CHAMPHONE LOOP - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Sometimes the best things are found where you least expect them. Savannakhet is the most populous province in Laos, yet also one of the least explored, as tourists seldom stray from the pleasant and scenic downtown area of the city. On a recent visit, I was advised to get out and see the real Savannakhet on the Champhone Circuit. To find out what I was missing, I acquired some transport and headed out of town.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE
Champhone District is quite flat and agrarian. It is marked by the Xe Champhone River which flows from mountains in the north down into the Xe Bang Hiang and onward into the Mekong.
Soui Lake
My first stop along this route was to admire the wide Soui Reservoir, jokingly called “the ocean of Savannakhet” which contains water for use in the area. It is a charming lake and popular spot on weekends for local people who flock to restaurants on the lakeside and enjoy fresh catches of fish and shellfish.
Monkey forest / Dong Ling
Driving on a few kilometers, the driver stops. “Monkeys!” he exclaims. We have arrived in Dong Ling – “Monkey Forest”. These rare animals live in a forest believed to be sacred by local people, so they are given free rein. Local shops must protect themselves with metal grating, or the cheeky monkeys will steal things and disappear into the forest. I bought a few bunches of bananas and tried to make friends. They were shy at first, but as more and more monkeys approached, I became uneasy and tossed the bunch at them, before jumping back into the van.
Ho Taypidok – The first library in Laos
Crossing the Xe Champhone River and on to the next village, we came across a real marvel of Lao architecture, Wat Ban Lam Chan. This ancient temple in Lam Chan Village is quite famous for its incredibly tall stilted Ho Tay Pidok library. Traditionally temple manuscripts were etched into palm leaves and bound together into books. As insects love to eat these leaves, libraries were often built on stilts in ponds, so they would be protected from pests. Sadly, many of these grand wooden structures have been lost and this is one of the few remaining. The manuscripts stored here are of such good quality that they are still regularly studied by academics.
Turtle Lake
Our next stop was another fascinating natural attraction in Don Daeng Village, a lake with sacred softshell turtles! The villagers nearby believe that anyone who disturbs these animals will mysteriously fall sick or die. Visitors often bring traditional Lao snacks to feed the turtles and avoid any bad luck. Local children nearby have a special way of calling the turtles to the surface to get a snack and are happy to help bring them up. A few children followed me and one of them called out in Lao. A turtle appeared, grabbed the food I offered, and then disappeared back into the murky depths. There is also a small Buddhist shrine built in the middle of the lake, but due to local beliefs, only men are allowed inside.
Taleo Old Temple
Just a few kilometers north is a striking piece of Lao-Indochinese architecture stained by modern history and one of my favorite stops on this route. In Taleo Village stand the remnants of an old, abandoned temple, Wat Taleo Kao. Built about a century ago, the temple was the target of American bombs in 1969 and many of the structures in the temple grounds did not survive. Thankfully, one building remains and houses a trove of folk-art paintings on its walls, telling local legends and stories of the Buddha’s life. Temples are not made like this anymore, as Lao people prefer more modern styles of art on their walls, so seeing this one in its original state was quite a treat, if it were not for the sad reason it was abandoned.
Wat Phoukor
This singular forest temple has been designed without wall so people can stay in touch with nature while praying Buddha. While walking in the beautiful surrounding forest, you can observe many statues depicting Buddhist hell and famous Lao tales
That Kou
That Kou is the ruin of one of the many pre-Angkorian constructions from the ancient Khmer Empire in Laos. This sanctuary was built at early second millennium with impressive lava stones and used to be a Hindu shrine.
The Champhone Circuit really opened up this section of Laos and showed me a great diversity of fascinating historical and natural places. Visitors to the area should look beyond the city center – get out and see the real charms of Savannakhet!
GETTING THERE
Champhone District is located about 45 kilometers southeast of Savannakhet’s downtown area and road conditions can be quite rugged and dusty, so transport with high clearance is recommended.
Lao Airlines has regular flights to Savannakhet from Pakse, Bangkok, and Vientiane.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
So, what is the best time to visit Champhone Loop?
In general, you can visit Champhone Loop throughout the year though it will be a little muddy during rainy season from May until late August.
The best time to visit the area is during dry season from mid-October until late April. If possible, you can manage to visit Champhone Loop around January when you can join the Taleo Temple Festival. Check with us for the detailed date if you are interested.
