Hintang Archaeological Park

Along a series of ridges in Houaphanh stand groups of thin upright stones, some over two metres tall, set in rows with large stone discs beside them covering underground chambers. The French archaeologist Madeleine Colani excavated here in the 1930s and found burial goods below the discs. Estimates put the sites in the first millennium BCE, which makes them older than the jar sites to the south, and the relationship between the two remains unresolved. There are dozens of groups scattered along the ridges and only the main one is easily reached.

What you actually see

• The standing slabs - thin upright stones set in rows along the ridge lines.
• The discs - flat stone lids covering the buried chambers beside them.
• The main site at San Kong Phanh - the group with a path and interpretation, closest to the road.
• The outlying groups - dozens more along the ridges, reached only on foot with a guide.

When to go

November to March, when the tracks are dry. The ridges catch mist in the early morning, which is atmospheric and also means you see nothing. The wet season makes the access road difficult and the ridge paths slippery.

Honest expectations

Very little is known about who raised these stones or why, and anyone giving you a confident explanation is inventing it. The main site is modest and takes half an hour; the reward is in walking between groups, which needs a guide and time. The road in is poor.

Nearby

Sam Neua is the nearest town, and the Plain of Jars lies southwest across the mountains.