Tham Kao Rao area near Vieng Phoukha Town offers an easy hike through a 30-hectare area with an endless underground labyrinth.

The cave network includes “wet” and “dry” caves and is relatively easy to navigate, featuring limestone columns and rock rooms with gours, stalactites, stalagmites, and stone wet pools.

Visitors have two options: a half-day cave tour ending with a return to Vieng Phoukha by tuk-tuk, or an overnight homestay at Ban Nam Eng. The latter includes traditional activities such as fishing, rice planting, traditional meals, and an evening of traditional singing and dancing.

The Vieng Phoukha Jungle Cave tour is also a recommended option, offering a 3-day trek from Vieng Phoukha to a jungle camp at Maamaint Cave, which includes a visit to the Khmu village and a dense jungle with old forests and bamboo groves.

To access Tham Kao Rao area, visitors need to arrange a self-arranged tuk-tuk ride north on Route 3 from Vieng Phoukha Town. The cave is 46 km south of Luang Namtha Town, and travel agents in the provincial capital can arrange tours.

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