Lao and Thai provincial authorities will survey the potential for boat travel focusing on a stretch of the Mekong river from World Heritage town of Luang Prabang to Loei province in Thailand.
The river trip from Luang Prabang to Chiang Khan district in Loei province would span 290 km, while the same journey by road covers 410 km. There are no regular tourist related river trips on this section of the river.
The only established river trip, that attracts international tourists, starts in Huay Xai on the border with Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province and passes through Pak Beng on the way to Luang Prabang. [Read more]

The great cave of Tham Khoun Xe, known as the Xe Bang Fai river cave, is an underground segment of Xe Bang Fai River situated in a remote corner of Khammuan province. It was explored by a French team in 1905 and then again in 1995. The cave was relatively unknown except to local people until its re-exploration in 2008 by a national geographic team which has since seen it become widely known internationally.
The Xe Bang Fai River Cave is almost 11 kilometres in length, 76 metres in height and 56 metres in width. It is considered to be one of the largest sustained river passages in the world with enormous caverns decorated with highly impressive structures.[More]