours in the region in terms of accessibility and a sightseeing experience.

To get to Khong Lor Cave you will need to travel up from Thakhek or down from Vientiane. Those going there from Thakhek usually do so on a motorbike as part of the “Loop Trip.” To get there from Vientiane by bus you will need to use the dedicated Vientiane to Khong Lor bus which departs from Vientiane bus station at 10.00 am each day. If you pay for the ticket at the bus station the price is 80,000 LAK for the one way trip. If you book through a guesthouse in Vientiane the price is generally around 120,000 LAK. However, the guesthouse (or hotel) price also includes transfer to the bus station in a small bus. NOTE: the bus to Khong Lor Cave is a local bus and not a dedicated coach which means it will stop at least 50 times on route to allow locals to board and alight. The distance from Vientiane bus station to Khong Lor Village is approx. 250 km and will take 7 – 8 hours of travel on the local bus. NOTE: the bus does stop twice for meal and toilet breaks. Arrival time in Khong Lor village is approx. 5.30 PM and the bus drops everyone at the ECO-LODGE GUEST HOUSE. For those departing from Kong Lor Village, the bus to Vientiane leaves the Eco-Lodge premises at 07.00 AM. NOTE: if you are travelling south to Thakhek, and not going back to Vientiane, the bus will drop you at the junction of Hwy’s 13 & 8. For those going by bus to Khong Lor, from Thakhek, you will be dropped off at the same junction and will need to wait for the Khong Lor bus coming down from Vientiane.

Khong Lor Village is approx. 1 km form the cave entrance and is an easy walk along a sealed road to the kiosk and departure area. The operating times for the boat trip through the cave are 08.00 – 17.00 daily. The tours are done in wooden, flat bottomed, long-tail boats (similar to the ones in Thailand but with a much smaller draft). The prices currently are as follows: 1 person = 110,000 LAK; 2 people = 120,000 LAK; 3 people = 130,000 LAK. The maximum number of paying customers per boat is 3 people. Tickets can be bought at the kiosk at the departure area which overlooks the freshwater lagoon. NOTE: it is compulsory to wear a life jacket for the entire duration of the trip through the cave, and these are provided for the price of the ticket. NOTE: miners style headlamps can also be hired for the tour, for an additional 5000 LAK. These are highly recommended as the cave is dark with high ceilings and without a light you won’t see very much. The traverse distance is 7.5 km and the run in also includes 20 – 30 minute stop at the formations plateau to view to beautifully illuminated stalactite’s and stalagmites. During the dry season, when river levels are low, the boat may scrape along the bottom in some places and the boat driver may ask you to alight to allow the boat to move off its grounding. This is actually another reason why a head lamp is highly recommended; so you can see the bottom through the clear water and be sure of your foot placement as you wade through knee deep water. With the stop at the formations plateau the run through to the upstream entrance generally takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. You will then exit the cave into a thick jungle, mountainous area and go to a landing where you can alight for a break and stretch your legs.
Written 12 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

naiad17
Brisbane, Australia149 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2014 • Couples
Having made the mistake of reading the guide book and not researching more online, we took a direct bus from Vientiane to ThaThek, thinking this is the place to start for the cave. Well it is, if you go with Green Discovery or other tour companies. And let's not forget that companies pay advertising money to be in Lonely Planet and other guide books - why some ads are much larger than others and are pushed more.
Anyway, From Thathek, there's 2 ways you can do the cave independently and we calculated at a quarter of the tour prices:

1. Hire a scooter and do "The Loop" - you don't need a Trails' bike for this (met many people that did it this way and is cheaper).
2. Local transport - catch the straight through 7:30am bus (60,000K) from Talat Phetmany to Khoun Khan. Arrived at Khoun Khan at 11.30am and had to wait an hour for the Sorngthou (25,000K) to Kong Lor village. As our vehicle was very loaded down with people and items (a fridge, 2 water coolers, and everyone's luggage, chicken, live fish in plastic bags), the trip took 1.5 hours.
From the village, it's a kilometer walk to the park entrance (2,000K) then about a 300 metre walk in the park and to the river and the boat ticket seller. As we were 3 people, the boat cost us 130,000K.

Return journey to Thathek (we stayed the night but you coudl do this in one long day):
Catch the Sorngthou (25,000K) from the road anywhere in Kong Lor village, it starts at 8am so be a little earlier. This only took 1 hour to Khoun Khan and got straight on the connecting bus to Thathek (50,000K), which only took 3 hours this time as the driver thought he was driving a Ferrari! Not sure why the bus was cheaper going back.

Tip: In Thathek, you should only pay 10,000K for a Sorngthau to anywhere in town (apart from the International Bus Station - not sure what that is yet).

Hope this review helps you to save some money as we were quoted US$141 per person (Green Discovery) and 800,000K by the Tourism Info place, for a 1-day tour!

Oh and if you're travelling from Vientiane, it's better to stop at Vieng Kham then get a connecting bus but not sure of prices and times.
Written 1 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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