Pakse to Tad Fane

Was wondering if anyone has ideas for me.

We are flying into Pakse then going direct to Tad Fane. ( three nights)

What is a rough cost for transport there ? also, as we not in a hurry ..are there sights to stop along the way ?

Pakse to Tad Fane

The bus is about $5. If you get off the bus, you might have to wait hours to get on another, so forget en route sightseeing. BE SURE you tell the bus driver to let you off at your stop or you will go all the way to Sekong.

Pakse to Tad Fane

Thanks Maneki-neko. A tut tut would suit better, I have been known to miss bus stops.:-)

Found out the tut tut is $20-$25 to take you up or down to the plateau.

The bus sounds like a good idea for back to Pakse.

Do you or anyone have suggestions for sightseeing along the way up ?

No, as my friend %26amp; I just headed from Pakse to Tad Fane Lodge, where we spent 2 nights. (Is that where you are staying?)

Yes this is where we are staying

It%26#39;s a lovely place, but the food is marginal, be warned. Also, there are no stores within miles so bring your own snacks etc if you like that kind of stuff (You can stock up in Pakse). They have nice, cold beer at the restaurant.

You are probably already back, but I was trying to leave a review of the Tadfane or Tad fane Resort and it is not listed, so anyone doing a search, be warned! We were on a first class tour of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and they had this as a 3 star hotel. You can%26#39;t even call this a hotel let alone a 3 star. Dirty, water all over the bathroom floor, the beds were so hard the floor could have been better if it wasn%26#39;t for all the huge black ants. Unless you are a hiker that can deal with bugs and dirt, stay away. We did not sleep all night it was also freezing. The food is terrible and there is nothing around! There is nothing to do here but see the Tadfane waterfall and you can’t hike to the bottom unless you have pretty advance gear. Instead stay at La Folie in Don Khong Island. The workers here were the only unfriendly hotel staff we met in our entire trip.

Star

Too bad you didn%26#39;t enjoy it. It realy isn%26#39;t as bad as you say, unless of course you are used to an extremely high level of comfort. I found the beds to be very comfortable, and the place fairly clean (this was back in February, things might have changed since then). It is a LODGE not a 5-star hotel after all. The food is not so good, that%26#39;s for sure.The reason I chose to stay at that place for 2 days is BECAUSE there was nothing there.

I found that area to be warm compared to Phonsavan. Head up there and it gets below zero in this season. If you read Tad Fane%26#39;s website, it advises to bring appropriate clothing. My fleece jacket sufficed for me...

Star, thanks for your review. We haven’t left yet %26amp; wondering if will be able as trans thru BKK airport !!! ( acouple more weeks..fingers %26amp; toes crossed)

I did understand it would be basic accommodation %26amp; being in the bush to expect insects %26amp; ants etc. these things can not be avoided. As for the hard beds..partner %26amp; I both prefer.

But the food well ..this is a worry to me %26amp; had read before of this complaint...so on Maneki-neko advise I will be taking some snack foods to have with the beerlao. I find out first hand what everyone means by ‘terrible food’ as long as they have noodle soup or sit fry we happy, so my review may not be helpful to others.

Anyway, thank you all, we have now decided 2 nights will be enough. My main concern is not having a guide to take us on the walking trails, as I heard/ been told they usually do not have.. they advertise this service???

We know %26amp; familiar with our countries creatures but cautious of others, so happy just to walk in the middle of well worn tracks %26amp; hopeing this is possible %26amp; the reason limiting the time spent there.

Oh, I bought thermo’s especially !!!

I (hope) will report back here, how we got on, did %26amp; thoughts.

Star, the la folie looks lovely, this trip doesn’t allow but I will remember. Thank you.

The food is edible, but not ';terrible';. I usually like snacks with my Beerlao so I %26#39;m glad my friend %26amp; I stocked up in Pakse before we left. The Tad Fane Resort website advertised guided hikes, and I was REALLY looking forward to this. When we arrived, they informed us that there were no guides there. Period. I did a couple of one-hour hikes which consisted mostly of sliding down bamboo-grass lined hills and grasping on tree branches to keep my balance, returned covered in dirt. I would have preferred to know where I was going, though...If you wish to do this, DEFINITELY bring sensible shoes. You will not need thermals in the daytime (I was sweating my butt off during the hike) and you will suffice at night wiht a warm jacket. And the beds are firm, but comfortable.:-)

I am scheduled to fly via Bangkok to Phnom Pneh on Dec. 20, and I am patiently waiting out all the mess in Bangkok at the moment. Good luck with your flights, too!

Well yes Tad Fane is basic - ants yes, bed really really hard (and lumpy), water in bathroom yes but just like most of the bathrooms it tends to go beyond the shower. I must say our bathroom had the added advantage of a shower from the sky!!! I put clothes on a hanger to dry overnight but some rain came through in an overnight storm - so what, nothing drastic. Food perfectly edible but certainly nothing to write home about.

The biggest thing for me was lack of guides - they had answered emails saying it would all be sorted as soon as we arrived but there weren%26#39;t any or a car or tuk tuk available - had to get one up from Pakse. Just didn%26#39;t even indicate that they ever did so I don%26#39;t understand the emails from them at all.

Would I go again. Yes but I%26#39;d take nibbles and wine which I normally do but things were not sorted last time as we%26#39;d come across the border with a rush because of canceled flights. I%26#39;d also think about the beds - again my back was hurting last time before we got there but I%26#39;d probably carry a light mat to Lao next time - 3 visits and I still can%26#39;t believe the hardness of them. Guides - well if I had the money I%26#39;d be taking a driver with me as another person there had done - in fact he had a guide and driver - with the guide organising nibbles and wine for him everywhere - thats how to do it.

Its still a beautiful place and worth going and although you can see the falls on a day trip I still liked staying.