Coffee at 1,200 metres
A volcanic highland above Pakse where the temperature drops ten degrees, the coffee is the best in the country, and waterfalls come off the escarpment in every direction.
At a glance
| Region | Southern Laos, above Pakse |
| Altitude | 1,000 to 1,350 m |
| Worth | 2 nights |
| Getting here | 1 to 2 hours by road from Pakse |
| Best months | November to February, which is also harvest |
| Known for | Coffee, waterfalls, cool nights |
What the place actually is
The Bolaven is a volcanic plateau that rises abruptly out of the Mekong lowlands east of Pakse. The basalt soil and the altitude - 1,000 metres at the edge, 1,350 at Paksong - make it the only serious coffee-growing region in Laos, and the temperature sits eight to ten degrees below the valley all year.
Rivers run off the escarpment in every direction, which is why there are so many waterfalls. Tad Fane is the spectacular one, twin drops of over a hundred metres into a forested gorge. Tad Yuang is smaller and you can walk behind it. Tad Lo, on the eastern side, is a village on a river with three falls in walking distance and the most relaxed couple of hours in southern Laos.
Coffee here is both arabica, which is grown above roughly 1,200 metres and is what you want, and robusta lower down, which is most of the volume and most of the export. The farms are largely smallholder. A visit at harvest, November to February, means seeing picking, pulping and drying in the same morning, which is very different from a showroom with a tasting counter.
How many nights
Two, based either at Paksong for the coffee and the western falls, or split between Paksong and Tad Lo. One night is possible from Pakse and means driving up and down the escarpment twice in a day.
| Shape | Nights | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Day trip from Pakse | 0 | Tad Fane, Tad Yuang, one coffee farm. Four hours of driving for five hours of stops |
| One night at Paksong | 1 | The above without the rush, plus a cold night and a plateau morning |
| Paksong and Tad Lo | 2 | The western falls, a working farm at harvest, the eastern side and the villages. This is the right answer |
| The full loop | 3 | Adds Salavan and the Tad Soung side, for people who want the motorbike route without a motorbike |
When to come
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| November - February | Dry, and the coffee harvest. Cold at night, 12 to 16 degrees at Paksong, with cloud in the mornings. The best window by a distance |
| March - April | Hot below, hazy above, and the falls are at their weakest |
| May - September | The plateau is one of the wettest places in Laos. Waterfalls at full power, roads greasy, and cloud most days |
| October | Clearing, green, falls still strong, and nobody there |
The plateau is genuinely cold by Southeast Asian standards in December and January. Guesthouses provide blankets and very little else - assume no heating.
Getting here
- From Pakse to Paksong, about 50 km and just over an hour, climbing a thousand metres. The road is good.
- From Pakse to Tad Lo, about 90 km and two hours on Route 20.
- The loop, Pakse to Paksong to Tad Lo to Salavan and back, is around 250 km and is what the motorbike crowd ride over two or three days.
- Onward to the islands, back down to Pakse and then two hours south to Nakasang, which is how our six-day southern trip joins the two.
What things cost here
| Item | Typical |
|---|---|
| Guesthouse double, Paksong or Tad Lo | USD 12 - 28 |
| Lodge or eco-resort double | USD 45 - 95 |
| Coffee farm visit with cupping | USD 8 - 20 per person |
| Tad Fane or Tad Yuang entrance | USD 0.50 - 2 |
| Vehicle and driver from Pakse, per day | USD 70 - 100 |
| Dinner | USD 4 - 10 |
| A kilo of good local arabica | USD 9 - 16 |
Pictures
The coffee, honestly
Most of what is exported from here is robusta sold as commodity, and most of what you are served in a Lao cafe is robusta with condensed milk, which is a legitimate drink and not what people mean when they talk about Bolaven coffee.
The arabica grown above 1,200 metres is genuinely good and increasingly well processed, with several producer groups now doing washed and natural lots properly. If you want to taste the difference, ask for a cupping at a farm rather than buying from a roadside stall. And be sceptical of any operator whose plateau day ends at a large showroom - that is a commission stop, not a farm.
When to skip the Bolaven
- If you are not going to the south at all. It is not worth a flight on its own.
- In March and April, when the falls are low and the air is poor.
- If you need comfortable accommodation. The plateau has a couple of decent lodges and a lot of simple guesthouses.
- If waterfalls do not interest you. Take away the falls and the coffee and there is a pleasant highland with not much else on it.
Tours that go here
- Southern Laos, 6 days - two nights on the plateau, then Wat Phou and the islands, from USD 620.
- North to south, 15 days - the plateau inside the full country route.
Questions travellers ask most
Is the coffee actually good?
The arabica from above 1,200 metres is, and it is getting better as more producers move to washed and natural processing.
The robusta that makes up most of the volume is ordinary, which is true of robusta almost everywhere. Buy from a farm rather than a roadside stall.
How cold does it get?
12 to 16 degrees at night at Paksong in December and January, occasionally lower, with mornings in cloud. Days are 22 to 26 and pleasant.
Guesthouses give you a blanket. Bring a fleece and do not expect heating.
Can we do it as a day trip from Pakse?
Yes, and it is a long day: about four hours of driving for Tad Fane, Tad Yuang and one farm.
One night at Paksong turns that into a much better trip for very little money, and the plateau morning is the part people remember.
Should we ride the loop on a motorbike?
It is a good ride if you are an experienced rider on loaded bikes and comfortable with Lao road conditions. If not, it is the most common way visitors get hurt in southern Laos.
We support riders with a luggage vehicle rather than rent bikes, and we say honestly that we would rather you took the vehicle.
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