Saravan Voyage Tips and guide

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Saravan (alternative spellings Saravane, Salavan) is a province of Southern Laos. It's best known for its wild and mountainous terrain, waterfalls and diversity of ethnic minority communities.

• 15.87106.351 Saravan — provincial capital: A sleepy, unassuming town.
• 15.4775106.1411112 Lao Ngam — there's not much tourism draw to Lao Ngam, however, the NGO Village Focus International has a 35-hectare farm, called the Green Earth Centre, used as a living agricultural lab to help local villagers improve farming practices and improve livelihoods.
• 16.05106.5833 Ta Oy — home to the Tahoy ethnic group. A small town with basic amenities. See the Tahoy longhouses
• 16.022222106.2383334 Toomlarn
• 15.883105.555 Lakhonepheng — on the Mekong
• 15.75105.9552786 Vapy —
• 15.5105.7837 Khongsedone
• 16.5106.8178 Sa Mouay — region on the Vietnamese border. Location of the planned French-style village of A Magne which fell into disrepair following the civil war. Today it is a border town.

Traveling farther east from Saravan becomes challenging due to the mountainous terrain and poor roads, especially in the rainy season. However, moving on to places such as Taoy can be very rewarding due to the wilderness and many ethnic minority villages in this area.

Colonised by both the Thai and the French, Saravan became a key battleground during the civil war, with battles between the Lao government and the Pathet Lao destroying most of the old buildings in the province. As of 2022, Saravan had the lowest Human Development Index of any province in Laos. The province is heavily forested however vast swathes have been intensively logged and sent to Vietnam on the sly.

Saravan has an airport but as of Dec 2024 there are no scheduled flights. The nearest airport is in Pakse, 140km away, which has flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang and very limited international routes.

The sleeper bus from Vientiane departs at 20:30 and arrives in Saravan town the next morning at about 10:00, passing through Pakse on the way. Buses from Pakse take about 3 hours to get to Saravan town or 2 hours to Tad Lo.

Saravan city is very much the nerve centre of the province. It is an emerging tourist destination and has a "frontier town" feel owing to the lack of major settlements elsewhere in the province. Transport to these outlying settlements can be difficult owing to the poor condition of the roads, especially during the monsoon (May-October).

The province is home to a number of beautiful waterfalls, including Tad Lo, Tad Suong, Tad Hang, Tad Fan, Tad Nyeuang, Tad Champee & Tad E-Tu.

The central part of this province is part of the Bolaven Plateau.

Salavan town has a market where tribal women from neighbouring areas come to sell things they have foraged like mushrooms, bamboo, eggs and lizards.

Less than a kilometre to the north-east of the market is Wat Kang Salavan, a Buddhist temple inside a pond housing religious texts. It is beautiful, but the original was destroyed by war in 1972.

A popular activity is renting a motorcycle or joining a tour of the Bolaven Plateau, the route being commonly referred to as the Bolaven Loop.

About 6 buses depart Saravan headed to Pakse per day. These pass Tad Lo and Lao Ngam on the way.