Trekking to Lake Nong Fa in southern Laos
Lake Nong Fa is said to be a sacred place in Laos at the heart of the national park, one possible explanation is that it was formed by a volcanic eruption many thousands of years ago. Walking to this lake was definitely an adventure out of the ordinary following parts of the Ho Chi Minh trail along the peaks of the valley, we reached the lake on the fourth day and after about 90 km it was worth it when we saw the beauty of this lake and we enjoy a nice cool bath in one of the most remote places in the world.
No Westerner that I know of had tried walking to the lake before, there is access most of the way by 4×4, but the plan was to get in and out using different routes and to examine the route for possible future tours. Consultations led us to Attapeu to a local army guide who also spoke the local indigenous language, he was born in a small town about two days’ walk from the lake, but his family has moved to the city now. After meeting him and discussing the trip, we and my fellow two hikers put together a revised gear we would need and started shopping for supplies, buying soups, canned fish and rice and of course chocolate and sweets for that much needed show of energy. Finally we had dinner together in the city trying to eat as much as possible to accumulate energy and especially proteins that would be necessary to get through the next few days.
The next morning we got up early and early and after checking and dividing our equipment and food equally, we left Attapeu and headed to the town of Pa-am on part of the Ho Chi Minh trail, a reminder of this trail is the old Russian. surface-to-air missile that is still in place.
The Vietnamese used to head south with troops and supply reinforcements along various trails during the Vietnam War against the Americans, they crossed into Laos to avoid battles with the US troops as the Americans were not officially allowed into Laos , this is the reason why Laos is known as the most bombed country on the planet to date. Since American troops couldn’t get into Laos, they could bomb it, American pilots were encouraged to empty the remainder of their ordinance on Laos on the way back from Vietnam to their bases in Thailand. The old ordinance still litters the trails that American B52s dropped to try to hit Vietnamese soldiers and cut off their supply lines.
From Pa-am we climbed the mountain as far as our comfortable car could go before checking our gear one last time and beginning our adventure.
The first day consisted of climbing the mountain through rugged terrain, passing small villages and ethnic communities, we traveled 20 km along the old Lao army training route without realizing at first how heavy it would be our backpack. Certainly, they began to weigh us down towards the end of the day. Our guide knew the local area and language well, however, he did not speak English so my skills in Laos definitely came in handy.
We arrived at the village of Ban Chilinxay in the afternoon, after showering in a nearby stream we spent the night in one of the villagers’ huts who surprisingly spoke a little English. We bought her a chicken and she cooked it for us along with some steamed rice and local vegetables and soup, trying to regain energy and relax our legs as much as possible. The second and third day followed a similar pattern at sunrise enjoying a hot chocolate buying fresh eggs and vegetables from the villagers and doing a walk of 20 to 25 km per day, the nights were spent with the local guide organizing the stay at home, recovering and baths.
The top priority at night was to boil enough water for the next day, so the next day it was cold enough to fill our plastic bottles. Dinner usually included steamed chicken and rice bought from the villagers and a couple of cans of canned fish, which was good because it meant less to take out the next day.
The fourth day was the day, we could feel that we were getting closer, we woke up and began our seemingly normal routine of washing in the nearby stream, eating breakfast, and packing our gear. They went a few kilometers over flat terrain to the river where we crossed it in a dug out canoe. The canoe was definitely not the most stable boat and the water was moving quite fast but it was only about 100 meters to the other side, paddling hard and sitting low in the boat allowed us to cross without too much trouble. From this side of the river we stopped to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the unspoiled nature that surrounds us.
From here it was a 15km hike up the steep slopes of the mountains to the village of Vangetat, it was a difficult hike through the tops of the valley, but the scenery and views made it worth it. When I got to Vangetat around 2:00 p.m. M. I couldn’t believe it. I had already consumed 3 liters of water, so I refilled my water bottles, drank boiled water from the friendly villagers, and we decided to move on as it was 2:00 p.m. M. We keep going and could reach Nong Fa Lake in another 2 hours or so.
The last few miles to the lake were difficult being directly under the scorching sun and it was all uphill to the top, but spirits were high, knowing we would be there soon.
We arrived, after 4 days of solid trekking we could hardly believe that the first thing we did was swim and relax our muscles in the cool water. Spending about an hour on the lake, we decided to head back to Vangetat when we saw a park ranger who had a 4×4 and this could be our departure plan.
It only took us about 45 minutes to get down from the lake with little effort as it was all downhill. Our theory with the ranger paid off and we managed to hitch a ride to Km100 about 10 km from the border with Vietnam. It was a bumpy ride and it wouldn’t be possible without a 4×4. After about 60 km or 3 hours we finally saw a sealed road and we were glad to know that we were safe and back to civilization. Unfortunately due to the lack of hotels in this area we slept next to Laos army barracks in a noodle soup shop, although it was a great night’s sleep, this is probably due to how tired we were more than sleeping conditions.
The next day, after a bowl of tasty soup, we thanked our hosts, gave them our remaining rice, and said goodbye. Now we try to go back to Attapeu. It didn’t take long after about 20 minutes that we managed to take a lift with a Vietnamese logging truck back to Attapeu around lunch. Overall, it was a wonderful and unforgettable trip.