Date of travel: July 2018
Budget for 2 people: 140K Kip (Scooter 100k + Gas 20K + 5k for parking+ 2k for toilet use + 13K pp return boat ride)
Level: Experienced or gutsy scooter/motorbike rider
Duration: Half a day if you don't get lost. Full day if you do!
Recommended to hire a scooter from Galaxy (best price in town at the time of hire). There are plenty of gas stations on the way. We used Google maps, taking route 13. We initially intended to do the Chompet Loop as suggested on travelfish.org but unfortunately with ongoing construction everywhere, the roads seemed to have changed and we got lost for 2 hours! All good, because by getting lost we happened upon Indigo Farm to Table Restaurant. That was a wonderful organic dining experience - and allowed us to rest up before we tackled the rest of the ride. To get there, go past the Pak Ou Caves turnoff from route 13 for around 5 mins when you should see a few big signs to the restaurant. Afterwards, head back to the turn off sign and follow the road all the way down to the Pak Ou village. Major road construction on the way, so be careful. But the views!! And of course, the elephants! We got the elephants on the way back - perhaps on their regular sunset strolls. The Lao Lao or whiskey village is also on the way. You will know you've reached the village once you're by the limestone mountains and you see a ticket counter set-up. Bring your ticket with you when you walk down to the boat to give to the boat driver. There are restaurants and little shops and user pay toilets at the village. On the way back, worth to stop for a drink at the Chongchangking bar for a 180 degree view of the Mekong.
On a last note: I loved this experience and highly recommend it if you like independent travel. But for my partner, he recommends to go the 3 hrs, 300K cruise to the Caves. Boring...
Video shot with Hero 5, edited with i-Movie
