Kong Lor Cave: Highlight of the Thakhek Loop

Kong Lor cave is a cave system in the remote Laotian countryside. One of the longest and largest caves in all of southeast Asia. The cave is 7.5km long and takes around 45 minutes on a boat to go from one end to the other. At points the cave is 100m tall and your journey through it in darkness will have bats swooping past your face in the dark. Kong Lor cave and the surrounding area is absolutely breathtaking in every way, with towering limestone cliffs and remote farmland stretching in all directions.

Most people visit it as part of their journey on the Thakhek Loop. Read more about the Thakhek Loop in our guide here.

How do you get to Kong Lor cave?

One negative aspect of travelling in Laos is the time required to get between major cities. You can expect to spend almost a full day travelling to the area. You can either get to Kong Lor directly via bus from Vientiane, or from the closer town of Thakhek. Kong Lor is really quite isolated, but because of this you can expect authentic Laos countryside not overrun by tourists.

The Thakhek loop

The Thakhek loop is a breathtaking set of roads situated in central Laos that’s best experienced on a motorbike. This 450km loop can be completed over 3-4 days (or longer if you have the time and want to see and experience everything). 4 days of riding with the wind in your hair, flanked by towering limestone cliffs with occasional stop offs to swim in natural lagoons or delve deep into some of the most impressive cave systems you’ll find anywhere in Asia (especially Kong Lor cave!).

Kong Lor cave is situated on the Thakhek loop, and really is the main attraction. We think visiting Kong Lor cave as part of driving the loop is the best way to see this attraction. You can read more about driving the Thakhek loop in our guide here. We cover everything you need to know to plan your own Thakhek loop adventure; including motorbike rental shops, attractions, where to stay and how much it will all cost you.

Note: Travel insurance is a must for any motorbike rentals abroad, especially in south east asia. Although problems rarely arise, you want to be covered in the case that they do. We use SafetyWing and recommend it for anyone travelling around the world.

From Vientiane

The best way to get to Kong Lor via public transport from Vientiane is via bus. There is a daily bus that runs from Vientiane to Kong Lor. You can book this with most travel agencies and tour offices in the city. This is the only direct route between the two locations. Expect to pay around 15-20 euros / 20-25 USD, including a minibus to shuttle you to the Vientiane bus terminal.

An alternative is to take a local bus, or sleeper bus, from Vientiane to the town of Thakhek, and organise forward transport there (either bus or renting a motorbike). Buses depart daily from Vientiane Southern Bus Station for a variety of costs. We opted for the cheapest “local” bus that left around 9:00 am, cost 6 euros / 7 USD and took almost 10 hours in total (Laos roads aren’t the best).  Check ticket prices.

When to visit Kong Lor?

The best time to visit Kong Lor, and explore the rest of the Thakhek loop, is the dry season in Laos. This runs from November to March. In some places the water level may require you to briefly get out of the boat to allow the driver to push the boat over some rocks, but this is only a minor inconvenience.

Contrary to what you might think, visiting Kong Lor during the rainy season is not recommended. Whilst the water levels can be higher, the cave is prone to flooding. This can lead to potentially dangerous situations such as getting trapped in the cave. Avoid this period!

How much does the Kong Lor cave cost?

Entrance costs 150k kip or 7.50 euros / 10 USD per group (of up to 3 people) which includes a private boat driver to navigate the cave. You book your driver at the main office for the cave, located just outside. Your driver will drive you through the cave and back again to the start once you have explored the other side.

Once on the other side at the village of Ban Natane, you can rent a mountain bike to explore for a few hours. This will cost you another 100k kip per person, or 5 euros / 7 USD, and is recommended if you want to see as much of this beautiful area as possible.

Our experience in Kong Lor cave

For us, Kong Lor cave was the highlight of an already incredible journey around the Thakhek loop. We arrived at the booking office around 10am and booked our boat driver through the cave. After a brief walk into the mouth of the cave we approached our boat and began our 7.5km journey into the darkness.

After 15 minutes you can depart the boat and walk around some illuminated cave formations. These were incredible and the pictures really don’t do the scale of this place justice. In parts, the roof of the cave is 100 meters above you! We were lucky enough to witness some Buddhist monks leading prayers with some locals inside the cave, the chanting echoing around the cave walls. It was really a magical experience.

Once you get back onto the boat you drive further into the cave for around 30 minutes more until you arrive on the other side at the town of Ban Natane. This area of Laos is like stepping back in time. Farmland, mountains and dirt roads stretch for miles in every direction. It really is a slow way of life in this remote area of the country. After exploring the tiny villages for 2 hours it was time to depart back through the cave to the start. We made sure we found our same driver that brought us through originally and set back off into the darkness, emerging back in the town of Kong Lor around 2pm in the afternoon.

This cave really is something special and is not to be missed if you are travelling through Laos!

Where to stay in Kong Lor?

We spent 2 nights in the town of Kong Lor, staying at Kong Lor Eco Lodge. This place was 160k kip per night, or 8 euros / 10 USD, with breakfast included for a double room. It is walking distance (10-15 minutes) from the cave entrance. Konglor Cave Guesthouse is also well reviewed and popular with travellers in the town.

Where to go after Kong Lor?

If you are driving the Thakhek Loop, your next stop would be Na Hin, about a 1 hour drive from Kong Lor. From here you can continue on around the loop and make a stop at “The Rock” viewpoint for some high wire and ziplining.

You can also get bus services from Kong Lor back to some main cities in Laos, such as Thakhek or Vientiane. Read more about planning your own adventure on the Thakhek Loop in our complete guide here!