PHOU KHAO KHOUAY - NATIONAL PARK

Information at the Vientiane Tourist Office and on the Internet. Some 1 671 kilometres from Vientiane, in the north-east - but it is accessed by the "road to the south" - there is a small mountain range at m: the mountain of the buffalo horn, sprinkle many rivers that throw themselves away from there in the Mekong. The national park comprises this mountainous area and its valleys (2 000 km ²) are limited to the west by the Nam Ngum reserve. The ecosystem is a supportive habitat for many protected mammals: Asian elephant, tiger, Asian brown bear, white cheeks, etc. Floral biodiversity and insects is remarkable. There are only three small villages in the perimeter of the Park, to the west of the park, but those built within 5 km of the protected area exert strong pressure on the ecological balance of the region. Possible walks in these still green landscapes, with several points of interest:

Cascades of Tad Xay and Pak Hay, accessible from Ban Hatkai.

Cascades of Tad Leuk.

Willow Ket cliff offering a superb panorama on the mountains.

Ang Nam Leuk reserve nestled in a Victorian landscape.

The Lao Tourism Office has developed with the German cooperation service and the surrounding villages, a programme of ecotourism, allowing visitors to share the daily lives of villagers in their traditional lives. Some families have been trained to receive tourists, and if they don't speak English, they will do the necessary to get you welcome. Visitors can spend the night to Ban Na or Ban Hatkai, and randonner around the villages with the help of local guides.