The sleepy provincial capital of Khammuan province, Tha Khaek lies across the Mekong River from the bustling Thai town of Nakhon Phanom. While Tha Khaek is certainly not the most exciting town in Laos, it is a good deal more interesting than its cross-river neighbour, and, relatively speaking, it's the biggest, most tourist-friendly town in the province.

Tha Khaek means "Guest landing". Originally, this was a reference to the town's stature as a riverine trading outpost, but the name still holds water today. Foreign visitors continuously pour into town, crossing the Mekong by boat, and Laotians make frequent day-trips to buy goods in Nakhon Phanom. Tha Khaek is a full-on, international border crossing, and Lao visas on arrival are available crossing into Laos.

The construction effort to transform Route 12 from a dirt track to a major east-west trade corridor starts just outside of town, and Tha Khaek is already beginning to get a little bit busier in anticipation of its eventual growth, luring more and more Laotians to move into town from outlying areas. This growth, however, hasn't yet resulted in a huge influx of western tourists. Accommodation options haven't increased in recent years, and the town is visited only by a steady trickle of backpackers, the vast majority of whom stay at the Tha Khaek Travelodge.

The main draw in Tha Khaek is to use it as a base to explore the hinterlands surrounding the town, featuring ample attractions: vast caves, placid swimming holes and stunning limestone forests. You can explore it all on your own by chartering a tuk-tuk or renting a motorbike -- there's enough to do here to keep you busy for at least week or so.

Tha Khaek in general, and the Travelodge in particular, are increasingly becoming a staging area for the 'Konglor Cave Loop', as tourists show up here looking to take a three-to-five day motorbike journey from Tha Khaek, through Nakai and Lak Xao, to Na Hin for a trip to Konglor Cave, and then returning from the north via route 13S.

But you don't have to do it on your own anymore: there's a new tourist information centre that is conducting a pilot project to test out three new guided tours of the nearby Phou Hin Boun NBCA, all of which are worth looking into.

Orientation
Things in Tha Khaek are pretty spread out -- the most popular place to stay, the Tha Khaek Travel Lodge, isn't convenient to much of anything but the 3km Market, and is a good 5 km from the boat landing on the river.

There's a roundabout two kilometres north of the boat landing on Vientiane road. Continuing east from the roundabout along route 12, the intersection with route 13 is two kilometres further on -- to reach points north take a left, and points south are to the right, including the main bus terminal, 500m from the intersection on route 13.

The 3km market, which is a good place to pick up a wide variety of goods, is located 3km south of the roundabout. This is also where you can catch tuk-tuks to surrounding areas.

Internet is available nowhere that we could find, except one terminal at the Tha Khaek Travel Lodge -- 500 kip per minute, and kinda slow.

The Laos Development Bank is right next to the roundabout. You can exchange US dollars, kip and baht. Travellers checks can be cashed for no commission if you want kip, US$1 per note for dollars. No credit card advances are available. Hours weekdays 08:30 to 15:30. T: (021) 213 300. F: (021) 213 304. The BCEL is on Vientiane road, south of the roundabout.

The post office is located a kilometre south of the roundabout on Kuvoravong Rd, open daily 08:00 to 23:45, T: (051) 212 004, F: (051) 212 327. Western Union is available here, weekdays from 08:30 to 16:30.

The new Tourism Information Centre, is south of the roundabout and right next to a local school that has a prominent ferris wheel on its grounds.

The Hospital is located just south of town along the river road, 600 metres south of the fountain square.

Border affairs
The ferry to Nakhon Phanom is at the end of Vientiane Rd, on the Mekong River. The immigration office is open from 08:00 to 18:00 daily. Getting stamped out of Laos doesn't cost anything during normal working hours, but you'll be charged 10,000 daily after 16:00 and on weekends and holidays. Ferries depart regularly to cross the river for 15,000 kip. Visa on arrival is available on the Laos side coming the other way.