Kong Lo Archives - Szymon Zieliński - My travels, photos and stories

Imagine a river disappearing inside a monolithic limestone mountain and running 7 km through pitch-black, winding cave – and you have a glimpse of what Kong Lo cave is (sometimes spelled as Kong Lor), truly one of the natural wonders of Laos. This cave-cum-tunnel is quite impressive – up to 100 m wide in some places and almost as high. Boat is naturally a mean of transportation for visiting the cave – a motorised canoe, to be exact. The canoe is operated by two guides (the entrance ticket was 20,000 kip, hiring a boat with guides 100,000 per boat for up to 4 people, so altogether I had to pay 120,000 kip – about 10 euros – as there was nobody around to share the boat with). To pass through the cave one have to spend almost an hour in the canoe (one-way). I had to change the shoes for flip-flops, as it is not possible to make the journey without going in the water. In the main cavern there are some lights which enable us to get a better look for stalagmites and limestone formations. It pays to bring your own torch – I had my faithful head light with me. It is really a pity that the only light in the cave is only in the main cavern – if there were lights along the entire tunnel, it would definitely make it more attractive and the boat trip would be much more interesting. The visiting to the cave includes going all the way to the other side and a short walk to the local village – there we had a short break for a sip of water – and of course, going back. It all takes about 3 hours. The village itself looked just like any other village – the guide took me to his friend’s house, where they had a little chat about this and that – of course in local language – we had some boiled water and went back. On the photos you can see how locals live in the village.

On the way back to Tha Khaek I have made a stop at the sala viewpoint near Km 36. One should never miss that spot, as the scenery is indeed dramatic (the panoramic photo is just a fraction of how it really feels). I have arrived in Tha Khaek early evening, skipping some places that I was about to see the next day.

From Kong Lo cave (A) to Tha Khaek (B)

Tha Khaek Loop, Laos - Day 3 - Kong Lo cave

Outside Kong Lo cave. The entrance is in the background. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Na zewnątrz jaskini Kong Lo. Wejście jest na śodku w tle. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Outside the main entrance to Kong Lo cave. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Na zewnątrz głównego wejścia do jaskini Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Boats near the main entrance to Kong Lo cave. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Łodzie przy głównym wejściu do jaskini Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Main entrance to Kong Lo cave. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Główne wejście do jaskini Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

Main cavern in Kong Lo cave. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Główna komnata w jaskini Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.

My guide and his friend at the village on the other side of Kong Lo cave. Tha Khaek Loop, Laos.
Mój przewodnik i jego przyjaciel w wiosce po drugiej stronie jaskini Kong Lo. Pętla Tha Khaek, Laos.