Phou Khoun, Luang Prabang province, Laos

On the January 2007 caving trip to Laos, we spent a couple of days caving at Phou Khoun. Phou Khoun is in Luang Prabang province, but is not a tourist destination. It is simply a stopover on the journey between Luang Prabang and Phonsavan.

It about a 2.5 hour drive from Luang Prabang and the road is quite windy and hilly, but scenic.

Phou Khoun is a small town built along the road junction. As soon as we arrived, we checked into a guest house, then set off caving. We walked past a small hill on the way to Tham Muay, or Bear Cave.

We had a few officials and even an armed guard with us

The cave is short but pretty

Next day we went to an area off Route 7. I was with the team that explored Tham Dout, or Jumping Cave. A small entrance leads to a passage with lots of stal, then there are climbs down and a low passage.

The guide caught 3 bats for his dinner.

A stream passage leads to a sump.

Next day I joined the team in the nearby Tham Deu. Very nice cave, basically one flat passage, with various holes in the floor.

We saw some pink leeches in the end stream passage

View of the Phou Khoun area

For more on Laos caves, see the BHB publications.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission