Xe Pian National Protected Area

Xe Pian runs across the flat country south of Pakse towards the Cambodian border, and it protects the sort of habitat that has largely gone elsewhere in the lower Mekong: semi-evergreen and dry dipterocarp forest, seasonal wetland, and river channels with deep pools. Kiet Ngong village on the edge of the Beung Kiat Ngong wetland is the usual base, and it is one of the last places in Laos where domesticated elephants are still part of village life rather than an attraction imported for visitors.

The landscape

• The Beung Kiat Ngong wetland - a Ramsar-listed marsh with a boardwalk and observation platform.
• The dipterocarp forest - open, dry, fire-adapted woodland unlike the closed forest further north.
• Phou Asa - a hilltop above the village ringed by unexplained stone columns.
• The birds - hornbills, storks and ibis among the species the wetland holds.

When to go

November to March is dry, cool by local standards and the best time for walking. The wetland is fullest at the end of the wet season around October, when the birds concentrate. April and May are punishingly hot on open ground.

Good to know

The elephant question is worth thinking about before arriving: some village operations offer riding, and there is a real difference between watching and mounting. Wildlife here is thin on the ground and shy after decades of hunting pressure, so this is habitat rather than a safari. Accommodation is homestay level.

Nearby

The Four Thousand Islands are south along the Mekong, and Champasak and Wat Phou lie northwest.

Key facts