Lake Nong Fa is said to be a sacred place in Laos in the heart of the national park, one possible explanation being that it was formed by a volcanic eruption many thousands of years ago. Walking to this lake was definitely an off the beaten path adventure 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 enjoyed it. a nice cool bath in one of the most remote places on earth.

No westerners to my knowledge have attempted to hike 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 survey the route for possible future drives. Inquiries 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 now moved to the town. After meeting with him and discussing the trip, we and my two fellow hikers prepared a review of the equipment we would need and started shopping for supplies, we bought soups, canned fish and rice and of course chocolate and sweets for that display of energy so necessary. Finally we ate dinner together in the city trying to eat as much as possible to supply ourselves with energy and especially protein that would be necessary to get us through the next few days.

The next morning we got up very early and after checking and dividing our equipment and food equally, we left Attapeu and headed to Pa-am village 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 American troops, as Americans were not officially allowed to enter Laos, this is why Laos is known as the most bombed country on the planet to date. Since American troops could not enter Laos, they could bomb it, American pilots were encouraged to empty the rest of their ammunition in Laos on the way back from Vietnam to their bases in Thailand. The old ordinances still litter the trails dropped by American B52s to try and hit Vietnamese soldiers and cut off their supply lines.

From Pa-am we hiked up the mountain as far as our comfortable car could go before checking our gear one last time and beginning our adventure.

The first day involved walking up the mountain through rugged terrain past small towns and ethnic communities. We traveled 20km along the old Laotian army training route not realizing at first how heavy our backpack would be. They certainly started weighing us towards the end of the day. Our guide was well versed in the local area and language, however he did not speak English so my Lao skills definitely came in handy.

We reached the village of Ban Chilinxay in the evening, after taking a shower in a nearby stream we spent the night in one of the huts of the villagers who surprisingly spoke a little English. We bought him a chicken and he cooked it for us along with some steamed rice and local vegetables and soup trying to get our energy back and relax our legs as much as possible. The second and third days followed a similar pattern, enjoying some hot chocolate at dawn, buying fresh eggs and vegetables from the villagers and walking about 20-25 km per day, the afternoons were spent with the local guide arranging the overnight stay. home, recuperating and baths.

The main priority at night was to boil enough water for the next day, so that the next day it would be cold enough to fill our plastic bottles. Dinner usually included steamed chicken and rice that was bought from the villagers and a couple of tins of canned fish which was good because it meant less to take away the next day.

Day four was the day, we could feel ourselves getting closer, woke up, and began our seemingly normal routine of washing up in the nearby stream, eating breakfast, and packing up our gear. It was a few miles over flat ground to the river where we crossed it in a dug out canoe. The canoe was definitely not the most stable of craft and the water was moving pretty quickly, but it was only about 100m or so to the other side, paddling hard and sitting low in the boat allowed us to get across without too much trouble. From this side of the river we stopped to contemplate the impressive beauty of the virgin nature that surrounds us.

From here, it was a 15 km walk up the steep slopes of the mountains to the village of Vangetat. It was a tough hike through the valley tops, but the scenery and views made it worth it. When I got to Vangetat around 2 p.m. we keep going, we could reach Nong Fa lake in another 2 hours or so.

The last few kilometers to the lake were tough being directly in the blazing sun and it was all uphill to the summit but spirits were high knowing we would be there soon.

We arrived, after 4 days of solid walking, we could hardly believe it, 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 hitchhike to Km100 about 10km from the Vietnamese border. It was a bumpy ride and not possible without a 4×4. After about 60 km or 3 hours we finally saw a paved 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 at the Laotian army barracks in a noodle soup shop, however it was a good nights sleep, this is probably due to how tired we were in place of sleeping conditions.

The next day, after a bowl of tasty soup, we thanked our hosts, gave them the remaining rice, and said goodbye. Now we try to hitchhike back to Attapeu. It wasn’t long after about 20 minutes we managed to get on a Vietnamese logging truck back to Attapeu around lunch. In short, it was a wonderful and unforgettable trip.