Xe Bang Fai cave Laos - contacts / tips

[Ane]

I'm planning a three week holiday in Laos in late January / early March (primarily backpacking with a non-caver friend). We're hoping to make it to the Hin Namno National Park, especially given the new UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Would anybody happen to have any local contacts or knowledge of guides for the Xe Bang Fai river cave? Or any other tips / recommendations for the area? Xe Bang Fai looks absolutely amazing, and relatively accessible - and seems to have been visited by British groups / expeditions over the last few years (based on the forum and Descent), so I was hoping to be able to get hold of or referred to somebody with a bit of local knowledge.

 

[Ouan]

(Information from Terry Bolger in Laos). Guided trips to Tham Xe Bang Fai are available. If you make your own way to the cave there will only be the local guides on bamboo rafts who won't take you much further than the entrance lake. The man to talk to is Olaxai (see brochure below) who has inflatable kayaks stored at the village and offers trips with an English speaking guide all the way through the cave. He also has a 2 day trip that includes transport from Thakhek

A trip to the cave is highly recommended, but bring a very good light!

135 km to the NW of Tham Xe Bang Fai, Tham Kong Lor is much more set up for tourism, but the cave trip is still recommended. 10 km before Tham Kong Lor the massive entrance to Tham Nam Non is 1 km north of the road. This is a wild cave, the second longest in Laos at 30 km, but the first part is all walking in big passage.

 

[Ane]

That's absolutely perfect, thank you so much! I was exactly looking for somebody who could do a bit of a longer trip than just a short look into the cave on a bamboo canoe

 

[Ane]

We went to Xe Bang Fai yesterday, and it was absoluty amazing - and Ola was a brilliant guide. Highly recommended for anybody coming this way! And send my thanks to Terry for the contact details, please.

My camera got soaked about 15 min into the trip, but here are a few phone shots to show the scale of the place.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Absolutely love the pics especially the last 2

 

[Lankyman]

Fantastic photos! I've seen this described as the largest active river cave in the world. It's obviously a stunning place but is it the biggest (whatever that means)?

 

[Ane]

Fantastic photos! I've seen this described as the largest active river cave in the world. It's obviously a stunning place but is it the biggest (whatever that means)?

Thank you! It is definitely an awe-inspiring place, and as big as anything I’ve ever seen - up to 120m ceiling height (and >60-70m in large parts), and easily 100m wide in many places. I believe that if we define ‘largest’ based on cross-sectional area and discharge, then Xe Bang Fai takes the lead.

 

[spelfish]

It looks absolutely stunning! How big is the river (ie how many cumecs)? Are there rapids, or can you canoe through in quiet water all the way?

 

[roo.walters.4]

The river is big - low water about 2cumecs, a barely noticeable current given its size, but well over 100 in flood.

Depending on levels, there are eight/nine rapids, several need a portage, the first being quite an effort, the rest easy, but yes you can and usually do paddle all the way through. Took me about 3 hours downstream (that is far end back to base). Upstream possibly 5, not including stops, which would be ridiculous to miss.

Impossible to do without a guide and why would you not want to given the boats you need.