Tad Fane Waterfall

Two streams reach the rim of the Bolaven Plateau within a few metres of each other and drop together into a gorge in the Dong Hua Sao protected area. The viewpoint is on the opposite lip, which gives you both falls, the gorge and the forest behind them in one frame, and the drop is around a hundred metres depending on whose measurement you take. The plateau here is coffee country, and the road from Pakse runs through plantations most of the way.

What you actually see

• The twin drops - two falls of comparable height side by side, rare enough to be the whole point.
• The gorge - a steep forested bowl below, with spray hanging in it after rain.
• The viewpoint - a platform on the opposite rim, at eye level with the top of the falls.
• The zipline - a cable strung across the gorge for those who want the falls from the middle of the air.

When to go

June to November, at the end of the wet season, is when the volume is worth seeing. December to March is dry, comfortable and much thinner on water. Mornings are clearest; the gorge fills with cloud by afternoon in the wet months.

Honest expectations

You look at these falls rather than reach them, and the descent to the base is not a casual walk. The viewpoint sits inside a resort, so there is an entry charge and a restaurant attached. In the dry months the twin drops can shrink to two thin ribbons.

Nearby

Tad Yuang is a few kilometres along the same road, and Paksong and the coffee plantations are further up the plateau.