Enter the Kong Lor Caves on a private long tail boat and it will be a very long time before you see daylight again. 

Stunning stalactites and stalagmites are revealed by your roving spotlight. Leave the boat and wander amid breathtaking underground rock formations. 

Villagers still use this cave as an access route to the villagers on the other side and you will follow their route.Deep inside the gloom is an emerald pool, one that reflects the skin colour of a Hindi god and has become a sacred site.

Leave the cave and walk to local villages, experiencing the simple way of life of this untouched part of the world. Return to Ban Kong Lor the same way the locals would – going downstream through the cave on a long tail boat. 

Stick around because in the late afternoon the area is wonderfully photogenic, with rice fields and markets your insight into Laos life.