TOUR PACKAGES
We are so excited to invite our travelers all around the world to come and visit the Champhone Loop so that we have already created 3 packages that include the loop so that you know how we can combine the area with the other parts of Laos.
Below is the brief itinerary of the 3 packages, please contact us for further details on itinerary and price.
PACKAGE 1: CENTRAL LAOS ADVENTURE (12D11N)
Code: LAET-CL12
1 ARRIVAL IN VIENTIANE
2 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK
3 PHOU KHAO KHUAY ORCHID TREK – PAKSAN
4 PAKSAN – KONGLOR CAVE – BAN NATANE (HOMESTAY)
5 BAN NATANE – PHAGNA MEANGWAN CAVE – TAD SAO E WATERFALL
6 BAN NATANE – KONGLOR CAVE – NAM SANAM WATERFALL – SAINAMHAI LODGE
7 NAMSANAM – BIRD WATCHING – BAN THALANG
8 BAN THALANG – THAKHEK
9 THAKHEK – SAVANNAKHET
10 SAVANNAKHET – CHAMPHONE LOOP – HOMESTAY
11 CHAMPHONE LOOP – BACK TO SAVANNAKHET
12 SAVANNAKHET – DEPARTURE
****
PACKAGES 2: UNCOVER THE HIDDEN CHARMS OF LAOS (16D15N)
Code: LAEU-HC16
1 ARRIVAL IN LUANG PRABANG
2 ANCIENT CITY & HIDDEN CORNER OF LUANG PRABANG
3 MORNING ALMS GIVING – BUFFALO DAIRY FARM – KUANG SI WATERFALL
4 MEKONG RIVER BOAT TRIP – PAK OU CAVES – TAEC
5 TRANSFER TO XIENG KHUANG
6 PLAIN OF JARS & MUANG KHOUNE
7 TRANSFER TO VANG VIENG
8 VANG VIENG EXPLORATION – VIENTIANE
9 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK
10 FLIGHT TO SAVANNAKHET – CHAMPHONE LOOP
11 CHAMPHONE LOOP – BACK TO SAVANNAKHET
12 SAVANNAKHET – BOLAVEN PLATEAU – FANDEE ISLAND
13 BOLAVEN PLATEAU – CHAMPASAK
14 WAT PHOU – KHONG ISLAND – KHONE ISLAND
15 4000 ISLANDS – KHONE PHAPHAENG WATERFALL – PAKSE
16 PAKSE – UBON RATCHATHANI – DEPARTURE
****
PACKAGE 3: ON THE ROAD ADVENTURE (26D25N)
Code: LAEU-RA26
1 ARRIVAL IN LUANG PRABANG
2 ANCIENT CITIES – MEKONG RIVER – PAK OU CAVES
3 BAN LONG LAO – KUANG SI WATERFALL
4 MORNING ALMS GIVING – NAHM DONG PARK
5 LUANG PRABANG – XIENG KHUANG
6 PLAIN OF JARS & MUANG KHOUNE
7 XIENG KHUANG – VANG VIENG
8 VANG VIENG EXPLORATION – BAN THAHEUA
9 CYCLING BAN THAHEUA – VIENTIANE
10 VIENTIANE EXPLORATION – BUDDHA PARK
11 VIENTIANE – ORCHID TREK – PAKSAN
12 PAKSAN – KONG LOR CAVE
13 KONGLOR CAVE – NAMSANAM WATERFALL
14 NAMSANAM – BIRD WATCHING – BAN THALANG
15 BAN THALANG – THAKHEK
16 THAKHEK – SAVANNAKHET – VIVANOUK HOMESTAY
17 CHAMPHONE DISTRICT EXPERIENCE
18 SAVANNAKHET – BOLAVEN PLATEAU – FANDEE ISLAND
19 JEEP TOUR EXPLORATION HIDDEN COFFEE TRAIL
20 TRANSFER TO PAKSONG
21 PAKSONG – WAT PHOU – CHAMPASAK – DONE DAENG
22 DONE DAENG – PHOU ASA TREKKING – DONE KHONG
23 DONE KHONG – 4000 ISLANDS – DONG KHONE
24 DONE KHONE – KHONE PHAPHAENG WATERFALLS – PAKSE – NKM HOMESTAY
25 HIDDEN PAKSE EXPERIENCE
26 PAKSE – UBON RATCHATHANI – DEPARTURE