The Bolaven Plateau

The Bolaven is a basalt plateau rising above the Mekong valley to around 1,200 metres, cool enough to grow arabica and wet enough to feed a long list of waterfalls. Coffee has been grown here since the French colonial period and the plateau now produces most of Laos's crop, with small farms and roasteries that welcome visitors. The standard way to see it is the Bolaven loop, a two to four day circuit by rented motorbike taking in Tad Fane's twin falls dropping into a gorge, Tad Yuang and Tad Lo, and villages of several ethnic groups whose weaving and daily life are quite different from the lowlands. The riding is straightforward on the main loop and rougher on the long variant.

What you actually see

• Tad Fane - twin falls dropping over a hundred metres into a forested gorge.
• Tad Lo - a village of guesthouses beside a chain of falls, the loop's usual overnight.
• Coffee farms - small producers roasting and pouring on the plateau.
• Tad Yuang and Tad Champee - swimmable falls close to the main road.

When to go

November to February is coolest and driest for riding. The falls are at their most powerful from August to October at the end of the wet season, but the roads are muddy and the riding harder. Nights on the plateau are genuinely chilly.

Honest expectations

Motorbike rental in Laos carries real risks: insurance is usually absent, road standards vary, and accidents involving foreign riders are common. Check the bike thoroughly, wear a helmet and do not ride at night. Some guesthouses hold passports as deposit, which is standard locally but worth knowing. Unexploded ordnance remains a hazard in parts of southern Laos, so stay on paths and marked areas.

Nearby

Pakse is the loop's start and end; Wat Phou and the Mekong islands lie south.