July 15, 2014 --- If you go to Pakse and don't visit waterfalls, you are not really in Pakse. Nathan and I decided to arrange our trip to waterfalls through our hotel receptionist. We got a private day-tour to a tea plantation, Tad Pha Suam, Tad Yuang, Tad Fane, and Tad Etu for about 2,000 Baht. This didn't include lunch or the entrance fees to any of the waterfalls though.
We started at a tea plantation somewhere on the way to Tad Pha Suam. Pakse is well known for growing coffee and tea, but I don't like the taste of the tea here at all. Too bitter. The plantation is very small and I don't think it was worth the stop. Then we went to Tad Pha Suam. In Laos, "Tad" means waterfall, and "Pha Suam" means the "bridal chamber." I think it's funny because the word "Suam" means a "toilet" in Thai. hehehe...
Tad Pha Suam is very beautiful. There were some local restaurants in the park, and if you explore a bit, you will find a hiking trail and a tribal village. It's not a real village though. Some guy just created it to preserve the local culture. If you want to take photos of the villagers, you have to pay them. Sounds like a tourist trap, huh?
The next stop is Tad Yuang. It's my favorite waterfall because of its height and the strong flow of water. We walked down the slippery wooden steps to the middle of the fall and were soaking wet from the mist.
Tad Fane is also gorgeous. It's like a big and deep hole in the valley, and two rivers flow down to that hole. I don't know if there is a way to go down to the bottom or not. There was also a restaurant overlooking the fall and the food was plentiful and delicious.
Tad Etu was our final stop. It was beautiful, but there was no good way to access the fall. We walked down the steps to the fall's bottom, but we didn't really get a good view of the fall because of the curvy bank and the thicket of trees.
Overall, the waterfalls in Pakse are all worth a visit. Summer will be best for swimming, but if you go there in the rainy season (around June-October), you can see the stunningly powerful flow of water.
Tea Plantation
Tad Pha Suam Waterfall ตามผาส้วม
Tad Yuang Waterfall ตามเยื้อง
Tad Fane ตามฟาน
Tad Etu ตาดอีตู้
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| A shuttle service from our hotel to the bus terminal |
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| Bus from Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani |
